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It's a set of jadeite children's dishes in the original box, on shopgoodwill.com. http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?ItemID=4209747Harry Rinker estimated the value of the set at about $175 (of course the market may be lower now). QUESTION: I have a set of toy dishes. The only marking is “CHIQUITA TOY DISHES” on the lid of the box. The box lid artwork has a Mexican theme with a man wearing a sombrero and playing a guitar while riding a donkey in the center of the border motif on the bottom of the lid. There is straw in the box under the dishes. The pieces are made from a clear, dark blue glass. None of the dishes are chipped or scratched. What are they worth? -- E-Mail Question, Little Falls, MN
ANSWER: The Akro Agate Company made your dishes. Founded in 1911 and first located in Ohio, the company opened a large factory in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in 1914. The Akro Agate Company is best known among collectors as a manufacturer of marbles.
Increasing competition in the marble industry in the 1930s prompted Akro Agate to expand. In 1936, following a major fire at the Westite factory, Akro Agate purchased many of Westite’s molds. Akro Agate now boasted a large line of children’s dishes, floral wares, and household accessories. The company also produced specialty glass containers for cosmetic firms, including the Mexicali cigarette jar (originally filled with Pick Wick bath salts) and a special line made for the Jean Vivaudaou Company, Inc.
The Clarksburg Glass Company bought the factory in 1951.
Gene Florence’s The Collector’s Encyclopedia of AKRO AGATE Glassware, Revised Edition (Collector Books, 1975, 1992 value update; 80 pages, $14.95) notes: “I have tried everything to convince myself that Akro did not make these crudely shaped child’s dishes known more commonly as ‘Chiquita,’ but I have been unable to do so. Plant workers remember them and there are a lot of pieces that have been found in the Clarksburg, West Virginia, area.
“The common color of Chiquita is the green…in the large 21 piece set, but the blue is frequently found also. People seem to prefer the blue color; therefore, the price, because of demand, has grown to be greater than for green. Other colors of Chiquita—lilac, turquoise, pastel blue—are much more rare but not as avidly sought. Some collectors of Akro have never seen anything except the blue and green Chiquita.
“All Chiquita, if it bears a mark, has a J. P. embossed on the bottom, because it was made for the J. Pressman Company of New York. They must have given Akro a tremendous amount of business because if the Chiquita is not the most often found Akro, then it runs a close second.”
In early February a 21-piece set of Jadeite (green) Chiquita Toy dishes in their period box was offered on eBay. The bidding was exceptionally strong. The lot closed at $177.50, but failed to meet the seller’s reserve.
The overall market for children’s toy dish sets remains strong. A fourteen-piece set of Akro Agate’s Miss America pattern children’s dishes sold for $282.00 on eBay. A 29-piece green Depression Glass set closed at $105.29 on eBay. Neither set had its period box.
Realistically, the value of your set is between $175.00 and $185.00. http://www.harryrinker.com/col-947.html |
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