1897 San Antonio Folk Art Carved Cane
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GUEST:
My father has a small collection of canes. He used to just keep them by the door in a, in a holder. And one day, I was looking at this particular cane and noticed it's got a inscription plaque on it. And I was fascinated by it, and I asked him if I could take it home and do a little research. And he said, "You can have it-- it's yours."
APPRAISER:
Just like that.
GUEST:
Just like that.
APPRAISER:
So when did you get it from your dad?
GUEST:
It's been about three months.
APPRAISER:
So what did you find out?
GUEST:
Almost nothing. All I could do was get a loop and read what's on the engraved plaque. And it's very hard to see; it's very finely engraved. The plaque says, "Made by G. Donato Lovece, work commenced October 1, '96, finished April 15, A.D. 97.
APPRAISER:
So we assume that's 1896.
GUEST:
I've always assumed it's 1896.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, yeah. So when did your dad get this cane?
GUEST:
It had to be at least 20 years ago, probably no more than 40. He couldn't remember the name of the store, but he definitely bought it here in San Antonio.
APPRAISER:
You showed me something at the top that really got my attention. What was that?
GUEST:
At the very top, it has a little carving of the Alamo.
APPRAISER:
The local shrine, the Alamo. And then below it is the inscription tag, and it's probably silver. And then the whole shaft is covered with these wonderful scenes. I don't recognize what they are, but I'm guessing they're probably from Italian operas. This is the kind of thing that folk art cane collectors really love. There's lots of carving with lots of figures and lots of action. I started going back into the census records, and what I was able to find was that Daniel Lovece immigrated to New York, New York, from Anzi, Italy. And it's a little town today, still in existence, of about 1,800 people. And by 1890, he was here. The Loveces were here in San Antonio. Well, the Loveces ran a fruit stand on Alamo Plaza.
GUEST:
Perfect.
APPRAISER:
And that's what this wagon shows-- their fruit delivery, produce delivery wagon. It all ties together, except for the name of the Lovece who carved the cane.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
I can't find him! To me, this cane represents the sort of classic immigrant story of America. In terms of the value, did your dad say what he paid for it?
GUEST:
No. When he was actively buying canes, he would never pay more than, let's say, a few hundred dollars. But he did not remember what he paid for it.
APPRAISER:
It's, has great carving. It has some traces of green paint in here. It is missing, at the very tip, there was a little screw-on metal tip, a ferrule, there at one time. But overall, it's, it's in fabulous condition. And I would think, in a, in a cane auction to people who collect folk art canes, it might bring $1,500 to $2,500.
GUEST:
That's excellent to know.
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