Antiques & Collecting: Guard room tables heavily carved

Everything has a name, but in the antiques world, many things have more than one name.

A “guard room table," for instance, is a name for a table that looks like it might have been used by guards for eating, drinking and gambling in a castle a few hundred years ago.

It is a table in the Elizabethan style — 1553-1603, named for Queen Elizabeth I. Tables from that era are made of wood, usually walnut or oak. They are large, about 30 by 83 inches, and heavy with thick, strong legs, often heavily carved.

Today, they are usually used in a large paneled room in a men’s club or hotel. Some of the tables, like this one, have iron trestles used for strength between the end pairs of legs.

They sell for surprisingly low prices for furniture that looks like it was made at least 400 years ago. They list for $800 to $4,000, depending on condition and proportions.

I have a figurine that looks exactly like the Hummel figurine of St. Jude, but it’s white. I can only find ones that are colored. Do I have a fake or a real one?

Hummel figurines are based on drawings by Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, a nun in Germany. The figurines were first produced in 1935 by W. Goebel Porcelain Factory of Oeslau, now Rodental, Germany.

They were extremely popular after WWII, and hundreds of figurines were made and collected. They made other figurines, but only those that are the children drawn by Sister Maria can be called Hummels.

There have been changes in company name and ownership, but Hummel figurines are still being produced in Rodental, now by Hummel Manufaktur.

The Hummel figure of St. Jude has him holding a staff in one hand and a holy relic in the other. This is a common image that has been made by other manufacturers.

If your figurine is real, it will have a Hummel mark on the bottom. If it’s not marked, it’s a fake.

All Hummels are now very low priced, and religious figures are not popular. Your figure is probably Goebel but not Hummel. It is worth about $50.

Current Prices

Van Briggle vase, Lorelei, woman, hair flows over rim, white matte glaze, 11 x 5 inches, $190.

Tortoise shell jewelry box, beveled glass insert, ivory bun feet, c.1900, 2 x 6 inches, $265.

Kettle-on-stand, copper, embossed, cast, spirit burner, handle, turned, ebony, geometric design, WMK Co., 13 x 7 inches, $320.

Window, leaded, stained, Gothic, blue columns, brown arched window, purple panels, cabochon, 72 x 28 inches, $480.

Tip: Clean metal with a back-and-forth motion, not a circular motion. Use a soft, clean, lint-free cloth and turn it often to avoid reusing a soiled part.