What’s It Worth?

Q:What can you tell me about my wicker furniture that I inherited from my grandmother? There are three pieces including, a bench, armchair and side table. All are marked "Heywood Brothers - Wakefield Company."- J.H.

Answer: Cyrus Wakefield founded Wakefield Rattan in the 1850s in Massachusetts. The company merged with chair maker Heywood Brothers around 1897. The firm eventually became America's largest manufacturer of wicker furniture.

Heywood BrothersWakefield used automated production lines including wicker looms, factors that made wicker very popular because of the low cost. It became Heywood-Wakefield in 1921. After many changes, it is still in business.

This furniture was manufactured around 1910. Although the pieces have a few problems, at least they do not appear to have been painted, a common fault with antique and old wicker furniture. The set would retail for about $750.

Q:I have read about slag glass lamps in your column. It makes me wonder about the value of my reverse-painted lamp that I inherited in the 1970s. It is painted with a colorful mountain and water scene. There are no marks. - V.R.

Answer: Reverse painting on glass has been around for at least a thousand years. In Early America, reverse painting often was used to decorate clocks and mirrors. Reverse-painted electric lamps became popular beginning about 1900.

Many well-known American companies during the 1920s and'30s made reverse-painted lamps, including Handel, Jefferson, Pairpoint and Pittsburgh. Some signed, reverse-painted lamps often sell for more than $3,000.

The bad news about this lamp is that it not signed. This is a factor that is important to collectors. In addition, there is a difference in color in the metal parts that make up the base. It would retail for about $795.

Have a question about an antique or collectible? Send e-mail to with a digital image, or send a complete description with a clear photograph to Jay Moore, Flair Department, Richmond Times-Dispatch, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293. Photographs will not be returned. The large volume of mail may mean a delay in publishing answers.