Sentimental Value

From the February/March 2009 issue of Reminisce

Mutt and Jeff Dolls

When I was 6 or 7 years old, around 1922, my mother gave me these Mutt and Jeff DOLLS. Each body is stamped “Made in Switzerland,” and all parts have ball-and-socket movement and are removable. The dolls are mostly made of metal, except for the heads, hands and feet.
—Norman Cloys, Los Angeles, California

Your Mutt and Jeff, from Harry Conway “Bud” Fisher’s comic strip, are classified as character collectibles, making it difficult for owners to find information in doll books.

The Swiss are well known for fascinating, educational toys manufactured with materials that have true staying power. These expertly made character toys, mostly formed from stainless steel, have composition hands and heads and rotating ball-bearing joints. Facial features were painted in the likenesses of different characters, and fabric costumes were hand-sewn.

In 1935, a similar Swiss Miss character toy was exhibited at the International House, in New York City, and astonished attendees with the ingenuity of construction. The concept of this pull-apart toy is not so new today, but in the 1930s, it was ahead of its time.

Value: This pair is worth $350, or $450 if you have the clothes.

 

Bronze Statue

When we purchased our Salem, Massachusetts home from a 90-year-old woman, in the 1960s, she was using this BRONZE STATUE as a doorstop. She said it had been in her family as long as she could remember. It is signed “E. Laurent” and numbered 5720.
—Lorraine St. Pierre, Edgartown, Massachusetts

The decorative arts world witnessed a radical change during the art nouveau era (1880s-1920s). This “new art” fashion is exemplified in this signed bronze statue by Frenchman Eugene Laurent (1832-1898), titled Psyche with Oil Lamp.

The Greek word psyche, in mythology, means both butterfly and soul. Psyche was a rare beauty loved by Cupid. The tiny lamp seems to be an afterthought, but in the story, it served the purpose of lighting up her sleeping husband’s face, which she had been forbidden to look upon.

Another representation of Psyche, painted by German artist F.P. Thumann, titled Psyche at Nature’s Mirror, has appeared as the symbol of purity on White Rock beverage labels since 1894.

It appears that you have a wonderfully detailed bronze with superb patina. Value: Could be around $2,000. Dry-dust it with a large, beveled makeup brush. What a doorstop!