Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Boyer Chests

By Terry and Kim Kovel

Boyer Chests

Famous names add to the value of an antique, even if we know more about the maker's work than about the maker. Few names of antique folk artists and country crafters are known today, and even less is known about the people behind them. John Boyer, who made seed chests in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the mid- to late 19th century, is one of these crafters.

This seed chest was made about 1870 out of inexpensive wood for a practical purpose. Now it can command a higher price than some designer pieces. PHOTO CREDIT: Kovels.com

This seed chest, attributed to Boyer, sold for an impressive $28,320 at a Conestoga auction. The chest features grain painting, a popular decoration at the time. Grain painting meant painting an inexpensive material, such as pine, to resemble an expensive wood, such as mahogany. Boyer chests have a distinctive style of grain painting with diagonal stripes on the sides and vertical lines on the front drawers, which are visible on the chest pictured. We may not know his life story, but John Boyer clearly left his mark on the antiques world.

Q: Is an old Rival No. 100 wooden wringer worth anything? It says "Rolls 10 x 1 3/4 inches" and "The rolls in this wringer are warranted one year for regular family use." The trademark is a horseshoe shape with the letters "LMC" inside. It's in good condition.

A: Before the invention of automatic washing machines, a hand-cranked wringer was attached to the washing machine or tub and used to wring out the laundry. The mark on your wringer indicates it was made by Lovell Manufacturing Co., a company founded in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1881. Automatic washing machines were invented in the 1920s and were common in most homes by the 1950s. Wooden wringers from the late 1800s and early 1900s sell for about $50 to $100 depending on condition.

TIP: If there are traces of glue on the back of a label, soak the label and carefully scrape the glue off under water. Then dry flat.   

CURRENT PRICES

Bank, figural, safe, "Security Safe Deposit," hinged door with center knob, opens to three inner drawers, coin slot on top, cast iron, Kyser & Rex, c. 1885, 8 1/2 x 6 x 5 1/2 inches, $150.

Pottery bowl, Hopi, tapered base, red, black, cream, diagonal panels, geometrics, striped and zigzag rim, signed, Roberta Youvella Silas, 20th century, 5 x 5 1/2 inches, $240.

Perfume bottle, cut glass, amethyst cut to clear, cylindrical, silver collar & dome lid, hinged, glass stopper, glass marked ML, lid hallmarked with GP & teapot in diamond, late 19th century, 5 3/4 inches, $480.

Advertising broadside, "Providence Line Between New York and Boston," "The New Route East," image of steamboat Massachusetts on water, American flag, frame, Phoenix Lith., late 1800s, 14 1/2 x 17 3/4 inches, $625.

Sailor's valentine, two-sided, center heart, flower and pink rose, alternating panel borders, octagonal hinged wood case, 19th century, each side 9 x 9 inches, $2,500.

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