Antiques & Collecting: Victorian accessories

Father’s Day is a time to treat Dad to the finer things in life. What could be finer than accessories for a Victorian gentleman? Maybe the box that holds them.

This Victorian gentlemen’s traveling dresser set, which sold for $243 at an auction by Rachel Davis Fine Arts, includes nine bottles and jars to hold the various lotions, colognes, pomades, hair oils and other personal products that a well-to-do man of the late 19th century couldn’t do without.

The Victorians even invented household items to accommodate gentlemen’s hair products. The antimacassar, a small piece of cloth draped over the back of a chair, protected furniture from hair oil.

Mustache cups had a small ridge to keep a well-groomed mustache safe from damage while the gentleman drank a cup of hot tea. And, of course, the containers that held these products did not escape the Victorian love of decoration.

Many of the glass jars in this traveling set have silver plate lids, a favorite Victorian material. The box is rosewood, one of the favored woods of the period, with a mother-of-pearl escutcheon.

It even has a few secrets: The lining of the lid folds down to reveal a mirror, and a hidden drawer pulls out of one side.

What is the value of my Victrola VV-210 by the Victor Talking Machine Co., Camden, N.J.? It has a serial number V2887 and is in a low wooden cabinet with two front doors.

The Victor Talking Machine Company was founded in Camden, New Jersey, in 1901. They introduced the Victor-Victrola, the first phonograph with the horn concealed inside the cabinet, in 1906 and created a more affordable line in 1910.

The VV-210 was made from 1922 to 1925. At the time, phonographs were losing popularity to radios, so Victor created the VV-210 as an inexpensive machine with a fashionable cabinet to entice customers.

It was extremely popular; the company produced an estimated 212,000 units. Some made near the end of the run have an “E” at the beginning of the serial number, for “electric,” or an “S,” which identified a radio-compatible version, in an attempt to keep up with emerging technology.

Today, the VV-210 is worth about $50 to $250, depending on condition. Cabinets with walnut or custom-painted finishes sell for higher prices. Mahogany and oak finishes are common.

A collector’s club like the Antique Phonograph Society at antiquephono.org may have more information.

Tip: To clean a veneered box or one made of porcupine quills or matchsticks, use a vacuum cleaner hose covered with a nylon stocking.

Current Prices

Popeye, boat, cloth sail, blue graphic, Popeye with spyglass, wood hull, keel, rudder, 24×20 inches, $85.

Lamp, whale oil, glass font, drop burner, cone base, weighted, saucer bobeche, strap handle, 1800s, 10 inches, $185.

Blenko, sculpture, fish, stylized, green crackle glass, open mouth, applied clear fins and tail, c. 1970, 17 inches, pair, $545.