Salesman Sample Stoves, Toy-Size
Children's 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 antique dealers and deal in small child size, miniature or sample size antique stoves.
Small antique stoves are one of the most widely
misunderstood of all collectibles available in the antique marketplace
today. Even the experts often times cannot agree on what
constitutes a salesman sample, or a simple toy. 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. 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.
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 they were available for sale to
those who bought a full size stove, and I have been told this was the
case with other stove manufacturers as well. It 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. The Charter Oak came in several sizes and
different finishes with this being the largest. In general they
sell for anywhere from under a thousand to I have seen people asking 3
or 4 thousand for examples. I would bet they are slow movers at
the upper end of that range.
We are also interested in gas or electric
sample stoves or ranges if they are in their original
cases that the salesman would have carried them in while attempting to
convince the leery early housewife of the marvels of gas or electricity over that
hot and labor intensive wood fired beast over in the corner.
Oftentimes you
see small electric toy kitchen ranges offered as salesman samples.
These small stoves are often operable and many are enameled, nicely made, but most of these are toys and not
salesman samples. They are nice, and I am interested in buying these 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 couple of 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.
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 pictured,
and is a price guide, but when those values are compared to what 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.
I do
like some of the early cast iron toy stoves made by Stevens,
Kenton,
Hubley and
others, like the Baby, Imperial, Buck's, Charter Oak, and more, but I like to pay toy
prices for toys and not salesman sample prices for what are not. 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 small laundry stoves
and /or different style sad iron heaters that went along with stoves to heat pressing irons
with. I am also looking to buy stove pipe trivets or 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.
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, including the asking price.
Important
What I do not want, and have no further information about
are NEW stoves marked
Crescent, Favorite, or Spark. These newer stoves have flooded
the market over the years and are always offered up as the real thing on
the Internet and in the group "antique" shops all over the country.
This
Small "Favorite" Cast Iron Stove is a Reproduction:
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 who are filling
their booths with this trash.
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.
On the left I have
pictured a newer Favorite, and even though this particular stove is at
least 30
years old and has a place in the decorator's scheme, it and others like
it are of no interest to us. The latest version of this Favorite Stove (not shown) must be from the
Far East and the molds done off of one of these earlier remakes, as the
newest version is so rough and poorly c
ast 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.
I have seen numerous attempts to make these
new stoves appear to be
legit by changing 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!! 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.
Please contact me if you have any
interesting or unusual small
stoves that are for sale, at
LCM@AntiqBuyer.com
with details and your asking price
as we are always interested in nice examples.
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.
