Antiques & Collecting: Nantucket baskets

What’s the difference between a lightship basket and a friendship basket? You may have seen both terms applied to the famous wood and rattan woven baskets made in Nantucket.

Lightship baskets, the original name given to this distinctive style, were originally made by the crews of lightships, which were essentially floating lighthouses, in the late 1800s.

The work left the crew with long stretches of time with little to do, so they turned their attention to making baskets in the time-honored tradition of sailors making crafts to pass the time at sea.

“Friendship basket” is a 20th-century term, first used to describe the lidded baskets that artist José Formoso Reyes started making in the 1940s to sell as purses. They quickly proved to be extremely popular with the people of Nantucket and tourists.

According to the Nantucket Historical Association, the name may have come from the friendships that developed between people around the world recognizing each other’s Nantucket baskets.

This heart-shaped basket purse with a woven leather strap sold at Eldred’s auction house, itself a well-known Massachusetts institution, for $640. The artist has not been identified.

Baskets made by Reyes can sell for thousands of dollars. Lightship baskets from the 19th century with known makers are worth even more.

I have a collection of Wee Forest Folk, without boxes, that I need to sell. Is there any interest out there for these little mice figurines?

Wee Forest Folk is a small business run by the Petersen family in Carlisle, Massachusetts. They sell handmade ceramic figurines, mostly of mice and other forest animals.

Because they are handmade, they are expensive to buy new. There is a collectors’ club — weeforestfolkclub.org — that has resources for valuing and selling.

If you use social media, check sites like Facebook or Craigslist for collectors’ or buy/sell groups.

Used Wee Forest Folk figurines without boxes have recently sold on eBay for prices ranging from $20 to $300, depending on age, condition and rarity. Most appear to sell for under $100.

Tip: Splint baskets should have an occasional light shower. Shake off the excess water. Dry the basket in a shady spot.

Current Prices

Fishing, minnow bucket, Min-O-Life, green, yellow shield graphic, Kansas City, Mo., 9 inches, $70.

Toy, playset, Apollo Lunar Station, two spring-loaded launching pads, rockets, figures, vehicles, missiles, box, Multiple Toymakers, 1967, $215.

Chalkware, flag holder, figural, Uncle Sam, hat in hand, round base, painted, 29 inches, $440.

Carousel, horse, jumper, painted, black, red saddle, gilt trim, carved mane, outside row, braces on front feet, 38 x 52 inches, $535.

Textile, wall hanging, embroidery, Murre on Tundra, black and white bird, standing, multicolor background, Ruth Qaulluaryuk, Canada, 40 x 28 inches, $1,875.

Silver-Persian, tray, multicolor enamel, turquoise field, flowers, gilt trim, hallmarked, 10 x 14 inches, $2,810.