Q: Your column on Worldβs Fair collectibles got us thinking. My husbandβs grandmother attended the 1893 Worldβs Columbian Exposition and brought home a pitcher. Does it have value as memorabilia?
A: World Fairs have yielded perhaps more souvenirs than any other series of events. Anyone who attended an official fair felt compelled to leave with a memento of the visit. Any item with the fair logo or linked to the fairs is collected, from posters to glassware, china, coin banks, buttons, books, china, programs, coins or tokens, jewelry and more.
Some fairs are more collected, especially the 1893 and 1933-1934 fairs in Chicago.
Seen in images sent, the reader has a handled ceramic cream color pitcher decorated with a black-and-white transfer of Machinery Hall at the Expo. The bottom stamp reads, βMade in Austria.β The handle and fluted top are decorated with gold, and rose transfers scatter the surface. We have no indication of size.
Smart collectors know that most souvenir pitchers from that fair were mass-produced glass minipitchers in a variety of shapes. Sold by vendors from small kiosks or stands and marked in script with the name of the fair, they were molded crystal at the bottom with ruby flashing of glass at top. Many vendors also added a name or date, as desired.
The flashed glass pitcher was the most popular souvenir of the day. Cheap and attractive, the form was found at just about any public gathering. Today, depending on condition and script, they sell for $15-$45.
Ceramic pitchers were more expensive at the fair, hence fewer are around today.
On www.liveauctioneers.com we found a 9 in. English blank with a lavishly fluted top and a transfer of the fair’s Horticultural Building that sold for $225 in 2007.
Checking www.worthpoint.com, we saw an Austrian pitcher with a transfer of the Fisheries Building sold for $140 on eBay in 2013. The unusual building on the transfer made it attractive to a collector.
Youβre fortunate to have a family memento that has survived intact all these years. Enjoy it!
Q: Is my 1933 bracelet from the 1933 Century of Progress Worldβs Fair in Chicago worth anything?
A: The 1933-1934 Chicago Century of Progress fair remains one of the most collected of all Worldβs Fairs. Just about everyone who entered the lakefront site had to bring something home. Many souvenirs from the event are collectible to this day, including bracelets.
On worthpoint.com, we found over 300 photos showing sale results on such bracelets. Made in a variety of styles and designs, they range from sterling links to wide metal cuffs. Value depends on composition and design. Aesthetics and how well the design reflects the event matter, as well.
A copper cuff embossed with the COP swirl and decorated with blue enamel sold for $23.51. A cuff showing the Chicago skyline and the Graff zeppelin brought $55; the zeppelin is a major appeal. Other cuffs sold for $10.50 and $14.99. You get the idea.
