Henry Ford, of automotive fame, won a car race on Oct. 10, 1901. He was behind Alexander Winton, a star racer of that era, for seven laps when Winton's engine lost power and Ford passed him. He won with an average speed of 45 mph.
The victory was an important one. The prize was $1,000 and a cut-glass punch bowl. But even more important was the publicity several financial investors who heard of the race helped Ford start the Ford Motor Co.
Have you seen the cut-glass punch bowl in this photo? The Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., is looking for it so it can be included in an exhibition. Henry Ford won this prize during a 1901 race.
The Ford Museum is now trying to find the bowl. It was last seen when it was sold Oct. 16, 1951, for the estate of Mrs. Henry Ford at an auction at Parke-Bernet in New York City. If you have any clues about the whereabouts of this bowl, please write to us in care of this newspaper.
My husband's mother has a small desk with a top that folds back to reveal a larger desk surface as well as small cubbyholes and drawers. It looks a little like a small upright piano.
The only mark on it is inside a drawer. It's a circle surrounding the words "Solid Mahogany, Colonial Manufacturing Co." When was it made?
The Colonial Manufacturing Co. worked from 1906 to 1983 in Zeeland and Grand Rapids, Mich. Your mother-in-law's desk is what collectors call a "spinet desk." It looks like a spinet piano, but there's a desk surface rather than piano keys under the fold-up top.
Her desk probably dates from before the Depression. From 1900 until about 1930, the Colonial Revival style was popular in America. Mass production spread the style across the country.
Help me identify the maker of my English demitasse cup and saucer. The mark on the bottom of each piece includes a symbol that looks like a dollar sign, with "est. 1846" straddling the mark. Below it are the words "Old Royal Bone China, England."
The "dollar sign" is actually a pair of superimposed S's. The letters stand for Sampson Smith, a pottery that worked from 1846 to 1963 in the Staffordshire district of England. Sampson Smith used the mark on your dishes from about 1930 to 1941. Your cup and saucer were made during that period.
I am not really a bottle collector, but I have quite a few Ball jars from the years I canned vegetables. Recently I came across a light blue glass jar that looks like a fruit jar but does not have the word "Ball" on it. It's embossed "Jay B. Rhodes, Kalamazoo, Mich., One full liquid quart."
Your jar was made to hold motor oil, not canned food. But it most likely was made by the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Co. of Muncie, Ind., a major fruit-jar manufacturer.
Ball Brothers is believed to have made glass jars for Jay B. Rhodes sometime around 1920. The jars were shipped to Rhodes.
He made special threaded dome tops for them. Each top had a central spout and breather vents so the jar could safely store and pour motor oil. Rhodes always called his glass oil jars "cans."
Fifty years ago, my husband gave me a rhinestone necklace and matching earrings marked "Leo Glass." The set came in a hinged box that reads "Fashion Jewelry styled by Leo Glass & Co., New York."
Inside the top of the box is a photograph of Elizabeth Taylor wearing the jewelry. Both the box and the jewelry are in excellent condition. Can you tell me anything about the set or the jeweler?
Leo Glass & Co. worked in New York from 1943 to 1957. The picture of Elizabeth Taylor dates the jewelry set to the 1950s. Examples of Leo Glass jewelry are hard to find. Your set, in the original box, is worth $150.
My 94-year-old aunt left me a lead soldier that is 4 inches tall. The soldier is riding on horseback and is wearing a fancy uniform and a tall hat. The mark on the bottom includes the words "1st Empire Garde Imp. Grenadiers 1804-1815, depose No. 139-158 Belgium." There's also a shield with the initials "MIM" inside. Do you know who made it and what it's worth today?
Emmanuel Steinback's Belgian firm, MIM (for "Maximus in Minimus"), worked from about 1935 to 1948. MIM soldiers were sold in the United States and are considered extremely well-made.
Most MIM soldiers, like yours, represent Napoleonic troops. In very good condition, a mounted soldier sells for $85 or more.
When was the doorknob invented? Who invented it?
The doorknob, like the clothes hook or the plate, is an idea that has evolved through the years. Doorknobs were being made of metal or porcelain in Britain in the mid-1700s. Small brass, pottery or glass knobs were used in Colonial America. Commercially made cast-metal doorknobs were made by 1870.
The Kovels answer as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for its use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names and addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Lawrence Journal-World, King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019.
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