Antiques & Collecting: Gloves and glass

By this time of the year, most of us in cooler climates have started wearing gloves. But gloves weren’t always relegated to wintry weather.

In medieval Europe, they were a fashion accessory and status symbol. The fashion continued for hundreds of years.

The finest gloves were made of luxurious materials like silk or delicate leathers and often had decorations like embroidery. And such beautiful accessories needed equally beautiful storage.

This glove box, which sold for $1,722 at Soulis Auctions, was made by Moser, one of the most famous Bohemian and Czechoslovakian glasshouses.

It was made in the late 19th century, when gloves were a crucial part of women’s dress. Its elaborate enamel decorations, including colorful birds, intricate leafy vines and gilt trim, are characteristic of Moser’s glass.

I have a penholder and clock that my father had in his office. They date from the early 1960s. Both items have an imprint of Earth, the clock has a Gemini capsule that goes around. The penholder has a circular image of the Earth with a Gemini capsule. When you push the pen down in its holder and release it, the capsule spins around. Is there any interest in items like these?

Desk accessories from the mid-20th century like penholders and clocks usually sell for relatively low prices, but the connection to the Gemini program should increase the value and amount of interest in yours.

The first Gemini mission, an uncrewed flight, launched in 1964 and the final mission, Gemini XII, which was the first spaceflight for pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, took place in 1966. Plenty of merchandise celebrating the mission was produced at the time, and there is plenty of interest in it today.

There are collectors who specialize in NASA and spaceflight memorabilia. Collectors of aviation memorabilia and space-themed toys are often interested, as well.

Auction houses that deal in toys, popular culture, celebrity memorabilia and American history sell space memorabilia.

The highest prices go to equipment from the programs, especially items flown in space, and items signed by or belonging to NASA staff or astronauts, but there is also interest in mass-produced souvenirs.

Last year, a set of novelty salt and pepper shakers shaped like the Gemini and Apollo capsules sold for $300 at Bid Again Auctions in support of the American Space Museum.

Tip: If there are raised applied decorations on your art glass, be careful when cleaning it. Gold or silver accents, painted enamel decoration and beads must be kept in fine condition to maintain the value.

Current Prices

Stoneware, bed warmer, cream glaze, brown stopper and finial, relief leaves around stopper, A.C. & Co., England, 1 quart., 11 inches, $50.

Perfume bottle, tall stopper, embossed figure, fan shape base, blue art glass, gilt metal filigree, inset blue stone, marked, Czechoslovakia, 8 x 5 inches, $180.

Clock, advertising, Faultless Feeds, red and green, bubble glass, lights up, electric, 15 inches, $660.