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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: Gleek on January 28, 2011, 09:56:08 PM

Title: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: Gleek on January 28, 2011, 09:56:08 PM

These cast iron duck andirons are marked "Williamsburg Brass Co"  and "E101".  Any thoughts on age or value?  Would you sand them?  They're caked with soot.

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: waywardangler on January 28, 2011, 10:11:16 PM

Do not sand them.

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on January 28, 2011, 11:58:26 PM

I found a pair of owl andiorns made by Williamsburg Brass Company (See auction item #577 at the link below) The auction estimate on the owl andirons is $500 - $700.

http://www.icollector.com/auctionprint.aspx?as=1986 (http://www.icollector.com/auctionprint.aspx?as=1986)

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on January 29, 2011, 12:01:46 AM

Oh and most definitely do not sand them. You'll scratch the finish under the soot and devalue them. I think I would start with dish soap and water to take off the worst of the soot, then use Brasso for the heavy stuff. Do you guys agree?

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: fancypants on January 29, 2011, 01:24:02 AM

Welcome to the forum , Gleek .

A stiff nylon/bristle brush & some liquid Dawn + warm/hot water + elbow grease might do well enough for the job , unless you're planning on refinishing your items .

These were not designed for 'dainty' stuff & often would get funky &/or warped/bent from 'improper use' .
I would not sweat much about cleaning off the soot from unpainted areas , unless lots of rust is present .
You can use a variety of simple products to give a protective coating to your iron item , once it's clean enough for you ... ranging from the simple lamp black , paste wax , mineral oil (& so forth) to specialty coatings .

If the soot on your item(s) is thick/tough to clean , it may be due to it being a 'protective' layer over rust , so proceed scrubbing with a bit of inquisitive caution .

Using a mild solvent is another way to remove soot/carbon on UNPAINTED iron - ones like turpentine , lamp oil etc .

Pressure-washing (atop an old pc. of carpet , etc.) @ the local DIY carwash is another method (again , for the unpainted areas) that some folks would use .

I'd stick to cleaning them with non-metal implements only , if it was my chore to do .

Thanks for posting , Gleek .

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: cogar on January 29, 2011, 03:40:49 AM

Nice, ...... and I would think ducks are far more collectible than owls.

Can't ya just picture them in a fireplace in a hunting lodge, hotel or restaurant?

Unless you plan on keeping them I wouldn't do any more than wash to soot off of them. Iffen ya start cleaning then buyers start looking for signs of repo. 

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: mart on January 29, 2011, 09:02:38 AM

Beautiful andirons !! Absolutely nothing more than soap and water and a good scrubbing !! Anything more and you lose value. Let the buyer clean and polish if they want to but most want the age left on them !!

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: Gleek on January 29, 2011, 03:52:49 PM

thanks for the answers!

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: KC on January 29, 2011, 09:58:11 PM

Absolutely great advice from the gang!
If you are going to sell them...I wouldn't clean them up.

Title: Re: What do you guys think these are worth?
Post by: mariok54 on January 30, 2011, 03:31:56 AM

If you were over here I'd probably make you an offer for them. Then all that I would do would be give them a good clean, as already suggested, with a stiff nylon brush. Check for any bits of rust (if they've been sitting anywhere damp over the years) and then I would use stove blacking, just because it would then go with our place ... Nice piece, and should fetch a nice price.