What happens for Chesapeake Collectibles appraisers when objects they’ve hoped would come before them do show up? They just dig a little deeper into their wish list.
Ross Kelbaugh, photograph guru and overall memorabilia and ephemera expert, had a moment of pause after we asked him to think ahead to the October 4-5 taping days for Season 13 of the MPT series.
“I have had some things I hoped to be brought actually happen,” he noted. “But I do have something (in mind) — an original 1969 program to the Woodstock music festival brought in by someone who had actually been there! The Grateful Dead advertisement was particularly interesting!”
For those of us who have longed for an original poster (or even a handbill ), the program mention sparked a new craving. The programs, Kelbaugh pointed out, “have been reproduced, and I know the difference. I have seen an original once, when I was in college, that had been brought back by a friend who had attended. He lent it to another student who was writing a paper about it and never got it back. It would be great TV to not only see one of these —and any other memorabilia they might still have — but to hear about their experience being there.”
Lisa Jones, our go-to appraiser on matters of pottery, porcelain, and glass, is letting herself dream as grandly as imaginable. “I’m really reaching for the stars on this one,” she responded. “I’m putting a huge request out into the universe for an original piece from the Meissen porcelain Swan Service.”
Before we could ask the AI bots why that’s special, she wrote out the story with an enthusiasm that almost gave her email a lilt.
“Meissen was the first successful European manufacturer of hard-paste porcelain. The Dutch East India Company brought Chinese porcelain to Europe in the 17th century, creating a high demand to own and collect the beautiful blue and white creations brought from a faraway land. Before Meissen’s success in 1710, many European manufacturers vied to become the first to recreate the secret formula of porcelain, but the correct combination of kaolin and petuntse, fired at a high temperature, eluded them. How Meissen became the first is a drama seen only in a soap opera, but I digress!
“The Swan Service,” she explained, “was conceived in 1736 and ultimately finished circa 1742, and consisted of over 2,200 pieces created by Meissen’s best designers and modelers. Each piece featured a low-relief decoration of a swan against a shell-like background. Sadly, much of the original service was destroyed in WWII.
“The Meissen factory makes reproduction pieces of the Swan Service. Meissen continues to use its famous crossed swords mark on its wares, but with some changes over the years, some subtle and some not so subtle. Look for variations including impressed marks, additional use of the word “Meissen,” in blue glaze, and if there is wear along the underside of the rim, which indicates age and use. Most importantly, if your piece comes with a nice Meissen box, chances are it is 20th or 21st century.”
Original Swan Service survivors can be seen in museums, but Jones can’t help but think about a close-up moment for Chesapeake Collectibles.
“I would love for an original piece, even a fragment, to make an appearance.”
Even a fragment! Can’t the universe provide at least that?
Registration time slots are filling up for the Chesapeake Collectibles Season 13 taping weekend on October 4-5. Visit mpt.org/programs/chesapeakecollectibles/ today to reserve your spot!
Watch encore episodes of the current season of Chesapeake Collectibles anytime on the free PBS app and online at video.mpt.tv/show/chesapeake-collectibles/.
