NARRATOR: Major funding is provided by... Alex Cooper Auctioneers, appraisers and auctioneers of fine art, jewelry, and collectibles online and in person gallery auctions every month, serving buyers and sellers in Maryland and around the world for over 100 years.

♪ ♪ Second Story Books, celebrating 50 years of dedicated book selling.

LISA JONES: Coming up on "Chesapeake Collectibles."

AMORY LECUYER: I knew when you opened up your item at my table that I had somebody who had unusual tastes.

PATRICK REDDING: It's a very unique, um, over time I've been blessed to appraise a lot of unique things, but I must say this is the first ever machete.

ROSS KELBAUGH: Well, I think in the world of collecting, you got what we call a "sleeper."

Congratulations.

GUEST: Thank you so much.

LISA: This is amazing.

When you put this on my station, I think my jaw dropped, it still is.

ROBERT HARRISON: Interesting to note that each one of the pieces that we see on this table was hand-cut and then glued into place to form these designs.

(theme music playing).

♪ ♪ ROBERT: Well, thank you for coming into "Chesapeake Collectibles," and you brought something really interesting.

Can you tell me a little bit more about it?

GUEST: Well, um, this history, this table has a long history with me.

I originally had seen it 25 years ago in the home of, uh, a dealer and collector by the name of John Palmer.

He had a wonderful shop in Purcellville, Virginia.

We went over to his house for a Christmas reception one year, and it was like stepping into a museum and one, one room was with full of folk art items.

And this was one of the items in that room.

And I can only say it was probably love at first sight.

Uh, I really just couldn't believe that table was in his house.

And unfortunately, uh, John and his wife were tragically killed in a car accident about 15 years later.

And, uh, his estate ended up, uh, down at Jeff Evans auction in, uh, Bridgewater, Virginia.

And, uh, that's where I purchased it at the time.

And so it's been in my house for about the last, uh, 10 years and, uh, had a little bit of restoration done on it.

Some of the, uh, woodwork on the base had come loose and, uh, the finish was rather yellowed from having an old varnish finish.

So I had that cleaned up a little bit, but, uh, one of the reasons I brought it today is I've always wondered how these balls got into the legs.

ROBERT: Okay.

GUEST: And, uh, so I hope you can tell me a little bit more about it.

ROBERT: Sure, we'll try to do that.

It's a stunning table.

Um, you're a collector.

GUEST: Yes, that's correct.

ROBERT: So you have other pieces that are similar.

Uh, generally speaking, this is a parquetry table.

Some people may call it a marquetry table, but marquetry refers to inlay that is floral and, and vine design.

This is more geometric, as you can see.

And it's, um, interesting to note that each one of the pieces that we see on this table was hand-cut and then glued into place to form these designs.

So, generally speaking, these are known as American folk art tables.

Sometimes they're called "whimsy tables" because they're so whimsical in design.

Uh, it is a southern piece, um, and it's made of multiple woods.

And you and I were looking at the woods earlier and trying to pick out some of them.

There is mahogany and there's walnut, and there's satin wood and maple.

And maybe you can see some other woods that I'm not seeing.

Just lots of different designs, hand-cut and placed.

So the center design, of course, is a star and two stars actually.

And then that same design is repeated on this open shelf on the bottom.

Um, and then there are chevrons and lines around it.

I think it dates from around 1900 to about 1915.

And also, as you mentioned, one of the more interesting things, uh, can be seen on any of the four legs with these little designs that have these little free balls in the center of them.

This is known as a ball and cage design.

And believe it or not, they were carved from the solid.

So when they started, the individual cabinet maker or carver would take this rectangular piece of wood and cut a notch where the squares are and round that side, do the same thing on the other sides, and then keep working in until he had a free ball in the center.

GUEST: Wow.

ROBERT: And he repeated that 1, 2, 3, 4, around the legs and then went in additionally and colored or ebonized the ball.

So there's a lot of work in this particular table.

Um, a magnificent piece.

You have it prominently displayed, I take it.

GUEST: Yes, I've really enjoyed it at my house now, but I always keep a piece of glass on top to make sure it's protected.

ROBERT: Good for you, good for you.

That's always good.

I don't see a thing wrong with it, as you said, you've had a little bit of repair done on the veneer, but that simply, I think, enhanced the value.

Uh, I really like it.

I like southern pieces.

Um, and this is really a nice piece.

Have you ever had it appraised before or looked at?

GUEST: No, I have not.

ROBERT: Okay.

I think if this went up for auction, I think you'd be looking at about 1200 to $1,500 if it was to sell today.

Um, which is really, um, a good price for something like this.

So, a nice table.

You should be proud to own it and continue displaying it.

GUEST: Well, thank you for letting me know about the value, but thank you so much for explaining how these made, 'cause I've always wondered about how that was done, and it makes me appreciate the table all that much more.

ROBERT: Yeah, yeah.

It would, it could be a mystery, but thank you.

GUEST: Thank you.

(cash register bell).

♪ ♪ LISA: Thank you so much for coming into "Chesapeake Collectibles" today.

This is amazing.

When you put this on my station, I think my jaw dropped, it still is.

And your words were, this is a yelling double face jug.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

LISA: Please tell me, uh, well, why you have this and how you acquired it.

GUEST: Well, uh, probably close to 20 years, maybe a little longer than that, my wife and I were at the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival.

LISA: Yes.

GUEST: Um, in Washington D.C. and, and one of the states being showcased was the state of North Carolina.

And one of the, the folks that had artwork on display was this fellow by the name of, of Terry King, who was a master potter.

And the Renwick Gallery actually acquired some of his pieces.

LISA: Wow.

GUEST: Not only for the exhibition, but for the permanent collection.

And I had never, my wife and I had never seen a face jug before, so we didn't know anything about it, but we thought it was a neat sort of novelty, sort of sock that away.

And we happened to be down in the Carolinas on vacation, and we were driving back, and we, we, we remembered that he was in Seagrove.

So the evening before we drove back, I called up to Seagrove, got his phone number called and saw if we could, uh, you know, make an appointment to come by his, his studio and, and actually his studio and his kiln were at his home on the side of a mountain.

LISA: Oh, wow, okay.

GUEST: We made an appointment, went and visited.

He was delightful, his wife was delightful.

They took us and our kids around, showed us how they made everything.

And I decided to commission a piece we were talking about stuff... LISA: Oh yeah, great.

GUEST: And he said, well, you know, I said, we want to buy a face jug.

And he didn't have any for sale, but he said, I'm gonna be doing another round of face jugs.

And we started talking.

He said, "Well, I make a political one."

And I said, "I'm from Washington.

A political one would be great."

LISA: This is the perfect opportunity to have a political themed face jug.

And so what is the result?

What happened here?

GUEST: So the theme of his political jugs is he says it's a politician before he is elected and a politician after he's been elected.

LISA: Okay.

GUEST: And the facial features change.

And the other interesting thing is, you know, in my professional career, I always wore bowties.

And I said, "Can you put a bowtie on that guy?"

And he said, "Never done bowties before, but I'll do it."

LISA: I think he did a great job.

GUEST: Yeah.

LISA: And I, I'm gonna admit to everybody who's, who's watching us right now, I don't know which is the before face, and which is the after face.

And I sort of feel like, uh, in any political season, and I know that we're in the midst, um, I feel like this, like, I don't know which side of my face is which anymore.

But you corrected me.

GUEST: Yep.

LISA: And you said we are now looking at...

GUEST: You're looking at the politician before he's elected.

LISA: Okay.

GUEST: So he is very jovial and glad-handling... LISA: Okay.

GUEST: And uh... LISA: And shall, shall we see the after?

GUEST: We can see the after.

LISA: I, I think we should see the after.

So what has happened to our politician after he's been elected now?

GUEST: Well, he doesn't have to be as friendly to the constituents.

We would hope that's not the case.

LISA: And his features have dramatically changed.

GUEST: Changed.

LISA: His eyes, do look a little bit more surprised, but also maybe a little bit more, I don't wanna use the word menacing, but maybe a little bit more serious in tone or conniving, maybe?

GUEST: Conniving might be a good word.

LISA: Okay, let's go with conniving.

GUEST: The, the interesting thing that we learned in the process one is the sort of the history of face jugs.

LISA: Yes.

GUEST: It's actually a, a, an African American folk art.

LISA: Correct.

GUEST: Pre-Civil War, um, and there are two theories, one, um, a lot of the, uh, ex or slaves at the time could not have headstones.

So one theory is that the family made, or the potters made, face jugs to commemorate and maintain the history of... LISA: Yes.

GUEST: ...The individual.

The other was as a, um, uh, sort of a child preventive, uh, tool for putting liquor and also chemicals that they would use on the farms and plantations.

LISA: Okay, yes.

GUEST: To scare the kids away so that they wouldn't drink out of those jugs.

LISA: That would have that effect on me.

GUEST: Yeah.

LISA: I would not, I would not go near that.

Um, so Terry signed this...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

LISA: In two different places, once on the underside, once on the...

BOTH: Side.

LISA: And he dated it.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

LISA: And the date is, I believe, August 1st, 2004.

GUEST: Right.

LISA: So that's great.

So we know when he made it.

And then on the other side, he also in incised Seagrove, North Carolina.

So you commissioned it 20 years ago, and I've since learned that Terry is no longer working, he's no longer making these pieces.

And so, although there are some, a few auction records, I think it's more important to have this piece insured as a part of your collection, because truthfully, it's a work of art.

GUEST: Right.

LISA: I would do an insurance replacement value of around 2,000 to $4,000.

GUEST: Oh wow.

LISA: Just gonna give a range.

GUEST: That's great.

LISA: Absolutely.

It's absolutely, I mean, you get so much pleasure out of it.

GUEST: Well, thank you.

LISA: Oh, you're welcome.

GUEST: It's, it's a great piece of folk art, and that's what we love.

And it's a great conversation piece too.

LISA: 100%.

I know that I will be talking about this for a long time to come.

So, thank you again for bringing in.

GUEST: Well, thank you, appreciate it.

LISA: And you're welcome, you're absolutely welcome.

It was a delight.

GUEST: So, thank you.

(cash register bell).

♪ ♪ AMORY: I want to thank you for coming out to "Chesapeake Collectibles," and I knew when you opened up your item at my table that I had somebody who had unusual tastes.

Um, why don't you explain a little bit about what it is that you collect and the particular relationship to this piece, and then I'm gonna talk a little bit about it myself.

GUEST: Okay.

So I collect a lot of jewelry items made with human hair.

AMORY: Okay.

GUEST: Um, I brought one of my, uh, more interesting pieces from my collection, which is a tintype with a five-strand braid of hair from the five family members in the photograph.

AMORY: That are in the photograph, yeah.

GUEST: Yeah.

AMORY: And, and hair jewelry.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

AMORY: And the, uh, keepsake lockets and things like that, mourning jewelry.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

AMORY: Um, often incorporated, uh, the use of, of hair.

GUEST: Yeah.

AMORY: And, and the memory of somebody.

And, and we see it particularly during the Victorian age.

I think it takes hold in, in Victorian England, but then it really does become quite popular in sort of the post-Civil War period up to probably about 1910.

GUEST: Absolutely, mm-hmm.

AMORY: Um, this is a really unusual piece because of the tintype.

It would be unusual enough to have five family members in this tintype.

But I have a suspicion here, um, of the five people in this, the center sister who is draped in black, who is faced in a different direction, is actually deceased.

These are her siblings who have gathered around her before she goes to a burial.

They have posed her sitting up, everybody else is standing, her face has got a light powder on it.

This is a dead person in photography.

GUEST: Oh my God.

AMORY: That makes it really rare.

It's unusual to see this many people in the same shot.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

AMORY: Then, to add in what I believe you are correct on that, they all donated a piece of hair, and it was woven to be incorporated into what, in essence, is a large locket.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

AMORY: Um, even though it's a photography, uh, Gutta Percha case, um, is, is really interesting.

Have you ever had it looked at, had it valued?

GUEST: No, this is the first time, actually.

AMORY: Okay.

Postmortem photography is unusual.

The last one I handled was, which, so, uh, showed twin sisters with one of the sisters being deceased, um, brought over $2,000 at auction.

I would put this every bit in that, that range.

GUEST: Oh my goodness.

AMORY: And, um, so I, I, you didn't spend $2,000?

GUEST: No, I didn't, no.

AMORY: Um, it is a fascinating piece.

It is a really rare sort of collectible in the tintype world, but, um, what we can easily say is all these people in this photography are now dead.

GUEST: Absolutely.

AMORY: But I want to thank you for bringing it out because it's just a rare.

GUEST: Thank you so much for having me.

AMORY: Absolutely.

(cash register bell).

♪ ♪ ROSS: I want to thank you for coming into "Chesapeake Collectibles" today.

You've brought into something I think our audience will find very interesting, and might actually be something that many of them will recognize, but might not be aware of the rarity of this particular item.

GUEST: Okay.

ROSS: What do you have here?

GUEST: I have a "Gone With The Wind" uh, program, but I think it's kind of rare.

They made a number of copies of this when they first came out.

And the ones that, the one that I have is, has Hattie McDaniel on it.

Well, when this came out, about 2,000 or a little less were printed.

Daughters of the American Confederacy made a complaint about this.

And so they were all withdrawn, the ones that had not been distributed and destroyed.

Going forward, they replaced the picture of, uh, Hattie McDaniel on the back with the lady that played Belle Watling.

So this copy is a pretty rare copy.

ROSS: Yeah, let's take a look at that.

We see a lot of people would recognize the cover.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: Because actually a fair amount of these have survived.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: But what would be very interesting is here we have on the back with Hattie McDaniel down here in the corner.

GUEST: Yes.

ROSS: Amazing.

That they reprinted this with that pressure, uh, then...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: Because this was 1939.

GUEST: '39.

ROSS: Uh, to make it more socially acceptable in the Jim Crow era.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: What happened to Hattie McDaniel as a result of being in "Gone With The Wind?"

GUEST: Well, as a result, she got nominated for Best Supporting Actress, which really surprised quite a few people.

Uh, everybody that was nominated for Academy Awards that year was nominated or was, uh, invited to the ceremony, but she was not.

David Selznick, the producer, made a complaint.

And so they allowed her to come to the ceremony, which was held in a restaurant.

In the restaurant, they put her all the way back by the kitchen as far back as they could when her name was announced as the winner, for Best Supporting Actress.

They say it was probably the longest walk for a speech to give a speech to accept an award in Academy Award history.

She walked from the kitchen all the way to the stage, gave a dynamic speech, cried like crazy, and then went back to her seat.

And the rest is history going forward.

ROSS: A, a dark history.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: But an important history to be aware of.

GUEST: Yes.

ROSS: Have you ever had this appraised?

GUEST: No, it, it was history to me, uh, I decided to bring it, but it was just so historically important that I said "I, I've gotta find out."

ROSS: Yes, yes.

I, I think people who might have these, 'cause a lot of 'em have survived.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: But it's the, the revised editions.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: So I, hopefully, a lot of people in our audience are gonna go pawn theirs out now and see which one they have.

GUEST: Right.

ROSS: I would put a, a value on this, probably of a, and this is very nice condition.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: With the story and people being aware of this, at least 300, possibly to 500.

I, I saw one, there was one on eBay.

Somebody had one for sale for 1900.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

ROSS: So you got a kind of a wide span of dates, of, of amounts.

But with the story, maybe this is what we're doing here today, is something will maybe generate more interest and appreciation for this first edition.

GUEST: I hope so.

ROSS: So, uh, I thank you very much for bringing it in, bringing it in, and being able to enlighten all of us, uh, and our audience about the difference in the editions and the story behind this one.

GUEST: Well, thank you so much, I appreciate it.

ROSS: Yeah, thank you.

(cash register bell).

♪ ♪ PATRICK: Hello, and welcome to "Chesapeake Collectibles."

GUEST: Thanks for having me.

PATRICK: We appreciate you coming in today.

Can you tell me a little bit about, maybe, what you brought in?

GUEST: Well, what I brought in was, uh, from my father-in-law.

He served in World War II.

He was in Coast Artillery.

Um, and he, uh, his first station was in Saint Lucia, he got there in 1942.

He was apparently given this machete.

Um, and I just came in, um, because I wanted to know a little more about it.

PATRICK: Well absolutely, we appreciate you bringing it in.

It was kind of unusual when I first seen it, and the fact that when you and I got to talking about the history and what you know about it, and the fact that it's kind of interesting, it's almost like in the form of a presentation of machete.

Okay.

And, uh, his name again was?

GUEST: Ernest S. Lomax.

PATRICK: Lomax, okay, Ernest S. Lomax.

And when we got to discussing this, we were looking at some photographs that we have here.

You have a great detailed photo album.

We have some pictures and pages out of it, um, but what's interesting was that when he got there in 1942, he was a lieutenant, but when he left, he was...

GUEST: A captain.

PATRICK: A captain, so he...

GUEST: Was promoted, um, just before he left Saint Lucia.

PATRICK: Very good, very good.

So at some point when he was there, probably right after he got there, he got presented this, probably, 'cause he was somebody of significance, had some people there would have presented him with a gift, and this would've been that during World War II.

Well, what's interesting about it is the fact that the blade is imported from England, which means that Saint Lucia islands obviously were British colony owned.

GUEST: Yes.

PATRICK: So that's how probably English blade would be on this.

But what they did was they customized the handle and the scabbard to the machete, and what they would've done, they made the machete handle longer.

And because a lot the machetes were used there for bananas.

GUEST: Right.

PATRICK: So that would give them added reach and things like that.

And then, plus gave them more room to put the inscription presentation on it.

So, and what's really unique is at the end of it, is how they did the carved head, you know, which was very, very unusual.

So, and the nice thing about this is as we review it, is to have, they made a custom scabbard out of wood and carved it with his name, where he's from, which he was from...

GUEST: Newark, Delaware.

PATRICK: Newark, Delaware.

And then, of course, then they put him on here as a lieutenant on that aspect.

So, and then over here on the top picture here, there's actually a picture of him leaving.

They're having a celebration.

GUEST: Celebration, his battalion, yes.

PATRICK: Very, very good.

Very good.

It's a very unique, um, over time, I've been blessed to praise a lot of unique things.

And I must say this is the first ever machete that I actually am gonna appraise at the presentation.

You know, I've done swords, daggers, bayonets, things like that.

But this is the first ever machete.

And that's why I kind of caught my eye with the historical significance of World War II and the fact that his name is on there.

It was issued to him as a lieutenant, left as a captain, and then through from there.

So, when he left Saint Lucia, did he come directly home?

GUEST: He came home.

He was on leave for a while.

He went through additional training.

Um, he got married, got engaged, and married.

Um, uh, and then, uh, in 1944, he was, uh, sent to Europe and he was part of the liberation force in Europe, and then was discharged in 1946.

PATRICK: That's awesome.

That's awesome.

Great, great historical piece here.

And you know, like I said, if overall, the whole assortment here that we have, um, and the history of it, and, you know, taking into context, you know, that was help the final part of World War II and his dedication to the country makes it even more rewarding.

Um, on this note, um, have you ever had it appraised before?

GUEST: No.

PATRICK: No, no.

Well, being, like I said, you know, I've never appraised a machete before, but you can look at this as the historical side of was a presentation or a piece of art.

GUEST: Yeah.

PATRICK: That they presented him.

And, uh, if I, today with the, uh, the value, I would appraise it between six and $800.

GUEST: Oh wow.

PATRICK: So it's a very neat piece of family history.

GUEST: Family history piece.

PATRICK: And of course it'll probably never be sold, but it needs to stay in the family.

But we really, really do appreciate bringing it in.

GUEST: Thanks so much for your help.

PATRICK: Thank you for coming in.

GUEST: Thanks so much.

PATRICK: Thank you.

(cash register bell).

ALLAN STYPECK: Next time on "Chesapeake Collectibles."

ROBERT: Can you explain a little bit about what you have here?

GUEST: Absolutely, uh, my girlfriend Jennifer gave me the, uh, ballot box, which is from 1880 in Baltimore.

LEX REEVES: What's interesting about this piece is that it's two mediums.

It's a photograph, and it's also a watercolor.

SELDEN MORGAN: Each and every one of the Carl Schon's seahorse pieces are unique, they're all one of a kind, because they're all a seahorses.

ALLAN: Which it makes it one of the largest known items of Kennedy's speeches that are hand-drafted.

GUEST: Everybody today wants to push that button.

AMORY: Well, of course.

GUEST: And they did.

AMORY: And, and we're gonna push it in just a second, we switched out the dynamite.

NARRATOR: Major funding is provided by... Alex Cooper Auctioneers, appraisers and auctioneers of fine art, jewelry, and collectibles online and in person gallery auctions every month, serving buyers and sellers in Maryland and around the world for over 100 years.

♪ ♪ Second Story Books, celebrating 50 years of dedicated book selling.

GUEST: Now that I've learned more about my item, I'm definitely gonna take better care of it and put it in some place more prominent to be seen.

GUEST: I may donate this to the, uh, Reginald Lewis Museum because of the historical value of it.

GUEST: Oh, my experience here has been really great.

GUEST: I love, and my wife loves coming out to "Chesapeake Collectibles."

It's a, it's a great learning experience, not only, uh, about the stuff that we've brought, uh, to share with others.

GUEST: Well my overall experience here was really quite amazing.

GUEST: I had a good time, well-organized, everybody was so friendly.

A great experience too, you learn something, but just the experience itself is worth it, just being here.

NARRATOR: Stream anytime, anywhere with the free PBS app.