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September 2026 To advertise call (775)727-8787 PAGE 15

a rare antique 25-inch Handel table lamp. We

also have several additional antique lamps and
stained glass.
A: Handel lamps, made from about 1885
to 1933, are prized for decorative glass shades.
They were made in several styles, including lead-
ed glass reminiscent of Tiffany lamps, but their

HOMEMADE RUGS reverse-painted designs are the most distinctive.
The environmentalist movement popular- Handel lamps typically sell for high prices, usu-
ized the saying “Reduce, reuse, recycle” in the ally more than $500. Some sell for several thou-
1970s, but the sentiment goes back much far- sand dollars. The shade’s size, shape, design, and
ther than that. Historically, people avoided buy- PHOTO CREDIT: Hyde Park Country Auctions -
ing new items to save money, or simply because Homemade rugs like this penny rug have long been base material can affect the value.
said new items were not as readily available to a favorite way to keep fabric scraps from going to Because Handel lamps are often very valu-
purchase as they are today. Reusing and recy- waste. able, we recommend contacting a national auc-
cling materials was done out of necessity, too, used as floor coverings; they were more likely tion house specializing in decorative arts. They
but the effect of saving resources remains the to decorate a table, bed or mantel. Fabric scraps
same. Rug making is one of the best examples. can provide free appraisals or advice. They may
Throughout the 19th century, American could also be made into pictorial hooked rugs, also be able to provide information about your
families had many ways of transforming fabric pulled through the backing with a hooked tool, additional lamps and glass. If you get an apprais-
scraps into useful rugs. The earliest were tongue or into braided or crocheted rugs. Rugs like al from an auction house, you are not obligated
rugs, consisting of overlapping tongue-shaped these are still made by hobbyists today, and an- to sell with them.
scraps that completely covered a background. tique examples sell as folk art. This hand-sewn
Button rugs, made from circles of fabric, let the penny rug, probably made to be used on a table, * * *
background show. Penny rugs were also made sold for $125 at Hyde Park Country Auctions.
from small, flat fabric circles, but, like tongue TIP: Natural dyes were used in early rugs,
rugs, they completely cover the backing fabric. * * * but the chemical aniline dyes aren’t new. They
Despite their name, penny rugs were rarely Q: I am looking for assistance in appraising were used as early as 1870.

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