A Memento of Antarctic Exploration

 

QUESTION: I’m a watch repair person. Recently, a rather unique 24-hour watch came across my counter for a new band. I’ve never seen one like it before and wandered if you could tell me more about it. The dial has what looks like a map of Antarctica on it and all the lettering seems to be in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet. Also, the dial has some writing in red on it.

ANSWER: What you have is what’s known as Russian Raketa Polar Watch.  They’re often described as Raketa watches.

The Petrodvorets Watch Factory, the one that produces Raketa watches, is the oldest in Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1721. The Nazis destroyed it during the Siege of Leningrad, but the Soviets rebuilt it in 1944. Since 1961, the factory has been producing watches under the brand “Raketa,” meaning “rocket,” in honor of Yuri Gagarin, Russia’s first astronaut and the first person in Space. 

Today, the Petrodvorets Watch Factory, still located in its historic building, is one of the rare watch factories in the world that makes its own movements, including the hair spring, balance wheel, and escapement. In 2009, the company modernized its production with equipment purchased from the Swatch Group in Switzerland.

Often these watches don’t look like Petrodvorets produced them. However, they were often assembled from Raketa parts—probably everything except the dial. Most of the online auction listings say they were "handmade" in Russia. And, for the most part, that’s true. But being part of "Old stock" refers more to the parts than to the complete watch. 

In the 1950s and 1960s, it was common for smaller workshops to produce these watches using Raketa parts. Different Polar, Arctic, and Antarctic models originated from this time. These “fakes” were essentially assembled from whatever parts the makers could find. Supposedly Petrodvorets’ workers during the Soviet Era would produce Raketa watches with modified dials on their own after hours. This continued until 2009, when new owners took over the company.

The majority of Raketa watches were actually produced in the original Petrodvorets factory by original Raketa masters using original Raketa parts. What they modified, if needed, was the dial. These Raketa masters had the tools and knowledge to produce special dial watches.

This watch is one of those special dial watches. It commemorates the first Soviet research  expedition to Antarctica in 1956. But must have been produced after the fact since Yuri Gagarin didn’t go into space until April 12, 1961, if in fact it is a Raketa watch. 

Russian explorers Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev, sailing on the ships Vostok and Mirny, first sighted a continental ice shelf in Antarctica in 1820. The continent, however, remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolation.

The first Soviet contact with Antarctica came in January 1947 when the Slava whaling flotilla began whaling in Antarctic waters. But it wasn’t until The Soviet Antarctic Expedition, or Sovyetskaya Antarkticheskaya Ekspeditziya, part of the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute of the Soviet Committee on Antarctic Research of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, that the Russians explored the interior of the continent to the South Pole. 

The Soviets established their first Antarctic research station, Mirny, near the coast on February 13, 1956. In December 1957, they built another station, Vostok, inland near the south geomagnetic pole. The Fourth Soviet Antarctic Expedition used three large tractors and four sledges on the journey from Vostok to the South Pole, and it’s this expedition that this watch commemorates. The words in red on the dial state “The Soviet Antarctic Expedition,” or “Sovyetskaya Antarkticheskaya Ekspeditziya” in Russian.

In 1959, twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty, prohibiting military activities and mineral mining, prohibits nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal, supports scientific research, and protects the continent's ecozone. As of today, forty-nine nations have signed the treaty. More than 4,000 scientists from many nations now conduct ongoing experiments in Antarctic life and climate change.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "The Sparkling World of Glass" in the 2021 Winter Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Happy Birthday, President Lincoln

 

QUESTION: I’ve been collecting postcards for years. Recently, while searching eBay for cards to add to my collection, I came across a unique card depicting Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. I’ve never really pursued cards from particular presidents and would love to know more about this card and perhaps others. What can you tell me about it?

ANSWER: The New York City postcard publishing firm of E. Nash published a series of cards issued for Lincoln's Centennial celebration in 1909, of which this one was a part. The six-postcard “Lincoln Birthday Series” was specifically intended as a “Lincoln Centennial Souvenir.” A pattern of stars and stripes form the background of each card, the American flag and eagle figure prominently, and each includes a portrait of President Lincoln and a quotation from or text about him. Four of the postcards depict Lincoln the rail splitter, Lincoln the Great Emancipator, Lincoln at Gettysburg, and Lincoln delivering his Second Inaugural Address. The final two postcards in the series focus on Lincoln’s character.  He was “a man of sorrow and acquainted with grief,” as illustrated by his letter to Mrs. Bixby. And he was a man whose “zeal and personal worth” allowed him to rise from his “humble origins” to the “highest pinnacle of fame…as the Champion of Liberty.”

E. Nash Postcard Set (above and below)

Avid postcard collectors seek anything concerning Lincoln and bearing his name, even local view cards. Topics range from Lincoln Park in Chicago to a view of Lincoln Drive in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park, and even include hotels bearing the famous Lincoln name.

Lincoln Portrait

Less than two generations after his death, Abraham Lincoln emerged as one of America's most heroic legends. As the turn of the 20th century dawned, Americans were caught up in the fad of picture postcard ex-changing and saving. So, it is not surprising to discover how fond the public was of cards honoring the 16th president. Indeed, Lincoln's Birthday became a national holiday, and sending patriotic greeting postcards on the day was an enduring custom for many years.

Along with Uncle Sam, Santa Claus and George Washington, Abraham Lincoln's image and life soon dominated American postcard publishing. Old cards of Lincoln help us to understand just a little bit about the optimism and joy people felt back then. It was a time when Americans, under President Teddy Roosevelt and William H. Taft, felt a surging patriotism and veneration for our country and its past. There was a feeling of security in the present and an anticipation of the future.

Typical Lincoln Birthday Card

People avidly saved and exchanged Lincoln postcards. Parents and teachers also used them  as educational tools to inspire and motivate young people. To meet this demand dozens of publishers produced numerous designs of Lincoln's Birthday greetings and memorial souvenirs. During the first two decades of the 20th century many embossed and imaginatively conceived postcards were published. Most were artist illustrations, but a few displayed old photographs of Lincoln. Lincoln's Birthday cards offered a perfect blend of patriotism with the historical and holiday greeting style.

The best effort may well be International Art Company's series number 51651 of six cards, which was illustrated by artist C. Chapman. Considered by many collectors as among the finest Lincoln cards, these went through several distinguishable printings.

The London-based company of Raphael Tuck Si Sons printed and exported into this country, a six card set. While attractive, it does not fully measure up to Tuck's usual standard. The series showed vignettes from Lincoln's life, as well as his birthplace and statue. For the serious collector one version of this set came glazed. 

MW Taggart of New York City sold a 11-card set featuring scenes not commonly available elsewhere. These included The Lincoln Family Group," "Lincoln and Douglas Debate in 1858," and "Abraham Lincoln Entering Richmond:" A unique touch was added by the inclusion of the assassination scene at Ford's Theater.

Lincoln Postcard Set by Paul Finkenrath

Other publishers of cards for Lincoln's birthday were Paul Finkenrath of Berlin, easily identified by their "PFB" logo found on the address side; M.T. Sheahan, which printed 20 different designs on thick stock; P. Sanders, whose two sets, number 415 and number 416, are excellent and engrossing; and Julius Bien, producer of three singles.

Lincoln Postcard for Minnesota Prairie

In 1909, the centennial year of Lincoln's birth, proved beneficial to postcard publishers, who cashed in on the public's devotion to the slain president. It was also celebrated by a pair of special postcards sets, both of which undoubtedly were sold as packaged, complete sets throughout America in the hundreds of postcard shops that dotted the landscape.

E. Nash Company published one of the centennial sets, as stated above. The other set, by Fred C. Lounsbury, had four cards, all of which featured an imitation silver and bronze medallion of Lincoln. Scenes pictured included Lincoln's Kentucky birthplace, young Lincoln splitting rails, and the president delivering the Gettysburg Address. Lounsbury also issued these as plain-back souvenirs.

Lincoln Postcard Set by Fred Lounsbury

However, many companies produced Lincoln patriotic postcards. Among them were Majestic, Oldroyd and Century. Those by Century are particularly interesting because they used some of Matthew Brady's photos.

Postcard Showing Lincoln's Funeral Train

In 1909 a photograph of Lincoln's funeral train, long lost and forgotten in the home of the Lamson family of Toledo, Ohio, was discovered and used for a postcard design. As a promotional for the Lamson Brothers Department Store, it was handed out to Union veterans attending the 42nd National Encampment of the G.A.R. in Toledo that year.

There are so many Lincoln postcards on the market—over 7,000 have been identified from 1,000 publishers— that its impossible to collect them all.  Currently, prices range from a couple of dollars each to about $10, making the postcards one of the best Lincoln memorabilia bargains around.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Celebrating an Olde Fashioned Holiday" in the 2020 Holiday Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

From Old Trunk to Prized Possession

 

QUESTION: About five years ago, I bought an old trunk at a yard sale. It’s been sitting in my den all this time waiting for me to do something with it. I’d like to restore it but I’m not sure where to start. Can you give me some advice?

ANSWER: I’ll go one step better and take you through the process with an old trunk I purchased at a porch sale in Binghamton, New York. It’s probably similar to the one you have.

Although trunks date back to medieval times, it’s only the ones made in the 19th and early 20th centuries that people buy to restore and reuse. Trunks gained popularity with the coming of the railroads. And while people used them when traveling by stagecoach, they were more likely to use a “carpet” bag, one made of durable carpet material that could be carried by the owner. 

People along the coasts of the United States traveled from one point on the coast to another by coastal steamer or, within the interior of the country, by steamboat. Larger trunks could be taken along because these vessels had porters to carry the heavy trunks onboard and off, thus the name “steamer” trunk.

From the later half of the 19th century to the first couple of decades of the 20th, most  trunks had flat tops. These usually had a smooth metal or canvas covering, and later an embossed metal cover. They also had wooden slats or metal banding to strengthen them, as well as to add a decorative touch. More elaborate trunks, especially those made by Frenchman Louis Vuitton, had rounded tops. 

A typical 100 to 130-year-old antique trunk has a stale and musty odor from more than a century of collecting dust, mold, and mildew. Along with the deterioration of the outside canvas, leather and the inside paper lining, the glue, itself, will have decomposed over time. The original tray insert, made from a thin wood fiber or a compressed sawdust type of material, may have a deteriorated paper covering. Dry rot and mold can also be present. The purpose of the restoration process is to stop further deterioration and to remove the collection of dust, mildew, and mold which is causing the musty odor.

A basic restoration consists of first removing all canvas and paper coverings and leather straps and handles. Next the exposed wood must be washed in a special non-toxic solution to kill and remove dust, mold and mildew, then lightly sanded. Any broken hardware must be removed and replaced, as well as all of the leather. It’s important to make all repairs using the same types of tools, nails, tacks, and craftsmanship used when the trunk was first made. The next step is to restore and seal the wood using special non-toxic restorative oils and varnishes in a slow, repetitive manner to bring out the patina that only 100-year-old wood can achieve. The last step is to bring the hardware, fixtures, and any sheathing back to its original color. This includes removing any paint that may have been applied. The hardware, itself, can be painted a flat black if the original finish cannot be restored. 

It’s important to use plastic gloves, eye protection, and a construction-grade face mask when removing the dust and old finishes. While there are lots of good non-toxic cleaners on the market today, some toxic ones may have to be used if the finish on the trunk is in bad condition.

After preparing the exterior of the trunk, it’s time to focus on the interior. Never use an old trunk without properly cleaning it both inside and outside. It’s especially important to scrub the inside and remove and old paper lining that can’t be saved. In fact, unless the paper lining in historically important to the trunk, it should be removed entirely, as should the glue holding it in place. Back in the 19th century, trunk makers used horse glue to attach the paper to the inside and canvas to the outside.. 

Once the interior has been stripped and cleaned thoroughly, let the trunk air out for several days. The trunk can then be lined with fabric or wallpaper. The interior can be either luxurious or plain. Fabric, especially velvets, will give a more luxurious feel to the interior. But a chintz can also work for a more country look. Wallpaper is easier to apply than fabric, but it’s important to use wallpaper paste to apply it, even if it is pre-pasted. For a washable interior, then vinyl wallpaper is the best solution. 

If the trunk straps and hardware are in poor shape, there are sites on the Internet that sell replacements at reasonable prices. 

Believe it or not, restoring a trunk actually improves its value because it’s a usable antique. Many people use restored trunks for extra storage and not just for show.  

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Celebrating an Olde Fashioned Holiday" in the 2020 Holiday Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

The Art of Knokhloma

 

QUESTION: For years I’ve been collecting decorative wooden bowls and utensils that someone told me were Ukranian. They look to be some type folk art but I’m not sure how old the pieces I have actually are.  I’ve never seen or read anything about them, but their bright colors and attractive designs  really attracted me. I found most of the pieces in my collection at garage sales and fleamarkets. What can you tell me about the pieces in my collection?

ANSWER: The pieces in your collection aren’t Ukrainian but Russian—there’s a difference. In fact, they originated in the Kovernino District of the Nizhni Novgorod province north of Moscow. The painting style became to be known as Khokhloma. 

, which first appeared in the second half of the 17th century, is known for its curved and vivid mostly flower, berry and leaf patterns. The Firebird, a figure from the Russian fairytale, can also be used.

A combination of red, black, and gold are typical colors for Khokhloma. When artisans paint on wood, they use mostly red, black, green, yellow and orange  over a gold background. This makes the wooden tableware look heavier and metallic.

The production of painted dishes in Khokhloma is first mentioned in 1659 in the letter of a boyar called Morozov to his bailiff, containing an order for 100 painted dishes and 40 painted wine bowls.

The handicraft owes its origin to the Old Believers, who, fleeing from persecutions of officials, took refuge in the local woods. Even earlier, however, local craftsmen had experience in making tableware from soft woods. But it was icon-painters who taught them the special technique of painting wood in a golden color without the use of real gold.

The craftsmen carved utensils and dishes out of wood, then primed them with clay mortar, raw linseed oil, and tin powder. They then painted a floral pattern on top of this coating. After that, they coated the pieces with linseed oil and hardened them in a kiln at high temperatures. 

Artisans used two principal wood painting techniques on the Khokhloma—the  "superficial technique," red and black colors over a goldish one, and the "background technique," a goldish silhouette-like design over a colored background.

One of the villages where the art of Khokhloma painting had originally been practiced in ancient times grew to become a trading post to which the local craftsmen brought their wares for sale starting from the 18th century.

But it wasn’t until the end of the 19th century that Westerners first learned of the Khokhloma painting style through an exhibition in Paris. But by the early 20th century, the style seemed to be fading away, only to be revitalized during the Soviet times. 

The Khokhloma craftsmen united into artels in the 1920s to early 1930s. In the 1960s, the Soviets built a factory called the Khokhloma Painter near the Khokhloma village and another one in the town of Semyonov. These two factories have become the Khokhloma centers of Russia and still produce tableware, utensils,, furniture, and souvenirs.

The three colors—red, black, and gold—used in Khokhloma painting had a profound symbolism for decorating the sacred church vessels and the dishes and cups used in the monasteries and nunneries, as well as in icon ornaments. The red color represented beauty, the gold color symbolized the spiritual heavenly light, while the black color signified the cleansing of the human soul. The religious symbolism of colors has long been lost in the Khokhloma art but the precise and solemn scheme of colors inherent in the festive design of the "gilded" dishes grew to be traditionally used for decorating all wooden Khokhloma articles and made them especially favored by collectors.

There are families in the region famous for Khokhloma art who have been keeping secret formulas of painting materials and techniques, transferring them from one generation to the next for more than three centuries. 

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Celebrating an Olde Fashioned Holiday" in the 2020 Holiday Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Buyer Beware

 

Chippendale style dining table and chairs 1930s

QUESTION: I’ve been looking for a new dining table and chairs. But the new ones I’ve seen don’t look very well made for their high cost. A friend suggested I look at buying an antique set. I found a beautiful Chippendale set in a local antique shop. It’s a beautiful set, but how can I be sure it’s the real thing? The shop is reputable so I don’t have any reason to suspect the sets authenticity. How can I be sure it’s authentic? 

ANSWER: You have every right to be suspicious. Even reputable dealers have been fooled by copies of 18th-century pieces coming out of Indonesia. The makers of these pieces do such an excellent job of copying every detail that it’s often hard for some dealers to be sure. 

The Indonesian copies are only the latest in a long line of reproductions. Most people think that because a piece of furniture of a particular older style that it must be a antique. People fail to realize that certain popular styles of furniture have been reproduced over and over throughout the last several centuries.

Indonesian Chippendale dining table replica

I could tell from the photo that the dining table and chairs had been made in the Chippendale style, but I could also tell right away that it wasn’t an antique. The giveaway was the extra leaves in the table. From the looks of it, I'd say the set might be as old as the 1930s, but I'm leaning more to the 1960s. Let’s see why.

Chippendale style dining table with two leaves 1900

Small Chippendale dining table late 18th century

At the time Chippendale furniture was popular in the mid 18th century, dining tables like this one with added leaves didn't exist. Dining tables with separate leaves didn’t come into use until the 19th century. During the 1750s, "joyners"—the person’s who made furniture—made dining tables as drop-leaf tables with large leaves or wings that could be folded down and stood against a wall until ready for use. In many cases, the owners stood them in their front hallways to allow for more space. 

A wealthy 18th-century family would have only used a larger table like this when dining with guests. They often ate at a smaller table by the fire, especially in winter, or had “tea”–what we call supper–in their bedrooms by the fire. When not in use as a dining table, they may have used it for other things and stood the chairs against the wall around the room. In fact, cabinetmakers sold the tables and chairs separately, not in sets.

Georgian Chippendale dining table made from three solid mahogany boards

At the end of the 19th century, a style called Colonial Revival came into popularity because of the colonial exhibits at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Furniture makers began to make what they thought looked like colonial furniture although it was often stylized and lacked the fine details of the original.

Also, cabinetmakers in the 18th century used pegs to join furniture, thus the name "joyners." After the start of the Industrial Revolution in 1830, screws came into common for joining parts of furniture. Early cabinetmakers also carved their names or initials on their pieces. By the second half of the 19th century, furniture makers began to affix labels on their products.

Queen Anne side chair of Bermuda cedar

And even antique experts can be wrong. A dealer rejected an 18th-century Chippendale drop-leaf dining table and one chair as not being authentic because the wood wasn’t mahogany, the traditional wood used on such pieces. It turned out that the table and chair were authentic after all. It seems they were made of Bermuda cedar, now long extinct. This wood is more orange in color than mahogany. Although this dealer was the expert on 18th-century furniture in the area, the owner took the table and chair to other dealers who all agreed with him. It was only after a friend saw an identical table in an historic house while on a trip to Bermuda that the owner was able to determine the true age of his table and chair. 

That said, this table and chairs seems to be well constructed of solid mahogany and, therefore might sell for somewhere between $1,500 and $3,000. But don’t mistake the identity of this dining set for the real thing which might sell for upwards of $5,000. It isn’t.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Celebrating an Olde Fashioned Holiday" in the 2020 Holiday Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Inauguration Mementos

 

QUESTION: One of my father’s most cherished possessions is a silver presidential inaugural medal produced for the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy in 1961. I wasn’t born until 1966, so I don’t know much about the Kennedy years. What can you tell me about the inaugural medals and this one in particular?

ANSWER: Of all the presidential inaugural medals, the one produced for John F. Kennedy’s inauguration is one of the most popular, and depending on its condition, the highest priced. But the tradition of producing a commemorative medal for a presidential inaugural is a long and often complicated one. Ironically, it didn’t begin with George Washington but with Thomas Jefferson.

President Jefferson received the first unofficial inaugural medal produced by German engraver John Mathias Reich in 1802. Reich asked Jefferson to hire him to design an inauguration medal. After examination of his sample works, Reich got the job. The silver medal sold for $4.25 and a tin version for $1.25.

The presidential inaugural medals became popular souvenirs for the attendees at the inaugurations for Martin Van Buren, John Tyler, James Polk, and Zachary Taylor. Since there was no standard medal, historians have uncovered medals in various sizes, qualities, and different metals.

When the government decided it could no longer afford the inaugural celebrations at the turn of the 20th century, Washington D.C. residents took it upon themselves to raise all the funding for inaugural festivities. One way to raise funds was through the sale of official presidential inaugural medals. Instead of various presidential medals being produced for tourist consumption, they decided to have the official Inauguration Committee produce and sell an official inaugural medal to the public.

In 1901, William McKinley received the first official presidential inaugural medal—it had his portrait stamped on one side and the Capitol building on the other. Surrounding the Capitol building are the words, "William McKinley President of the United States/Theodore Roosevelt Vice-President." Instead of being produced by the United States Mint as were previous the medals, the McKinley medal was produced by the Joseph K. Davison Company of Philadelphia, which produced three gold medals for the President, Vice President, and President of the Official Inauguration Committee for Medals and Badges. Committee members received silver medals while the bronze medals were sold to the public, originating a tradition that’s still followed today.

But President Theodore Roosevelt decided that the previous medal produced for McKinley wasn’t sufficient for him. He wanted his medal to go beyond a simple portrait. Roosevelt turned to renowned sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens to design a superior inauguration medal for his election. One side displayed a distinguished portrait of Roosevelt and the other side held a high-relief eagle---the same eagle that later adorned the $10 coins produced by the U.S. Treasury.

Roosevelt's artistic design continues to influence presidential inaugural medals today. Following Roosevelt's presidency, the Chairmen for the Committee on Medals and Badges purposely chose an artist to design the inaugural medal. But time constraints and the limitations of producing the medals always affected the final results. Consequently, various degrees of artistic medals have been produced, from the less ornate Woodrow Wilson medals with his portrait on one side and his name and Vice President's Riley Marshall's name on the other, to the more elaborate John F. Kennedy medal that has his portrait on one side and a high relief of the Presidential Seal on the reverse.

Compared to previous inaugural medals, the number of medals produced and sold for Harry Truman’s inaugural totaled 7,500. This allowed the Inaugural Committee to not only raise enough funds to pay for the inaugural ball, gala, and parade, but to amass a sizable profit. By President Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1952, the number of inaugural medals produced had climbed to over 26,000.

The inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961 was met with great enthusiasm. Mrs. Kennedy suggested Paul Manship be contracted to design the medal. Again, the Medallic Art Company was contracted to strike the medals that would be produced in gold, silver and bronze. As part of the promotional campaign, the firm also designed six-piece sets to show the process in which the medals were made. It produced 7,500 silver medals, all of which sold.

The number of medals produced by the Franklin Mint for the second inauguration of President Richard Nixon reached 106,000 in bronze and 20,000 in silver. And by the time of President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1997, the Inaugural Committee had chosen the T.V. sales program “QVC” to sell them.

The production of inaugural medals now follows a set procedure. The sculptor first has the President-elect sit for a clay sketch. Then the artist turns the sketch into a mask to which he adds facial features. He then transforms the mask into a plaster model, followed by an epoxy cast which can be used to create the die cuts used for striking the medals. After the medals had been created, they’re immersed in chemicals to darken them, creating a two-toned effect. The medals finally receive a coating of  lacquer to preserve them.

Traditionally, the Inaugural Committee presents the gold medals as gifts to the newly sworn in President and Vice-President at the luncheon following the inauguration ceremony at the Capitol.

To read more articles on antiques, please visit the Antiques Articles section of my Web site.  And to stay up to the minute on antiques and collectibles, please join the over 30,000 readers by following my free online magazine, #TheAntiquesAlmanac. Learn more about "Celebrating an Olde Fashioned Holiday" in the 2020 Holiday Edition, online now. And to read daily posts about unique objects from the past and their histories, like the #Antiques and More Collection on Facebook.

Links from the Past to the Present

 

QUESTION: My dad was a snappy dresser. When I was a kid, I remember him buttoning up his shirt sleeves with fancy little things which I later learned were called “cuff Links.” He was a manager in a big company, so he always had to dress well for work. He had quite a few sets of cuff links which I now have. And although I don’t wear shirts that require cuff links, I like the varied designs and styles that he left me. I was wondering if cuff links are collectible. And if so, are just the old ones collectible or the newer ones, also?

ANSWER:  Cufflinks are one of the few accepted and collectible items in a limited line of men’s jewelry. A search through virtually any antiquing site attests to the seemingly endless styles, shapes and designs produced in the last two centuries. 

Ever since they first appeared, cufflinks have mirrored the fashions, the economy, the manufacturing, and the art of their era, usually larger and more colorful in good times and smaller and more conservative in bad times.

They originated long ago as removable buttons for shirts and jackets. When buttons became mass-produced and cheap enough to sew onto the material itself, men used these little studs only at the cuffs. The variety of cufflinks increased dramatically with mass production techniques. Every member of the peerage, as well as every business man who wanted to socialize in high society, had to wear "tails" at every dinner party and evening activity. And tails required a shirt with French cuffs—double folded-over ones with slits on each side, linked or held together by “cuff links,” thus the name.

The earliest cuff links date from the same period as the cuff-fastening slit. Handmade of various metals, usually gold and silver, and set with gemstones, they became a luxury for the wealthy.

Hand-casting and other manual jewelry-making techniques continued until 1840 to 1870 when three mechanical developments—the tour a’guilloche machine, the steam driven stamping machine, and electro metallurgy—opened up men’s jewelry to a much wider clientele. The French or double-cuff shirt sleeve also became a popular fashion accessory in the 1840s.

After 1840, cufflinks became more affordable. Victorian lucky charms, hearts, flowers, love birds, ivy, love knots, angels, snakes, even babies found their way to cufflinks of the era. As did the horseshoe. Horse racing was a passion of Edward, Prince of Wales and many commoners apparently liked the idea of linking themselves and their shirt sleeves to royalty through this symbol.  Cufflink makers employed free-flowing whiplash lines, organic motifs and stunning, romantic feminine figures and faces during the Art Nouveau period.

The publication of Alexander Dumas’ novel The Three Musketeers in 1844 stimulated this new elegant touch in fashion, as detailed descriptions of the turned-back sleeves of the men guarding King Louis XIII inspired European designers to modify the single cuffed, link-holed shirtsleeve that had been the mainstay of English fashion since 1824.

The English middle class adopted cuff links during the reign of George IV, toward the end of the Industrial Revolution. Unable to afford gemstones, they turned to replicas of the real thing. Designers used “rhinestones” and pastes to represent diamonds, pinchbeck, a copper and zinc alloy, as a substitute for gold, and cut steel and marcasite as a substitute for silver.

Late Georgian and Victorian jewelers favored a rose or flat cut for real or fake gemstones. They typically used foil or paste, a type of leaded glass, for backings. 

Reverse intaglio was also a popular way of embellishing 19th century cuff links. After carving a figure or scene in great detail into the back of a cabochon crystal, an artisan would carefully fill in the work with paint and apply a mother of pearl backing. Manufacturers used this elegant process almost exclusively for jewelry worn by men.

Cuff link makers used this same process to carve designs, often of classical gods, into carnelian. a brownish-red mineral, which gets its deep rust color from impurities of iron oxide in the silica mineral chalcedony, commonly found in Brazil, India, Siberia, and Germany. Used as a semi-precious gemstone, its color can vary greatly, ranging from pale orange to an intense dark rust. 

Although men favored enameled cuff links during the late Georgian period of the 18th century, it wasn’t until the Art Deco period of the 20th century that enamels reached their peak of popularity. Metal decorated with baked enamel— colored lumps of glass ground into a powder with a mortar and pestle—has been an art form since the 13th century.

Manufacturers of the 1950s arid 60's frequently marketed cuff links in a series, for example pairs featuring cars, sports themes, and so on. Various caricature cuff links, images of sports, political and theatrical celebrities were also popular during that time. One interesting category of cuff link is the "do-ers" category. As. the name implies, cuff links in this category do something in addition to fastening. Nail clippers, thermometers, music boxes, and watches have all been built into the links.

But the front design on cuff links is only have of the story. Fasteners on the backs have their own intriguing history. Late Georgian fastening devices featured wire loops, curb chains and string. Makers introduced the dumbbell form earlier in the mid-Georgian period in the late 18th century. Small and in one solid piece, craftsmen carved the dumbbell from ivory in the early part of the 19th century and by mid-century, from pearl. Carved dumbbells had a slightly curved shank. They looked like exercise weights whose ends were too heavy for the bar. Dumbbells of glass, coral, gold, gold plate and various hard stones became fashionable by the 1890s.

A metal button fastener, circa 1880, looked like an oversized shirt stud. Another, the "one-piece link" from the 1890s, continues to be produced today. It has a metal face, slightly curved fastening device and a metal oval to hold it fast to the inside of the cuff. 

The patent, dated 1884 on the back of these cuff links, most likely refers to the closing mechanism. By that time celluloid collars and cuffs were popular. And since they were stiff, cufflinks with that mechanism would have been very compatible. 

Generally, cuff links backs can be classified into the following groups—flipbacks on English and Scandinavian ones from the turn-of-the-20th-century, chain-backs dating from the 18th until the 1920s, and spring-backs dating from the 1930s, 1940s, and later.

Many collectors tend to specialize in cuff links from a particular era such as Art Deco, Victorian, or contemporary. Some prefer to concentrate on a theme like animals, sports or automobiles, while others look for novelty pairs incorporating watches, music boxes or other devices. With so many styles to choose from, most collectors concentrate on one particular type. Some look for a particular material, like silver, Bakelite, wood or brass, while others look for military issue, fraternal emblems or a particular era. Still others search for unique fastening devices like snaps or springs.

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