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Folk artist may be next big thing

By RALPH AND TERRY KOVEL Special to the Times
Published January 27, 2007

Looking for a collectible that is not yet known in all parts of the country? The folk art of Peter Ompir from the 1930s to the '70s is attracting buyers on the East Coast.

Ompir began painting in the 1930s. Portraits were not selling, so he started painting on household objects, from tin pitchers and cigarette boxes to graniteware and tables. His designs were colorful, often pictures of fruit, trains, Colonial soldiers, roosters and other Pennsylvania German symbols. His work attracted buyers, and his items were sold by some large department stores, including Macy's and Neiman Marcus.

The painting took time. Each piece was painted with a base color, dried, sanded, painted again, then varnished. All were signed with his name.

When he died in 1979, his co-worker, Warner Wrede, took over and painted Ompir's designs.

Wrede signed pieces with his own name. Today a box by Ompir sells for $150 to $400, a dustpan for $385, a deep tin dish for $225 and a tray for $550. But that is in the East. Pieces painted by Ompir that sold at department stores in many states must still be hiding in homes all over the country.

Favorite cookware

Q: I have a small collection of Griswold cast iron cookware. Recently I came across some cast iron pots and pans marked "Favorite Piqua Ware." I have never heard of this brand. Who made it, when and where?

A: "Favorite Piqua" cast iron cookware was made by Favorite Stove & Range Co. of Piqua, Ohio, in the early 1900s. The company was founded in Cincinnati in 1848 as W.C. Davis Co. From the beginning, it manufactured both cast iron stoves and cookware. The factory was enlarged in 1880 and changed its name to Favorite Stove Works. The new owner, William King Boal, moved the company to Piqua in 1889. Favorite's cookware line expanded in 1916, when Boal's son took over the company, and sales reached their peak in the 1920s. Sales plummeted during the Depression, and the company went out of business in 1934. That same year, the Favorite cookware line was sold to Chicago Hardware Foundry Co. of North Chicago, Ill. The word "Piqua" was taken out of the mark on the bottom of the cookware, but the "Favorite" brand name continued.

Popular art form

Q: Years ago a friend gave me the gift of a carved olive pit. I would never have known what it was because it looks like a lovely carved bead. I'm wondering about the history of this lost art form.

A: It's an ancient art form that apparently originated in the Far East, but the art isn't lost. Today it's done all over the world by both amateurs and professionals. Pits from almost any kind of fruit can be used as surfaces for whittling. Peach pits are favorites, but olive pits are often used for jewelry.

Ridding musty odors

Q: I have a box of old railroad timetables that were stored in my garage for years. I would like to sell them, but they smell very musty. Can I get rid of the odor?

A: You can try a couple of things. Put a few timetables in your microwave oven and "cook" the paper on low power for 30 seconds at a time. This is a good method for killing mold and might get rid of the odor. But be sure there are no metal staples in the timetables. They can spark a fire. Another option is to bury the whole collection in a mound of kitty litter for several days. Then just dust them off.

Questions of general interest will be answered in the column. Send questions to Antiques, Ralph and Terry Kovel, c/o the St. Petersburg Times, King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.

Fast Facts:

Current prices

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

- 1940 7-Up calendar, "I Like 7-Up, It Likes Me," picture of blond woman, metal band, full pad, 15 by 24 inches, $85.

- 1935 Boy Scout patch, National Jamboree, Washington, D.C., $340.

- Van Briggle pottery vase, carved stem and flower design, red and blue glaze, marked, 21/2 inches, $500.

- Reed & Barton silver-plated napkin ring, young girl on swing, 1880s, 51/2 inches, $765.

- Ideal teddy bear, golden mohair, glass eyes, swivel head, humpback, straw stuffing, c. 1910, 32 inches, $1,630.

- Punched tin hanging bread safe, red-painted poplar and oak, punched stags on front, "Bread Safe" punched on sides, c. 1894, 36 by 40 by 19 inches, $3,680.

[Last modified January 26, 2007, 21:09:33]