Welcome To The Online Version Of Ask Mark Parker Volume 33 January 1999 How to submit your finds

UP IN ARMS

Q. This plate came from a site near Charleston, South Carolina where many Civil War buttons were also found. Because some of the details are difficult to photograph, I am sending a drawing as well. The light areas in the photo are patches of gilt. If possible, I would like to have the plate identified and priced.

A. Yours is the first example I've seen and is apparently unlisted. So, after pursuing the usual avenues of research to one dead end after another, I asked expert militaria appraisers Russ A. Pritchard and George W. Juno of AOPA, Ltd. to check it out. Their conclusion? "The plate appears to be circa 1790-1810 and is a cross belt plate for a South Carolina Militia unit. It is hand engraved and unique to this specific Militia unit. The style and construction are consistent with other known plates of this period. The S.C.V. is for South Carolina Volunteers." Since their appraisal was for identification only and did not include valuation, I also sent photos of the plate to a few leading dealers. The consensus is that a problem-free plate of this design could command up to $4,000; as dug, likely less than half that.

LATCH ONTO IT

Q. Here's an object that my two brothers found. In fact, they found 147 of them, all in one pile. It's marked "Pat. Aug. 7, 1888." No one seems to know what it is, so I'm turning to you for help. Value isn't all that important, as most of them are heavily rusted, although some are still in working order.

A. Archival sleuthing at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reveals that your gizmo is a gate latch invented by George W. Charleville of McKinney, Texas. The two rings inside the case were moved by means of the levers on either side. When allowed to drop below the case, the rings engaged a metal latch bar, holding the gate in place. Pressing the levers drew the rings back into the case, releasing the latch bar. No guess on the value, but prices for plain iron, no-key gate locks and closures of that era tend be fairly low. While your latch does have a bit of novelty and obscurity going for it, the fact that your brothers uncovered 147 of them definitely takes it out of the "rarity" category. Obviously, condition is also a problem. Best bet? Frame a couple of the nicer ones alongside copies of the patent documents and drawings (which I'm sending you), and then offer the display to a collector of antique locks or hardware.

TUT-TUT, OLD THING

Q. During a private-property search in Nevada, I recovered the ornament shown here. It is cobalt blue glass with a high-relief image of the enthroned Egyptian god Osiris, and there is a small hole at the top for suspension. Since many items found in the same area date from the 1920s, I am wondering if this piece might relate to the King Tut jewelry fad which occurred shortly after the discovery of his tomb.

A. A wise surmise! Typical of Egyptian-motif molded glass costume jewelry made in Czechoslovakia around 1925-35, your pendant is worth about $50. Predictably, other images included King Tutankhamen, the falcon god Horus, the Sphinx, hieroglyphics, pyramids, and scarabs. Fashionable hues were red and blue, and opaque green and yellow, with paints of contrasting color often used to highlight the impressed designs.

CROP CIRCLES

Q. Detecting at an old lumber camp in Michigan, I dug this brass wax-seal bearing the inscriptions "Napoleon Grange No. 231 * Mich. *" and, in the center, "P of H Org. Jan. 30, 1874." Any information regarding the company which used this stamp would be appreciated.

A. Actually, it's the die, or matrix, from a seal press, similar to the one used by a notary public to mark legal documents. Many organizations emboss membership certificates, official correspondence, etc. in the same way, and such is the case here. The P of H stands for Patrons of Husbandry, a fraternal society for farmers and their families- better known simply as the Grange. Founded in 1867, it remains in existence today. Local lodges or chapters are also called granges, and your seal was used by the one organized in Napoleon, Michigan in 1874. I doubt it'll boost your bank balance by much, but it could be of keen interest to someone specializing in Grange or Michigan memorabilia.

SOMETHING'S AFOOT

Q. Could you please tell me what you know about this recent find of mine? One side says, "I wear 'Box Calf' shoes. Alumina Tanned. White Bros. Co., Boston, U.S.A."; the other, "Return to ____ and get reward."

A. It's an advertising key tag dating from about 1900-10. "Box Calf" is not a brand of shoes but a type of calfskin leather with distinctive square markings resulting from the grain and tanning process, and is said to have been named for Joseph Box, a British boot maker. White Bros., the firm which issued the tag, evidently supplied leather to various footwear manufacturers. For example, early 1900s Sears, Roebuck catalogs offer shoes made from White Bros.' box calf stock. Key tags were a popular premium in those days, and as an extra courtesy many stores stamped or engraved them with the customer's name &/or address. Yours was probably attached to a pair of shoes. Figural tags are particularly collectible, and this shoe-shaped one should be good for at least $10.

A PIECE OF THE ACTION

Q. Years ago, I found this souvenir in an old jewelry box. I believe that it belonged to my grandfather, who was in the Navy during World War II. On the front is a sailing ship, "U.S. Frigate Constellation," and the date 1797; on the back, an eagle and shield, and two cannons framing a scroll with the words, "This coin struck from parts of the Frigate Constellation, the first ship of the U.S. Navy." I'd like to know its history and value.

A. Launched in 1797, the U.S. frigate Constellation saw action against the Barbary pirates and the French Navy in the late 18th century, was blockaded during the War of 1812 but won engagements in the Mediterranean in 1815, and after being rebuilt in the mid 1850s served in the Civil War. Eventually, it became a training ship, and during World War II was honored as the flagship of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. It remained officially active until 1955, concluding the longest record of service in the Navy. A few years later, it was restored and permanently berthed at Baltimore, Maryland. To help raise funds for the project, the Constellation Committee offered medals like this one, struck from the ship's original copper spikes, for a donation of $1 each. Contributors also received lifetime free admission to the Constellation. Such commemorative issues, containing metal from famous sites or objects- mines, buildings, ships, captured cannons, aircraft, and even spacecraft- are known as "made from" or "relic" medals. Yours usually retails for $5-10, VF or better.