Antiques & Collecting: Playing cards

Playing cards provide innocent amusement: a game with friends, a magic trick to entertain a child, a round of solitaire to pass some time alone. So, what’s a devil doing here?

This novelty pitcher made by Royal Bayreuth about 1930 has a body that looks like it’s made of playing cards and has a smiling devil figure for a handle. It sold for $250 at a Potter & Potter auction.

In the past, playing cards were seen as sinful, whether they were associated with gambling, divination or merely idle frivolity. Do those friendly games, magic tricks or solitaire sessions sound less innocent now?

In 1890, Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer published a book on the history of playing cards called “The Devil’s Picture-Books,” after a Puritan name for cards.

According to one anecdote in the book, Columbus’s sailors brought decks of cards with them on their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, but threw them overboard out of superstitious fear during bad weather.

After the ships landed safely, the crew made themselves new cards out of tree leaves. Later, even the Puritans approved of some card games if they had educational themes.

Seeing playing cards as a sin doesn’t eliminate their appeal. In some cases, it may even contribute.

I have seen different types of maple furniture, like “bird’s-eye maple,” “tiger maple” and others. What are the differences? Do they come from different varieties of trees? Do they affect the value or quality of the furniture?

Maple is a strong, sturdy wood that is popular for furniture. Figured maple has naturally occurring variations in its grain pattern.

The cause for these variations is not known, but environmental factors like climate, soil type, disease and injury to the tree may contribute.

Bird’s-eye maple and tiger maple are two types of these patterns. Others include spalted and quilted maple. Tiger maple is also known as curly maple.

Figuring does not mean a lower quality wood; in fact, figured maple is especially desirable for decorative pieces like furniture, crafts and musical instruments.

Since the 19th century, inexpensive woods and other materials have been painted to imitate grain patterns, and naturally patterned wood adds to the value of a piece.

Tip: Don’t use the popular aluminum foil and baking soda system to clean antique silver. It leaves the silver with an undesirable tin-looking color.

Current Prices

Clothing, dress, silk, allover black sequins, wide neck, 3/4 sleeves, tag with “Saint Laurent / Rive Gauche,” size small, $310.

Quilt, Mennonite, Everlasting pattern, five stripes with sawtooth edges symbolize trees, green print fabric, red print ground with tiny hearts, Pennsylvania, c. 1890, 90 x 82 inches, $490.

Kitchen, rolling pin, birch, rosewood, inlaid with whale ivory and abalone diamonds and bands, turned whalebone grips, whaleman made, c. 1870, 13 inches, $860.