Salesman Sample Stoves
Toy & Child
Size Stoves
Stove Patent Models & Small Antique
Laundry Stoves
We Can Help You Sell Your Toy or
Salesman Sample Size Small Stoves and Other Related Antiques!!
We are full time active antique dealers that buy, sell, and deal in Antique & Vintage small child size, miniature or
salesman sample size stoves.
To see stoves we currently are selling on consignment for
different parties please visit the Stove sale page at
www.patented-antiques.com
Small antique stoves are one of the most widely
misunderstood of all collectibles in the a
ntique marketplace
today. Even the experts often times cannot agree on what
constitutes a salesman sample, a simple toy, or an outright fake. I have heard some even argue that
salesman sample stoves do not
exist. They do. Some will call a legitimately old small stove a salesman sample,
while others call it a toy, and still others call that same stove a
display model
or display piece that would sit in the store window. The truth is
one stove might fit two or more of those descriptions as the one to the
left does. At 70 some lbs though I doubt it was being carried door
to door. And all of this from people that know and understand
antiques.
Many less knowledgeable sellers call
relatively new toy stoves antiques and salesman samples, innocently or
otherwise. Most of those are nothing more than outright fakes and
frauds.
I am no expert, but I will try and not confuse the issue
and at the same time describe the types and styles of small vintage stoves that are of
interest to us and those that are not.
Please
Note: We
do not buy, sell or deal in
full
size gas, electric or wood fired stoves!!
If you want me to sell yours and are willing to ship it to me at your
cost I will try and sell it for you.
Salesman Sample & Toy Stoves
We are seeking genuine salesman samples
of stoves, quality
early toy stoves, or vintage display models
of
early wood burning or gas fired cookstoves
and early kitchen ranges. Pictured on the left is the #503 Charter
Oak. It was made by a stove company, and I suppose it could be
called a salesman sample, but we consider them to be toys, or store
displays. My understanding is that full size examples of this
stove were available for sale. That does not necessarily make a
small model or toy size of one a salesman sample. There is room
for discussion on stoves like this.
I have been told that those who bought a full size stove, and I have been told this was the
case with other stove manufacturers as well, could buy or were given one
of these. There would be a few marketing ideas that would explain
this, and I do not doubt it. This stove weighs in at 70 some pounds,
measures over 24" across and I doubt anybody's grandpa
or distant relative was carting one around door to door peddling them
across the countryside. Small Charter Oak stoves came in several sizes and
different finishes with this the 503 being the largest. In general they
sell for from under a thousand, to I have seen people asking 3
or 4 thousand for examples in antique shops or at large antique shows. I would bet they are slow movers at
the upper end of that range.
I have seen several legitimate salesman
sample stoves in their carrying cases. These have for the most
part been slightly later gas or electric
stoves or ranges. These were a size and makeup that the salesman
really would have carried around while attempting to
convince the shopkeeper or leery early housewife of the marvels of gas or electricity over that
hot and labor intensive wood fired beast over in the corner. They
are neat pieces. They should not be confused with the small electric toy kitchen ranges
that actually work that are constantly offered as salesman samples on
eBay or in shops.
These small stoves are often operable and many are enameled, nicely made, but
these are toys and not salesman samples. They are nice, and I can
sell them at toy prices, but not as over-inflated high priced salesman samples. I have seen these
offered for sale for several thousand dollars and seen other still
sitting on the shelf for a hundred. They sell for even
less when offered on eBay, but that does not stop the offers I receive
to pay $1000 or more for something I can buy for $100 or so if I wanted.
I especially like the models of early cook
stoves that
have enamel or graniteware exterio
rs, and the larger and well detailed stoves such as
The Majestic or
the US that I have pictured in the top corner of this page. Just to
the right is another interesting stove, an enameled Baby. This is a relatively
common toy stove in plain cast iron or nickel finish and is a toy. This same
design stove can be found with several different names on
the door, but is rarely found enameled as this one is.
Condition is critical to the value of these stoves, and
those that are broken up or missing pieces are not worth what
the one you saw on the Roadshow appraise at, or what you saw one bring on
some other TV antique show. Speaking of current values, there is a
book out by a fellow named Ford that has some great examples of these
types of stoves pictured. It is a price guide, but when those values are compared to what
most stoves
are typically selling for today on eBay there are enormous disparities.
Beware and do research!!
The
small cast
iron stove on the left is French. It is nicely done, very detailed and quite
ornate.
This stove even has an enamel lined water tank on the far right.
I was once told that these stoves were for actual use in apartments in France. I am not sure if that is true
and find it hard to imagine as it measures just 12" or so high and
only 20" across, but this piece does
have a nice
look nonetheless.
Some of the largest and most prolific makers of toy
cast iron stoves were Stevens,
Kenton,
Hubley and
a few others. Stoves with names like the Baby, Royal, Queen, were
made by these toy makers, while in general stoves with names like Buck's, Charter Oak,
Detroit Stove Works, or others with company or stove works in their
names were made by that company. But again, that does not
necesssarily make hem salesman samples. On the right is an example of
a stove that is very similar to its larger counterpart. It is marked
Detroit Stove Works. I believe that it too is just a model or toy and not
a true salesman
sample.
We
also buy and sell small laundry stoves
and /or different style sad iron heaters that went along with
stoves to heat pressing irons
with. we can also help you sell things like stove pipe trivets or
mitten warmers like the one pictured
on the right above the laundry stove pictured. In each of these categories there are many
different varieties available, and we are interested in all legitimate and good
condition pieces for inclusion to our sale pages on our sister site
www.patented-antiques.com
where we have numerous antiques from a host of categories
available for sale as well.
If you have any similar small antique stoves
like those pictured here that are for sale, please contact us at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com, and
provide us with as many details as possible.
Fake & Reproduction Stoves
The most commonly found NEW stoves are marked
Crescent, Queen, Royal, Favorite, or Spark. In each instance
there are legit old versions of these stoves. Some of these
knockoffs have been being
made for so long that the distinction is now being lost.
First, I do not consider a Crescent stove from the
60-70's to be "real" or legit. I consider it to be new, and a
knockoff, Fake or
a reproduction. You might not and that is fine. There are
people who believe the earth is flat and that dinosaurs and man roamed
the earth at the same time. It might not be true, but that
is fine too.
Provenance of I bought it from an 80 year old XX years
ago is meaningless. Same with Grama owned it unless you yourself are
approaching 100 years old. Show me vintage photograph of Grammie
with it in the playhouse and you will have something. Or the
receipt dated 190?, or ------
These new stoves have flooded
the market over the years and are always offered up as the real thing on
eBay, the Internet, and in the group "antique" shops all over the country.
They have hurt the market for legit stoves and this is evidenced by
sales results for stoves on eBay these days. Go take a look.
In the antique malls and shops all across the country these
days well over 90% of what
you see in the way of small stoves
are new or reproductions, and yet they are always being offered as
salesman samples or vintage antiques by the dealers proudly displaying them.
The same is true of the majority of
the offerings on the Internet at the various auctions or other individual
websites. Most notably and
frequently seen are the many different versions of Crescent,
a couple different versions of the Favorite, and the
pot-bellied Spark. I will speak about just one here.
This
"Favorite" Cast Iron Stove is a Reproduction:
On the left I have
pictured a newer Favorite, and even though this particular stove is at
least
30
years old, was bought by an old person, from an old person, it is a
fake. I have heard this version was made in Mexico in the 60's
-70's. It was actuall a pretty well done example, but is a
fake nonetheless.
Perhaps itt has a place in the decorator's scheme,
but when placed there should be sold for what it is and at a price that
reflects that. . The latest version of the Favorite Stove (not shown) must be from the
Far East or China and the molds done off of one of these earlier remakes.
The
newest version is so rough and poorly cast that you can hardly read the
name in the front. They are also put together with Phillips head screws
and the stove lids are so poorly done that no question should remain as
to their authenticity, and yet they are offered as real.
I have seen numerous attempts to make these
new stoves appear to be
legit by chang
ing out screws or having the doors nickeled or replacing the top
lids, but they still look horrible and I am amazed at times at the prices
that seemingly knowledgeable people have on them. Shame!! I use to visit with a fellow who spent his later years
in front of a TV with fake mini waffle irons in hand rubbing them with
emery to improve the look. That was 30 some years ago, and he was
making a living buying them for $5.00 and selling them for $50.00.
They looked good when he was done, but they too were fake.
On
the right is an original Dolly's Favorite that these re-pops are
fashioned after. Hopefully you can see
the difference in the blow-up pic. The one other tell for the
real Favorite stove is that none of the fakes are marked on the side Dolly's
Favorite as this one is.
Please contact me if you have an
interesting or unusual small
stove that you want to sell at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com
as we are always interested in nice examples.
If you have additional questions about our consignment
sales program please see the FAQ page
To see examples of antiques
including some small stoves that I currently have for sale please go to our sister site
at www.patented-antiques.com and
visit the numerous sale pages you will find there.
I have numerous past sales results there you can look at as well.
