Friday at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources to help them determine the value of their items. I’m not able to appraise their treasures, but I can do some preliminary research to get them started. So when values are noted, they are market values based on prices I find on the web, not appraisal for insurance purposes that I suggest for items that have been determined to be of great value.
Today’s questions are about an heirloom hat pin and a Royal Doulton figurine.
Question:
I have a vintage antique-looking hat pin/stick pin. I want to sell it, but I would like to know if it is a fake or authentic. It was my grandmother’s. It is gold with a cameo facing left. The color is amber. I cannot find any markings but can send a picture. Please if you can help me identify this hat pin, I would be very appreciative.
Answer:
I love old hat pins and stick pins, and used to buy them at auction. They are very popular among dealers – especially women – and the prices can get so outrageous that most often I can’t touch them. This reader had seen a blog post I wrote several years about a few of those hatpins.
Without a maker’s mark, the reader’s hat pin may be hard to authenticate. A lot of jewelry is not signed, but sometimes you can find the maker based on the style – if the maker was prominent. And as I recall, a lot of the ones I bought were not marked but they were lovely. Sometimes, folks will buy a hat pin with no markings because they love the style or look of it.
The reader said that her hat pin was gold. Is it gold or gold-tone? Gold is usually marked. What size is it? How large is the cameo head? I had all kinds of questions, which needed to be answered for me to help her.
I’m assuming the face on her cameo is the usual bone-colored, the background amber, and the casing and pin gold or gold-toned. The background on cameos is usually coral.
The reader didn’t send any photos, so I asked her to send several taken at different angles. I never heard back from her.
Ebay is certainly a good place to start a search to find one that matches perfectly or closely. A reputable jewelry store, antiques shop or auction house with a jewelry expert could also help. The reader can find an auction house at auctionzip.com.
Question:
I have a Royal Doulton figurine which was given to me by my grandfather. However, I am unable to identify it. Do you have a picture guide which I can use to help me?
Answer:
The reader had apparently come across a blog post I wrote two years ago after seeing a lovely display of Royal Doulton women but none with dark skin tones that matched mine. I figured that the company didn’t make them, but then found a figurine of the Obamas dancing, along with two others of women with light brown skin.
As for the reader, I don’t have a guide, because I don’t collect Royal Doulton. The reader didn’t mention where she had checked to identify hers, but here are my suggestions:
A Royal Doulton book. These items are so popular that I’m sure she can find books in any bookstore and then consult them in her public library for free.
A value guide. This website offers both a value and identification guide. It’s impossible for the guides to include everything, but hers might be there.
Contact the collectors club. Practically all collectibles have a club. Some of the clubs are merely the collections of a single owner, but these are serious collectors who are usually experts on their collectible. I found several Royal Doulton clubs via Google.
Check a reputable auction house or jewelry store that sells fine china and porcelain. You can find an auction house near you at auctionzip.com. Look up the websites and give them a call. Most staffers are very personable and helpful.
My usual answer: eBay and Google. I found several sites that offered some guidance on Royal Doulton markings.
The reader did not mention what the figurine was or describe it. I asked her to send photos, but I never heard back from her.
