» Auction action   A 14.4-inch-long Heddon "Dowagiac" casting bait soared to $11,110 at Lang's last spring because its value was enhanced by the original white paper box containing a flier with directions for use. Such paperwork is almost impossible to find.     Collector quiz   Q: When Josiah Wedgwood declared, "The Black is sterling and will last forever," what was he referring to?   a. Onyx b. Black stoneware   c. Jet d. Coal   A: Though never patented, Wedgwood's black basalt pottery became hugely popular in the 1790s and was copied by a number of contemporaries. Source: "English Pottery 1620-1840" by Robin Hildyard (Victoria and Albert Museum, $90).

Q My clock marked "Adamantine" has been in the family as long as I can remember. It's a great clock and I won't sell it, but I would like to find background and sources on it. - Tom, Lakeport, Calif.

 

A In the mid-1800s, French clocks made of onyx or marble became popular in the United States. They were beautiful but expensive. At about the same time, American clockworks makers became increasingly industrialized, enabling them to produce affordable and reliable clockworks in quantity. Domestic clockmakers knew that the masses could not afford fashionable marble clocks, so with typical Yankee ingenuity, they found a way to achieve the look at a lower price. As a result, the blocky rectangular form known as the black mantel clock became a must-have for the emerging middle class. Early models were painted wood or iron finished in black enamel. The clocks, as a genre, were popular from 1800 to the early 1930s. Starting in 1882, the Seth Thomas Clock Co. of Thomaston, Conn., achieved the marble look by gluing celluloid (an early plastic) veneer onto a wooden clock base. Called Adamantine, the veneer was made in black, white and a variety of colors to replicate wood grain, marble and onyx. Usually decorated with one, two or more half-pillars on each side of the clock face, and often embellished with a gilded clock face, gilded lion heads, gold decorative striping and brass feet, Seth Thomas Adamantine clocks were produced in a staggering variety of designs up until the 1920s. The reader knows his clock is an Adamantine model from a label on the back. The movement will provide a date. According to www.clockhistory.com, a site operated by Indiana repair specialist Bill Stoddard, many circa 1881 to 1918 Seth Thomas clocks have a date code stamped in ink on the back bottom of the case. Look for the year in reverse - example: 1891 appears as 1981. The month follows as an alphabet letter - example: April as D, August as H, etc. Another way to date the movement, Stoddard told us, is the clock face. A square winding hole adjacent to the 12 indicates pre-1900. If the hole is between the face center and the number 6, the movement was made after 1900. Model and patent numbers cited by the reader are not accurate date pegs. Smart collectors know that patent numbers held for a number of years. Therefore, an item could postdate the patent by decades. Model numbers on labels are not accurate because "they used the same label numbers on different clock models," Stoddard said. "They're just beautiful clocks," he added. "I get a lot for repair, and they polish up nicely." FYI: Look for a Bill's Clockworks link on clockhistory.com online. There, Stoddard lists prices for typical repairs and overhauls. He repairs a variety of makers, plus ST electric clocks. Mail to 8 W. Columbia St., Flora, IN 46929. The phone number is 1-888-742-5625. Q: What is the best place to sell a large, Toledo-style, richly embroidered linen tablecloth with 12 napkins?

 

- Marie, Boca Raton, Fla.

 

A: Toledo or Madeira embroidery involves cutwork and much fine hand stitching. Decades ago, setting a table with fine linens was the mark of a good hostess. But times have changed. Realistically - whatever is for sale - one has to identify the potential buyer. Who is your buyer for this? The generation that valued the linens is now selling. The younger crowd finds linens fuddy-duddy and entirely too much trouble. This group does not iron, does not want to pay for laundry, and much prefers a bare table or something more its style. So the buyer has to be someone who values the work involved. Very, very picky on style and condition, this crowd can afford to be choosy. And these people don't pay top dollar unless the item is extraordinary. Look for local auctions that accept fine textiles, or research vintage-clothing shops in the area that sell textiles and laces. Q: I have thousands of baseball cards, most in unopened packages. How can I find out what they're worth?

 

- Iris, Sunrise, Fla.

 

A: Brian Marren, vice president of the MastroNet sports memorabilia auction firm, recommends Beckett Baseball Card Price Guide: 27th Ed., $24.95, www.beckett.com online. Now out of stock from the publisher, it may still be at sports stores. Or wait for the 2006 version. Marren also suggests the 2005 Baseball Card Price Guide (KP Books, $19.99). Don't open the packs if you can determine the contents without doing so. Unopened packs of cards with value are best. ● Send e-mail to smartcollector@comcast.net or write Danielle Arnet, c/o Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Please include an address in your query. Photos cannot be returned.

 

» Auction action A 14.4-inch-long Heddon "Dowagiac" casting bait soared to $11,110 at Lang's last spring because its value was enhanced by the original white paper box containing a flier with directions for use. Such paperwork is almost impossible to find. Collector quiz Q: When Josiah Wedgwood declared, "The Black is sterling and will last forever," what was he referring to? a. Onyx b. Black stoneware c. Jet d. Coal A: Though never patented, Wedgwood's black basalt pottery became hugely popular in the 1790s and was copied by a number of contemporaries. Source: "English Pottery 1620-1840" by Robin Hildyard (Victoria and Albert Museum, $90).