Less-than-serious pottery pieces have been made for centuries. Small figurines made to attract tourists, for example, have been sold at fairs and shops since the early 1800s.
The best known are “fairings,” which often had a title on the front explaining the joke of the piece. A small figurine might portray a woman in bed watching a man carrying a baby, with the title, “Twelve months after marriage.”
Porcelain pieces that collectors call “flip-overs” exhibit an even-more-subtle type of humor. For example, a seemingly innocent figurine picturing a young woman on a swing could be turned over to expose the woman’s bare bottom.
There are 18th Century Chinese export plates as well as 1920s ashtrays and bisque figures that use such a design. Many flip-overs were made from the 1880s to the 1920s. Each one has the unexpected joke bottom. The inexpensive, crudely made figures rarely were produced after World War I.
The figurines sell today for $100 to $300.
Q–I collect old bottles. When did bottles start carrying a label that forbids the “sale or reuse of this bottle”? Also, when was the screw-top lid for glass jars invented?
A–The screw-top lid dates to 1858, when it was used on the famous Mason jar.
The Pure Food and Drug Act passed by Congress in 1906 included a provision prohibiting the “sale or reuse” of unlabeled bottles.
For appraisals, contact an auction house or antiques dealer.
