Antiques and Collectibles: Crochet Rugs Gain Popularity in the Craft Industry | News, Sports, Jobs

No one really knows who made the first crocheted rugs, but most historians believe they were the Vikings. We know that in the early 19th century, floor mats were made in the United States from 9-inch-long pieces of yarn from machines that made rugs.

The first rugs that interested American collectors were made at Grenfell Mission, a philanthropic organization founded in 1892 to help residents of Labrador and Newfoundland, Canada. In the 1920s and 1930s, they developed a cottage industry to make and sell handicrafts. The items included knitted items and hook rugs from donated dyed silk stockings, and later from flannel, wool, and burlap. The rugs had scenes from Labrador artists and were sold in retail stores in the United States and England. Grenfell rugs are now popular with collectors.

By 1940, carpet making had become an art form, not just a job for the poor. Artists and hobbyists alike made crocheted rugs to use or sell. This crocheted rug features a map of the United States. On the back it is written, “For Peter Stone on the occasion of his 5th birthday on November 10, 1940, with the love of Carlo.” Perfect origin. It sold at Cowan’s auction for $ 469.

* * *

Q: We are trying to find a replacement milk glass shade for a pole lamp. The lampshade is embossed with flowery flowers in circles. It chipped and we couldn’t find a replacement. Can you help?

A: Go to local lighting stores to see if they can help you. If they don’t have anything similar in stock, you might be able to order something from one of their catalogs. You can find other sites with spare parts for lamps by searching the business directory on Kovels.com (www.kovels.com/business-directory) or by searching online for glass globes of milk from replacement. You probably won’t find one exactly like yours, but you can find something similar that will work.

* * *

Q: I love my Currier & Ives blue dinnerware set. Over the years, I’ve collected around 20 plates, bowls, serving platters, a gravy boat and everything in between. Recently I have noticed some pink Currier & Ives sets online and in antique stores. Is it rare?

A: The Currier & Ives dinnerware was manufactured by Royal China Co. in Sebring, Ohio, from 1934 through 1986. The Currier & Ives blue and white dinnerware model was the most popular of the company’s over 1,400 dinnerware designs. . It was a copy of a print by Nathaniel Currier and James Merritt Ives, successful American printmakers of the late 1800s. Other colors of the Currier & Ives pattern were pink, green, brown, black, and multicolored. Royal China sold tableware through large retail stores and mail order catalog houses. In the 1950s, A&P stores distributed the Currier & Ives pattern in pink, blue or green. The Homer Laughlin China Co. in West Virginia and the English firm Adams have also made Currier & Ives models, but most collectors prefer Royal. The dishes are popular, and the prices seem to go up a bit in antique shops. You usually see blue and white dishes, but pink is not uncommon.

* * *

Q: I was cleaning my mom’s closet and found a storage bin for Coach handbags from the 1980s and 1990s. Most are like new and still have the Coach tag on them. Are vintage Coach handbags worth anything?

A: Coach started in 1941 as a family business in Manhattan named “Gail Leather Products”. Five years later, the six artisans who handcrafted men’s wallets were joined by leather goods makers Miles and Lillian Cahn. Miles loved the durability and flexibility of the leather used to make baseball gloves. Lillian suggested using that same baseball leather to make handbags and the first Coach line was created. The Cahns bought the Coach company in 1961. In 1985 the company was sold to Sara Lee Corporation, which sold it in 2000. After a few more rebranding, Coach celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2021. At the end of it 1970s Coach articles were seen as “Affordable luxury.” A tote bag has been a mainstay of Coach bags for years. A brown leather tote, similar in color to the tanned leather of an original baseball glove, was listed in the Kovels Antiques & Collectibles 2022 price guide for $ 98. A vintage tanned leather satchel in the style of the first line of Cahn handbags sold for $ 86.