Tiffany Studios "Bookmark" Desk Set, ca. 1924
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GUEST:
This desk set belonged to my Great-Uncle Jet, and he was my father's uncle, and I inherited it through my parents. My mother actually gave it to me while she was still alive.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh, and how did Jet get it?
GUEST:
(laughs) Jet... I never knew Jet. He died before I was born. All I've been told about Jet was, he was kind of a ladies' man, and he never married, and he had a lot of girlfriends, and they gave him expensive gifts. And this set was a gift to him from one of his girlfriends.
APPRAISER:
Right, and how do we know it was a gift?
GUEST:
It's engraved on the bottom of the clock, "To Jet from Imogene." So you have the date there, it's December 25, 1924.
APPRAISER:
Right, and does anybody know who Imogene was?
GUEST:
I have no idea who Imogene was, but I think it's a perfect name for the 1920s.
APPRAISER:
1920s is exactly when it was done, and this is a great set. Tiffany made about 20 different desk sets. This pattern is called "bookmark."
GUEST:
Bookmark, okay.
APPRAISER:
And it has these emblems here. Do you know what these are?
GUEST:
They have meaning? I have no idea. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
They're actually the printer's mark from early printers and publishers.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
This would be printed in the book to identify the actual printer or publisher of the book.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So, as I said, Tiffany did about 20 of these sets, and each set could actually have between 20 and 30 pieces. And you bought as many pieces as you wanted. So you have this set, which is actually sort of a small set. You have these blotter ends, this is a date pad, this is a little cigarette box. We know it's a cigarette box because it's lined in wood.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
So it has a cedar lining. You have the bookends, and you have the clock.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
The clock is very rare, and what's even rarer is this little key. This key always disappears, even though it has a special spot here. So it has a little spot here for you to keep the key-- is that where you keep it?
GUEST:
Yes, that's where I keep it when it's on the desk, I keep the key in there.
APPRAISER:
So this is done in a gilt finish, it was called dorè, but what's extraordinary about this set is, you have this painted decoration.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And this is called "cold-painted." Most patinas are integrated into the surface-- this is painted on with oil paints. And as a result, it's relatively fragile.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
But this has survived in amazing condition. In fact, I have never seen one with this amount of original paint in it. So it's really, really extraordinary. There is a little bit of discoloration here, but I think that's really relatively minor. This set, in a retail setting, would bring about $9,500.
GUEST:
(laughing) That's really nice. I love the set, I have-- I try to just dust it with a cloth. I have no idea what to do with it but to use it.
APPRAISER:
So you do actually use it?
GUEST:
I do use it, I do use it.
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