Airguide Desktop Barometer with Temperature and Humidity Gauges This vintage Airguide barometer with temperature and relative humidity gauges was made in the USA by Airguide Instruments Company of Chicago and is marked as such on the face. Encased in a ribbed and stacked dark brown phenolic plastic frame and mounted on a goldtone metal Deco style curved base, the unit measures 8" wide by 4-1/4" high by 2" deep. Three of the four screws are missing from the back panel but the one remaining is enough to secure the back, and the instruments all seem to work well and accurately. The case needs a minor cleaning. No chips, cracks, or damage.

Circa: 1947
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Airguide Instruments Company  

Pair of Craftsman Studios Arts and Crafts Copper Bookends Early CS Mark This pair of rare hand wrought solid copper bookends was made in the Arts & Crafts era by Craftsman Studios of California. The bookends are some of their earliest work as evidenced by the first mark, the letter S encircled by a C (this mark is often mistaken as a Carl Sorenson mark).

The appearance is classic arts and crafts, almost shield shaped with curved under tips and an incised organic figure in the center evoking the body of a peacock or similar bird, and warty hammered texture. They are larger than most early Craftsman bookends, 6-1/4" tall by 4-3/4" wide. The patina is original - they've never been cleaned or polished and are in very good condition with no noted scratches or damage.

Circa: 1916
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Craftsman Studios  

Early Craftsman Studios Arts and Crafts Copper Bookend, First Mark A very early piece of Arts and Crafts hand wrought copper by Craftsman Studios of Los Angeles California. The single bookend bears the first commercial mark used by Craftsman, the letter C encircling the letter S (this mark is often mistaken for that of Carl Sorenson).

The bookend is 5-1/4" high by 4" wide and is decorated with a period flower motif surrounded by slightly convex planishing. Rich, original dark patina with some minor irregularities to the coloring as shown in the closeup. No scratches or damage.

Circa: 1915 - 1920
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Craftsman Studios  

Syroco Wood Flower Bookends These 7" by 4-1/2" composition wood book ends were made by Syroco (Syracuse Ornamental Company) in the 1940s. The design on each is a spray of delicate flowers framed in a rectangular scalloped cartouche, made to look like finely carved wood. The bookends have metal stands and felt bottoms. Each has a small nick or chip to the back edge but the fronts show no wear or damage. One has a foil Syroco Wood label on the back, torn but readable.

Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Syroco, Syracuse Ornamental Company  

Yellowstone Park Souvenir Chalkware Bear Bookends A great set of chalkware bookends depicting bears at the mouth of rock caves, a vintage souvenir of Yellowstone National Park. They're 4-3/4" high by nearly 5" wide and have green felt protecting the bottoms.

The bookends display wonderfully from the front but they have the normal wear and chipping common to old chalkware on the backs and sides. The damage is best visible in the second picture. It isn't bad, just some chipping to the back corners and wear at the upper back tops. The only wear visible from the front is a rub mark chip to one bear's nose, shown in closeup in the third photo. There are no identifying marks but I don't they date any later than the 1950s, perhaps earlier. See my other listings for more vintage and antique Yellowstone souvenirs and memorabilia.

Circa: 1950
Manufacturer: Unmarked Chalkware  

Craftsmen Inc Craftsman Studios Arts and Crafts Copper Box A pretty Craftsman solid copper trinket or playing card box, perhaps even a cigarette box. It measures 4-7/8" by 3-3/8" by just over one inch deep. The hinged lid is slightly puffed and the copper finish is smooth and plain, rather than the typical Craftsman hammered or beaten finish. A classic Arts & Crafts stylized trefoil motif decorates the cover along with intersecting lines near the edges.

The condition is good but not mint. The box appears to have been kept polished for some time. There's a bit of verdigris and tarnish inside, and one tiny ding on the underside front edge, less than 3/8" long. The box is marked Craftsmen Inc. Hand Made, with the hammer and anvil logo, and numbered 502. This is a later mark of Craftsman Studios of Laguna Beach and Los Angeles California, after the business was sold to one of its employees.

Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Craftsmen Craftsman Studios  

Syroco American Eagle Wood Composition Bookends These patriotic American eagle wood composition bookends aren't marked, but they may be an early Syroco product dating to the 1920s or early 1930s. 5-3/4" high by 4-1/2" wide, they have carved eagles, stars, bunting, and a stars and stripes shield design. The finish has wear as shown and one bookend has noticeable chipping damage at the top and side. The undersides need new felt. Can't you just picture these wonderful, shabby old Americana bookends holding up history books in an antique-filled study?

Circa: 1930
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Syroco Syracuse Ornamental Co.  

Craftsman Studios 1930s Copper Wave Form Bookends with Palm Trees This is an interesting set of tropical themed copper bookends from Craftsman Studios of Laguna Beach and Los Angeles, California. They're curved over like ocean waves, with an engraved beach scene of island palm trees. No doubt made for the California tourist trade in the 1930s.

The bookends are 4" high by 4-3/4" wide. The curved tops and backs have some finish wear as if from many years of faithful dusting, which has caused the lacquered finish to disappear in these areas, leaving the fronts with a shiny, new copper appearance and the tops with a more brown patina coloring. The color difference is more apparent on one bookend than the other, but it's not unattractive in either piece. The bottoms are still lined with their original old green felt, and they could use a bit of straightening to prevent a slight rocking when tipped. When viewed in side profile, both bookends have a faint bend at the beginning of the forward wave curl, but I think that's from manufacture rather than mistreatment or use. They are marked with the hammer and anvil logo "Craftsman Studios, Hand Made" and numbered 272.

Circa: 1930s
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Craftsman Studios  

Butterflies Cloisonne Pin Tray or Dresser Dish This pretty, old cloisonne dresser tray or pin dish is oval shaped, 4-1/4" by 3-1/4" diameter. The design features six colorful butterflies in pink, blue, green and white on a deep cobalt background with a blue and green scalloped border. The underside is enameled solid green. This is an old piece of cloisonne, unmarked. There is a bit of very light, faint age pitting but no chips to the top side. The bottom has some minor edge chipping to the enamel around the brass rim. The dish does need light cleaning but I wasn't sure what to use so I left it alone.

Circa: 1910s - 1930s
Country of Origin: CN
Manufacturer: Early 20th Century China Import  

Art Deco Copper Stacked Fan Bookends These vintage solid copper bookends have an Art Deco layered or stacked diamond or fan design, each layer with a progressively darker patina and texture to give depth. They're small size, 3-1/2" high by 3" wide. The bookends are not marked. One has a slight dip in the back, neither has any scratches or serious wear but the patina is somewhat uneven as shown.

Circa: 1920s - 1930s
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Unsigned  

1950s Indian Pencil Child's Writing Set Mint in Package The plastic bag to this unused late 1950s child's writing set is worn and yellowed, but the package and contents are intact and have never been opened. The set consists of two 7" striped lead pencils, a drum encased pencil sharpener with glass mirror top, and two painted wood Indian figure pencil toppers. The feathers on top of the Indian's heads appear to be erasers. The backing card inside is printed with Native American illustrations: a teepee, peace pipe, drums, pottery, and Indians in a canoe. The cardboard package topper says "Writing Set, Made In Japan". The round mirror piece is loose from the sharpener, everything else inside the bag is intact and undamaged.

Circa: 1950s
Country of Origin: JP
Manufacturer: Mid Century Japan Import  

Copper 1950s Wall Telephone Memo Holder Mint in Box A very retro solid copper wall mount memo pad and telephone receiver holder, never used and still in its original box. It's from the 1950s to early 1960s and is designed to hold a receiver from the old fashioned rotary or push-button type wall phones. It has a memo pad and an index card for emergency phone numbers, and holds a chained pen or pencil. The set comes complete with instructions on a tear-off sheet above the memo pad and a package of mounting screws and anchors.

The copper holder is in perfect, unused condition. The box has minor storage wear and a torn side flap. Made by PAT Products, division of Ketcham & McDougall Inc. of Roseland New Jersey.

Circa: 1959
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: PAT Products  

Benedict Studios Arts & Crafts Bronze 7 Piece Desk Set This early 1900s art metal cast bronze desk set was made by Benedict Art Studios. The set includes an inkwell, stamp box, rocker style ink blotter, and four desk blotter corners, all with the same matching raised and gold gilt period decoration.

The 3-1/8" tall ink well with front pen rest base has no insert. The 3" by 2" by 1-1/2" high stamp box has a partially detached hinge on one side but the lid is still attached and does close - there is no effect when viewed from the front. The lid has some thin scratches. The blotter is 4-3/4" long by 2-3/8" wide. The four triangular blotter corner pieces are 4-1/4" wide by 2-1/8" high.

The underside of the inkwell has the Benedict bee mark as shown. The other pieces are not marked. Except as noted above, the condition is very good, with even warm brown copper coloring and typical but not excessive age wear.

Circa: 1908 - 1920
Country of Origin: US
Manufacturer: Benedict Art Studios  

Yellowstone Old Faithful Souvenir Solid Copper Letter or Napkin Holder This vintage souvenir of Yellowstone National park is a solid copper letter holder (or napkin holder if you prefer). It's 4-5/8" wide by 4" high by about 1-1/4" deep. The front is incised with a scene of Old Faithful geyser erupting amid pine trees and the words "Old Faithful 150 Feet High Yellowstone Park". The copper finish could stand a cleaning and has a few light scuffs and scratches.

Circa: 1950s - 1960s
Country of Origin: US