Mae Laster had arrived with three items that had been left to her by her grandmother, mother and aunt. She didn’t know much about either of them, but was eager to find out as much as she could about a black decorative vase, a lime green decanter with gold overlay and a mesh purse.
She had come to a presentation on “Historical Treasures in Your Home” that my friend Rebecca, a collector of African American books and memorabilia, and I were offering at the Paul Robeson House in Philadelphia. She was one of about 15 people seeking help in identifying their pieces. One woman brought a wooden wall clock that was a Mission clock.
Shows like PBS’ “Antiques Roadshow” have spurred people to wonder about the items in their own homes that have been bequeathed or just handed over to them. Not enough folks, however, take the time to determine if their items are of value. That’s what Rebecca and I try to do in our presentation – show people how to research their items.
Laster watches the show and lamented later that not many African Americans are among those who show up with valuable items from decades or centuries ago. “It’s really rich when it happens,” she said, “that one of us have these types of things from our family history.”
I go to Swann Auction Galleries sale of African American art and manuscripts each year, and those sales show that black folks have a rich history intertwined with American history. Plenty of historical documents and fine art show up at those auctions – I’m not sure if it all is consigned by African Americans – but I’m certain that many of us have treasures in our homes that are of monetary and historical value.
It can be hard sometimes to determine what you have if there’s no maker’s name or other identifying mark on the piece. That was the case with Laster, so I set out to do some research for her.
Black vase with pedestal base
Laster owns two of these vases, which had belonged to her grandmother who lived in North Carolina and died in the early 1960s. “She used to work for white people. She may have gotten them from someone she worked for,” Laster said.
On first glance, this looked like a vase but then I realized that it was in the shape of a trophy. So I Googled “black trophy cup” and found a cup similar to Laster’s. It was described as not black but amethyst – a purple so dark that its true color is only revealed when the item is held up to the light.
It was described on several retail sites as a black amethyst depression cup or vase made by the L.E. Smith Glass Co. in the 1930s. It was also described as a loving cup embossed with dancing nymphs inside a valentine heart.
A similar cup/vase selling on eBay had a mark on the bottom for the Smith company, and the seller said the pattern was known as “dancing ladies.” There were plenty of these cups selling on eBay, some with a smooth rim like Laster’s and others with a wavy rim.
The company was founded in 1907 by Louis E. Smith who was looking for a container for the mustard he was selling, according to the website tablewaretoday.com, which has photos of some of the Smith glassware. Over the years, the company – based in Mount Pleasant, PA, near Pittsburgh – produced pressed-glass items that included Hobnail and milk glass pieces, holiday plates, mixing bowls, percolator tops and turkey-covered dishes.
The company has 400 molds and 12 colors, according to the website.
It also made the glass headlights for the Model T Ford back in the day, and some of its products made their way into movies as props, according to the website. The company changed hands over the years and fell on hard times – including bankruptcy – and was rescued in 2005. It has resumed operations.
The cups were selling on eBay for $20 to $30.
Lime green decanter with gold overlay and flowers
Laster has three decanters – two green and one pink – that she got from her mother, who died in 1975. A friend who worked in Atlantic City back in the 1950s had given them to her mother. “The man worked for a company like Bombay Company that had a variety of different interesting things,” she said.
I tried searching for this decanter using the words “gold overlay decanter,” looking for photos of one that resembled Master’s. The closest item I could find was a form of Czech Bohemian glass, the earliest of which were crystal pieces created by skilled craftsmen.
One site noted that Bohemian glass was hard to identify because most of it has no markings. It offered ways to help determine if it is the real thing.
Hand-painted Bohemian glass was mass-produced by the middle of the 19th century and sold around the world. Laster’s decanter – if it is Bohemian – is likely one of those. I’d suggest that she drop by an auction house with an expert in glassware to find out.
I could find no decanter similar to hers selling on eBay, but I did find some vases with the same style for around $100.
White metal mesh purse
Laster got the mesh purse after an aunt – who collected “antique things” – died about 15 years ago. “She was a flamboyant type of person,” Laster said. “The purse could have been hers but I don’t know that for a fact.”
The purse has a piece of its red lining still inside. It has cobalt stones in the clasp and what looks like bluebells on the exterior.
“I loved the fact that you had hard metal pieces small enough to wave in the wind and had a design on them,” she said.
It would be lovely if the mesh purse was made by Whiting and Davis, a company that had a stranglehold on the manufacture of the bags early on. They became popular near the turn of the 20th century with the creation of a machine that could make mesh fabric.
Whiting and Davis used sterling, German silver and gunmetal to fashion its purses, finishing them with silhouettes, according to Collectors Weekly. Its original bags were primarily small rings attached to each other, and in 1924 it began offering decorated purses.
Mesh bags were a hit with the flappers of the 1920, fell out of favor in the subsequent decades but picked up again in the 1950s.
So many of these purses were made over the last century that it would be hard to find one just like Laster’s. Mesh purses, overall, seem to sell quite well, and I found some with detailed decorations selling in the hundreds of dollars on some retail sites and less on eBay. Bags for women, like any other article of clothing, are very personal and one that might appeal to one woman may not appeal to another.
They have sold quite well when they’ve come up at the auctions I’ve attended – and they tend to attract multiple bids. Here are some beautiful mesh purses.
I would suggest that she contact a retail seller online or a local specialty shop to take a look at her purse.
If you can offer any other guidance or information about Laster’s family heirlooms, please leave a comment in the box below.
