Fridays at Auction Finds is readers’ questions day. I try to guide readers to resources for them to 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, these 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.
This week’s questions are about a Lime clown figurine from the Dominican Republic and Classics Illustrated comics.
Question:
Hello! I have a Lime clown I purchased from the Lime factory when I was doing some healthcare work in El Montazo near Puerto Plata. I was wanting to know the worth.
Question:
I have a collection of Lime faceless clowns (5) that I would be interested in selling. They all have the same marking as you show above, though there are no stickers to go along with that. I have been unable to find pictures of these items and would love some additional information if you have anything to share.
Answer:
Both of these readers emailed after seeing blog posts – and perhaps answers to questions – about Lime dolls that I had first seen at one auction (and didn’t buy), and soon after saw and bought a large grouping at another auction.
They were beautiful faceless dolls that had been made by a female artist named Liliana Mera Lime in 1981 in the Dominican Republic. My research mentioned that the dolls had been discontinued, but similar faceless ones were being made by others as souvenirs for tourists.
So, when I got two recent emails about Lime clowns, I was definitely intrigued. I had not come across any mention of clowns in my research. And when I searched for clowns after getting the first email, I still could found no reference to them. I told the first reader that it was hard to put a value on an item without having a sold item to compare it with.
On eBay, dolls identified as Lime were sold for up to $65 each. A pair sold for $110.
When I got the second email, I searched the web again and found a Lime clown that had been sold on eBay for $7.99. The clown appeared to be crudely made compared to the female figures I have, so I wondered if it was even a Lime product.
The second reader sent me a photo of the clowns, along with a closeup of the marking on the bottom. The marking was marred, but it was similar to that on my Lime dolls. So it looked to be authentically Lime. Still, I was unable to find any information about the clowns.
Question:
I found ten of these comics today and was very curious. All are in good condition.
Answer: This reader was referring to a blog post I wrote two years ago about a Classics Illustrated comic-book version of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” On the cover was an illustration of a black man, apparently escaping slavery and being hunted by a white man with a rifle and dogs. The black man resembled actor Brock Peters.
I’ve come across other Classics Illustrated comics since then, but none with an African American character on the cover. Most were the traditional classics stories we’re all familiar with.
The Classics Illustrated was a series of comic books that adapted those stories and more into a form that would appeal to young readers. Starting out as Classic Comics, the series’ first comic book was “The Three Musketeers,” produced in 1941 for Elliott Publishing Co. by Albert Lewis Kanter. He published each issue over and over to keep it in print.
With the 1942 issue of “The Last Mohicans,” Kanter founded his own company, Gilberton Publishing, which produced the books until the series was discontinued in 1971. There have been reprints since then, however. Here’s an interview with a collector of the comic books.
On eBay, the prices were all over the place. Prices for “The Three Musketeers,” for example, ranged from 99 cents for a 1966 copy to $1,800 for a mint 1941 No. 1 copy.
I would suggest that the reader research his/her individual titles via eBay and Google to see how much they sold for (not the asking price). Those that do not command a high price could be grouped together and sold as a lot.
