How to Know it's Enough Rodney Kent?

I am wandering around the house  with a RK411 lazy susan with a divided glass bowl in the center and the traditional tulip final lid, but with tiny leaves. There is no place for me to put it down. The three extra deep shelving units that I store the large trays and lazy susans have shelves stacked so high that I can't slide another piece between the shelves. Every flat surface in  my house displays my collection. In every room, on night tables and dining room buffets, bookshelves and small Victorian tables and consoles. I have over 200 pieces, That doesn't even count the catalogs and advertisements related to Rodney Kent.

I am often asked if I know how much something is worth or if I am personally interested in purchasing it. My first piece of advice for finding value is to google it by using "Rodney Kent Hammered aluminum" and the piece number. Keep in mind, that the numbers were reused several times for different pieces. Then view images and see if you can find it. Then do the same on eBay. If you don't know the number you will have to scroll through the photos. eBay will have a large range of pricing because the sellers have no idea of value, but you can easily see the value by what is bid on and what is not.

As is standard on purchasing collectibles, the better the condition, the higher the value, so if you have the original box or labels or advertising, it will make it more desirable. Right now, I will only purchase what i do not have or something with original packaging. As you can see from my photo, I have many in the box. I also have many holes in my collection. From the catalogs that I own, I know I am missing a lot.  I have never seen  any other sunflower design like the RK506 and RK503 I have posted in my July 2014 post in The Oddities of Rodney Kent. I have two pieces of the 700 series of Rodney Kent, and I only know that because one of them came in the original box (which is how I got the number).You can see them in the blog Rodney Kent enigma Sept2014 and below.

So if you have questions in the future, please follow these guidelines. And photos of the items is a necessity. Many of the items have glassware, as in the catalog picture below of item RK445, which requires a Pyrex pie plate. Make sure you have the glassware or in some cases wood cutting boards.

the center detail of RK503

RK506

The Holy Grail of Rodney Kent

Catalog No. 40

Catalog No. 53

I have about 175 different pieces and I thought I must have come across all of them. I wasn't right. Not even close. I am now in possession of not one, but two wholesale catalogs, volume 40 and volume 53. This is the first time that I have any documention  from Krischer that not only shows the complete item with the item number, but the real intent. So for all of you that thought the #403 was a vanity set..... oh no, it's a cheese and  butter  combination set.

ok, I couldn't wait to publish this so I'll have to figure our later why my photo won't rotate.

You didn't know that there was a beverage set ......

 

or that this lazy susan had a 1 1/2 quart Pyrex casserole in the center

or that the Cassarole holder with the rolled edge on the holder and the "C" handled dish has a different number than what is stamped on the bottom. It's Stamped #440

or that the beverage cooler set (and this tray actually got lost in the mail, Thanks USPS) originally had glasses.

I thought that the salad for and spoon set came with bowl #415.... Who knew?

 or That #445 was a pie plate holder.

And finally, there are holes.... numbers without items beside them, explaining why, when making a numerical list we never came across the a complete list. I hope that you enjoyed this preview. More in depth next time. Something to ponder.. did you know that some of the pieces had WOOD CUTTING BOARD inserts?

The big find

Today I won a 25 page catalog of Rodney Kent from the 40's. I can't wait for it to arrive. It has the holy grail of Kent collectors.... a list with numbers and descriptions. Guess what? Some numbers are empty. They didn't go in numerical order. I think that I have everything that they show in the catalog, but one thing I learned was that the aluminum salad fork and spoon have their own number. Another is that there is a pitcher #453 and a beverage set with #453 plus glasses.

It will be exciting to see this and, of course, I will share this with my readers. Look for an updated list of all the pieces and now you will learn what the real purpose was of #403, the oft called "vanity set". This is by no means complete. Many new things were created after this was printed. A large portion of my collection is still not identified with a number, but I have made a dent in the list.

I bid against one other collector for this catalog on Ebay. It was a hard fought battle. If you read this blog, please identify yourself. You must have a significant collection as well.

Stay tuned.. the best is yet to come.

Breakfast with Rodney Kent

I don't want to disappoint you, if you were expecting a tete a tete, but this is not about the "designer". Rodney Kent is a figment of the imagination of Krischer Giftware and not a very creative one at that. They looked out a window and  saw the intersections of Rodney and Kent Streets in Brooklyn and said.... well that works!

If, however, you have been aching to see  some lovely kitchen utility sets or maybe a cruet or two... well then you will be quite satisfied.

Basic Butter

In the beginning there was the basic butter dish, and it was good. Please don't confuse the original with the poor quality 1980s reproduction of this item from Southern Living Magazine. The glassware maker is Federal Glass Company. The number is 470.

This butter dish below is from the late '50s. The glassware is from Fire King. It is number 418

The same lid and glassware but a fancier holder. I believe this is part of a collection of cassarole holders and coasters with the trim that is similar to the handles on this piece. One day I will do a blog on this collection as a unit. Again the era is late '50s. I was outbid on this piece and I don't know what the number is.

This butter dish I can date to 1955 because I have a page from a catalog dated 1955 show this and many other pieces.

Napkin holders.

This holder must have come as part of a set as I have never seen any number for it.

This also shows on the 1955 tear sheet as an individual #

The individual toast holder  #405

Condiment jars

This is the individual condiment jar. It sits in a tulip flower tray and has the clear plastic spoon that sits in the notch in the lid.

Notice the difference between the condiment holder on the left and the drink coaster on the right. There is a depression in the center meant to hold the glass. Krischer was very exact in the indentations that held glassware. Nothing in the line is loose and sliding around. If the glassware that you have with your item does not fit perfectly, then you have a marriage and not the original glassware.

The Mustard and Ketchup set . Note the cute color coded spoons.

So, lo and behold, it was good and what was created was the Breakfast Utility Set #447,  butter, preserves and a place for the napkins.

And then an incredible selection of combinations......

The  Twin Preserve Set -notice that the tray is scalloped on the end similar to the two most popular pieces in the line #404 and #406 - bread trays with and without handles.

also notice the lids on this set. the hammered texture is quite small compared to the  lids on the jars above, which has the same texture as the tray it sits on.

#474

#472

Lazy Susan Breakfast Utility

and its design brother. Do go back as see the jam jar lids in the catalog page. My sample may be a marriage. You can never be sure with Rodney Kent.

 Cruets

and cruets and preserves

And no breakfast would be complete without a cream and sugar set.

#479

Finally we have to serve drinks.

 I wanted to show you the two pitchers in the collection together. #481 is the smaller pitcher, possibly for breakfast. #453 is more if the ice tea size. It seems every company made glasses. The ones in the photo  are unmarked and I really don't know if they belong to Rodney Kent.

Note the ice blockers. #453 has a very fine bar with tulips stamped on it, while #481 uses the wider gros grain ribbon motif of the handle.

 My final comment on this blog is on the regularly asked question... so how much is this worth? The answer is... it depends on where you live. On the east coast, where this product was produced many markets are flooded and the price is low. In the midwest, it is sometimes a bit higher. If you want to figure out how much your piece is worth, look on eBay. A rare piece, or one that was stored in a garage or basement for 60 years may sell for as high as $60 or $70, especially if the original box with the number is with it.  I have several pieces in my collection with the original box and its the only way that I know the identification number. For a common piece that has been used all its life, it might be as little as $6. Many people do not know what they have. I have found things in Butter dish searches or hammered aluminum that never appear in Rodney Kent searches. Whatever you want to sell, show lots of pictures and the Rodney Kent mark. Put the number, if known, in the listing heading. Then hope you catch the eye of the collector, like me, who will pay a premium for a piece they don't have. 

Food Warmers and Chafing Sets

Krischer Giftwear made several different food warmers in the years they were in business. The first one that I found was  a tall, 8"wide   with the flower and ribbon  supports. It had a 1 1/2 quart glass bowl and was not stamped, The lid had a pie edge ruffle. It was a real prize

 

The real prize came later when I found the same piece complete in the box with the tag. Rodney Kent #475 Foodwarmer complete with lable and glass liner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there is the chafing dish set. I have seen these sets and their pieces being auctioned on ebay all the time. But this is the full set. It comes with a stand with for gel fuel and a snuffer to put the flame out. there is a holder with an indentation that sits in the ring, this holder has no handles and the frying pan sits easily inside the holder. I believe that the holder was meant to hold steaming water. The lid has a pie edge. This set also came with  bowl and an additional lid.

 

 

notice how flat the ring is that holds the bowl and frying pan

 

 

The frying pan(omlet pan?) fits nicely into the holder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

notice the rubber feet on the underside of the stand,

 

 

 

 

A recent surprise was this food warmer below.  Rodney Kent # 495. This is a much smaller glass liner and stand. I'm sure that this originally came with a candle much like #475, but I don't own it.

 

 

 

 

 

compare the size of the #495 on the right with the 475 on the left.

 

 

This is the sticker inside the original bowl, which never made it through shipment. It is from Federal Glass Co. and their mixing bowls are easily found on EBay. This one takes the 7" size. They come 5"-8"

Another food warmer with a divided Pyrex bowl. This too took gel fuel and had a snuffer. This was a new type of lid, one that fit inside the bowl and the bowl had no handles

 

 

This is the matching casserole server.

 

Finally, the #475 holder with a pyrex liner especially made for Russakov Department store

 

 So much for food warmers......... I'm sure I haven't covered all of them. After all I only discovered #495 this past summer.
 My feeling is if Continental  Silverlook Co. offered a type of bowl, so must have Rodney Kent.  I expect one day to see a coffee pot, A reader, Donna Whitely, sent me photographs of a Serving platter with a tree well. Recently I saw one from Continental.Below are Donna's photos

 

No doubt they are Rodney Kent. You never know what I'll come across next to share with you.
 Next time we'll do kitchen utility sets.