Dear Tsadik,
This early twentieth-century ivory letter opener with a peephole showing a photo of Jerusalem was sent to my mother by her grandmother living in Meah Shearim in 1930s Palestine. Does it have any value in the antique Judaica market?
Sandra Malek
Teaneck, NJ
Dear Sandra,
First, the “peephole” you mention is known as a stanhope, which is an optical device that enables the viewing of microphotographs without using a microscope. Your combination letter opener and stanhope was a type of trinket/tourist item that was extremely popular across the Western world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including in then British-controlled Jerusalem.
When it comes to the current value of your item, there is an issue: Since 2014, the buying and selling of ivory in the United States has become more and more restrictive, even if it is proven to be over 100 years old. In 2022, New York State passed a law which prohibits the sale and display of objects containing worked or raw ivory from elephants that contain more than 20% ivory or are less than 100 years old, and states that ivory objects can be legally sold to collectors outside of New York, either online or via catalogue, but that dealers must obtain a special license.
Before 2014, your ivory stanhope and letter-opener, made sometime between 1915 and 1930 in Jerusalem, would have sold in the marketplace in the range of $100-$150. Today, in 2024, circumstances have changed. Consigning any piece of antique ivory to an auction house can be quite difficult, and subsequently, prices of antique ivory across the board have fallen drastically. Due to the complications in legally permitting this material to be sold, the value of your item today is a fraction of what it would have been in 2014, perhaps in the $30-$50 range.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
I received this plate recently as a gift. The lady who gave it to me said that her father gave it to her when she was much younger. Is it worth much? Thank you.
Ron Ziff
Brooklyn, NY
Dear Ron,
As you can see by the descriptive markings on the reverse of your plate, featuring a center image of our forefather Yaakov surrounded by the symbols of the Twelve Tribes, your plate was made in 1978 in a porcelain factory in West Germany, in an edition of 10,000, with yours assigned number 4,157. This plate, designed by the artist Laszlo Ispanky, was issued in such tremendous numbers and appears in the low-end marketplace quite often (flea markets, internet auctions), such that even an example still in brand new condition in its original decorative presentation box (which you lack), has difficulty selling for $25. Your example is worth about $10.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
Shalom. Five years ago, my husband and I found this in an antique shop in Tel Aviv. It’s heavy brass, I think. I certainly wouldn’t melt it, but we would like to know its history. Thank you.
Natalie Śpiewak
Los Angeles, CA
Dear Natalie,
Based on the markings on the underside of the base stating “Israel Reg. Des. 1884” (registered design), and the styling of your piece, with its distinctive ribbed candleholders, your brass Chanukah menorah was made in Israel sometime during the 1960s or 70s. If you talk to advanced collectors of Israeli Chanukah menorahs, they will tell you that this type of hallmark is often associated with a number of firms who produced metal tourist ware during this period, such as Dayagi, Oppenheim, Hen-Holon, and others.
Determining the current market value of a piece like yours is based on overall eye-appeal and design and how often – or not – your exact type of Chanukah menorah is found in the marketplace. While the design of your piece is relatively stark, it does have a certain look to it, with those Corinthian-style columns topped with what look like palm leaves flowering from them. Based on those factors, and that I cannot recall seeing your style of chanukiah before in today’s market – as a passionate collector who must own every style of Israeli Chanukah menorah ever produced – I believe it would sell in the range of $60-$80.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
This menorah has been with my family since my childhood for over 50-plus years, and although the family is aware that it’s not made of silver, we felt that there is a chance that it may have some value and we were hoping for an opinion.
Ariel Brenner
Brooklyn, NY
Dear Ariel,
Yes, you are correct that it is not made of silver. It is made out of thin, tubular strips of brass that were assembled in a factory in Germany, and were then plated with silver. Your example, dating to sometime during the 1910s or 20s, has had all of the silver-plating worn off, and the servant light is missing. That “blob” you see in the center as the finial is actually a representation of a flame; apparently only in Germany were some Chanukah menorahs designed with a flame finial, beginning in the late 19th century.
Your chanukiah was made in tremendous numbers, as they were very easy to assemble and appeared very pretty when new, with the silver plate gleaming. Many examples of your type of chanukiah survived the horrors of World War II, likely because roughly half of the Jewish population in Germany managed to flee before the Second World War began, and packed their belongings, including their Judaica, to take with them to whatever safe destination they arrived at.
About half the time your chanukiah appears on the marketplace, it has a stamping of “WMF” somewhere on the base, which stands for Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, the largest manufacturer of silver-plated metal items in pre-war Germany. The other half of the time, your chanukiah will have no stampings at all. Regardless of whether there is a marking or not, the collector audience of your type of chanukiah is quite low, due to it being rather cheaply made, which of course made it affordable to the masses originally.
Because your example is lacking the servant light and all the silver plating has worn off, in today’s market your chanukiah would sell in the $50-$75 range. I realize that may seem modest due to its age – it safely being at least 100 years old – but the audience for this type of chanukiah is extremely limited, due to the factors stated above.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
Enclosed please find photos of a necklace my mother gave me 53 years ago. The charm is a Magen David with a sterling silver chain, bought in what was then called Palestine (Israel).
Maxine Scheiman
Bala Cynwyd, PA
Dear Maxine,
Your silver charm was made during the 1930s and 40s in Israel, and was extremely popular with both tourists and natives alike. Those made before May 14, 1948 would state “Palestine” on the reverse (like yours), and those after that date would state “Israel.” An example marked “Israel” currently sells in the range of $20-$40, while those stating “Palestine” sell for $40-$60.
Best,
Tsadik
