One Uncle Sam doorstop

Tag : wool hat

Uncle Sam has changed since he was first pictured in 1852. There isdisagreement about how Uncle Sam came to be. Most sources say thatby 1816, meat barrels sent to the Army were stamped“U.S.” and soldiers claimed it stood for “UncleSam,” the nickname for Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker. But thesestories did not appear in reliable print sources until years afterWilson died.
The first picture of the Uncle Sam we know was published in 1852.He was tall and thin and had white hair, a goatee, a top hat andred and white clothing. His facial features have changed a littlesince then, and he does not look quite as stern. The symboloutlived earlier ones, including Brother Jonathan and Columbia andis still very popular. In the 1930s, an iron Uncle Sam doorstop wasmade with the words “For the open door” stenciled on thebase. That probably was a joke referring to both the use of adoorstop and a political controversy of the 1920s about the“Open Door Policy” concerning China and commerce withother countries.
Iron doorstops were very popular from the 1920s through the’40s, and many were made. They have become popularcollectibles. Many, including Uncle Sam, have been reproduced. Anoriginal Uncle Sam doorstop auctioned recently at Bertoia for$16,000. It was listed in a 1985 price guide at $250.
Q: My bedroom set was made by Simmons- Huntley. I think it datesfrom 1934. Do you have any information about the company and thevalue of the set?
A: The B.F. Huntley Furniture Co. opened in 1906 in Winston-Salem,N.C. It had been organized as the Oakland Furniture Co. in 1898.Huntley specialized in bedroom and dining- room furniture. In 1929it was purchased by the Simmons Co., then based in Kenosha, Wis.,known for Simmons mattresses. Huntley furniture with a Simmonslabel was probably made between 1929 and 1935, because Huntley wentback to its original owners in 1935. Fire destroyed the Huntleyplant on Valentine’s Day in 1956, but the factory was rebuilt.The Huntley name continued until the company was sold toThomasville Furniture Industries in 1961. The value of your bedroomset depends on its design and condition. We have seen a sevenpiecebedroom set by Simmons- Huntley sell for $1,300 and a fewdining-room pieces for around $400 each.
Current prices These are recorded from antiques shows, fleamarkets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Pricesvary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Land of Lindbergh button, celebrating “July 4, LittleFalls,” covered, white with blue plane and red lettering,1960s, 21⁄4 inches, $40.
G.I. Joe and his Jouncing Jeep, tin lithograph, windup, Unique Art,original box, 1950, 7 inches, $295.
TV Guide, Sept. 25, 1953, pictures George Reeves as Superman inflight and in his identity as Clark Kent, 24 pages, $300.
Independence Hall bank, cast copper-embossed “IndependenceHall Tower, to All the Inhabitants Thereof, Built 1729,”Enterprise Mfg. Co., 93⁄4 inches, $360.
Queen Anne tea table, tilt top, mahogany and oak, baluster shaft,snake feet, 28 by 29 inches, $455.
American flag, 13 stars, Sesquicentennial, wool, 1932, 57 by 35inches, $610.
Blown-glass paperweight bottle, mushroom-shaped stopper withmillefiori paperweight design, dated 1858 in center, 91⁄2inches, $575.
Mitchell Car sign, embossed tin, navy ground, white lettering, logoand factory in center, Racine, Wis., 1910, 13 by 19 inches, $2,040.
Write to Kovels, The Plain Dealer, King Features Syndicate, 300 W.57th St., New York, NY 10019.