Antique Brass is a passion for many, and Zeke had mentioned in a comment that he'd like to see more mention of antique brass items on this site and I just happen to have the occasion to do so. I recently ran across this letter rack/holder in an antique shop and it was the perfect holder to organize the piles of mail and magazines in my kitchen. It is the tallest that I have seen and can easily accommodate full-size magazines, let alone my letters.
To be honest, I don't know if this is antique or not. I am leaning towards not due to the exceptionally clean joints (no old dirt in the crevices). Either someone unscrewed the component pieces and shined it expertly or this is relatively new. It is not quite as glossy as the flash photography leads you to believe, but it is "clean". I'll do some research to find out the true age.
Regardless, I have a utilitarian letter/magazine holder for my kitchen that looks like it belongs in the home. $40 was the cost of this one though it does not have a "B&H" stamp on the bottom as some Bradley & Hubbard items do.
Good reference material for antique brass items includes "A Brass Menagerie". You can locate a copy via Amazon
here.
Exhibit catalog which examines the sources of Japanese design in furniture, clocks and decorative arts. A Brass Menagerie" celebrates the fanciful productions in brass and bronze. It also pays homage to those late Nineteenth Century manufacturers that produced the fanciful creations. The objects on view are grouped according to maker (where that information is known) except for door hardware, where objects are on view together
I also have one copy of the October 2005 issue of Magazine Antiques with the "
American Art Brass" article available.
Find speaking brass on eBay →
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