I have two items that I need a value on. One is a Wedgewood Bisquit Barrell. The handle and rim are brass, the silver is long gone. It belonged to my husband’s mother who was born in 1900 and possibly to her mother. My husband said it was one of the rare items that survived the bombings. The second item is a brass Russian Samovar. It has engraving on the top, some Russian words and what looks like it might be a figurehead. It’s difficult to read. I’m attaching a couple of pictures. Thank you for your help. It’s much appreciated.
Russian samovars are a part of the Russian tea culture. Like England, the rites of drinking tea was an important social ritual in Russia. The samovar only held hot water. In its original use, nothing but hot water was put in the samovar. A concentrate of tea was made in a teapot, added to a cup and then hot water from the samovar was added to the concentrate as desired.
The use of a samovar for making tea is not known but the use may have migrated from the Ottoman Empire. It is known that Russian samovars date back about 200 years. The peak of their use was the 19th century until just before the Russian Revolution. It was at this time the most elaborate samovars were made.
At that time samovars were heated by a burner but later samovars were made with an electric heating element. Samovars are still made in Russia today. Many samovars were made in Tula, Russia. Some of the better known makers are Ignatov, Batashev and Yegorev.
You did not give me a picture of the marks on your samovar. The marks on your piece are in Cyrillic, the Russian alphabet, so they can be hard to read. These marks can make a difference in the value. Having an Imperial warrant mark adds value. Look for a double headed eagle. It is important for all the parts to be intact and from the picture, it appears your samovar is in good condition.
Samovars are made from silver, bronze, pot metal, copper and most commonly brass like yours. There is a wide range of prices. The markings help determine the value so I can only give you a range of values. It is possible to find samovars selling at auction from $150 to $450. Condition, shape and markings affect the value. I found much higher prices at the Web site, www.russiansamovars.com. All of their samovars are in restored condition and are fully documented. Their prices range from $800 to several thousand. Comparing your samovar to the ones at auction and the Web site is difficult since I do not know which stamps and seals are on your piece. For insurance purposes I would value it at $1,500. If you want to sell it, I would contact this web site and get some help identifying the maker and the different markings.
Wedgwood, the factory in England, is spelled without only one E. There is a factory making knock offs using two Es. I think your piece is the true Wedgwood but check the mark to make sure.
Assuming it is Wedgwood, jasperware biscuit jars had both sterling silver and silver plate mounts. The loss of the silver plate negatively affects the value. The value now is around $50.
Julie McClure, who has 30 years in the appraisal business, is a member of the Appraisers Association of America. E-mail queries to McClurescolumn@AOL.com.
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