Featured Antique Fan

Calling @Any Jewelry ! And Everyone Else!

OK, here are some photos of the fan in question, along with a little information. The note on the back was written on December 25, 1940 to a relative. The first sentence says "This fan is 57 years old," which means that it would have been made in 1883. The note goes on to say that it was given to another relative when she was a girl in Sunday school class, and came from the Kansas City firm of J. Bullene, Moore, Emery and Company, which later became the locally famous Emery, Bird Thayer Department Store, which had a building downtown and is now sadly out of business. The note goes on to say that "probably this is the only one of these fans in existence." I don't know how they came to that conclusion.

So......Despite the cherry blossoms, not from Japan? What's your learned opinion??

 

It is gorgeous, but no, not Japanese. The style is European, and so is the construction. Japanese fans have very recognizable, slightly curved guard sticks (the outside sticks), and they don't have those European style loops.
So it is a beautiful European fan, could even be American. The US also had (immigrant) fan makers, who worked in a European style.
Since it is hand painted, it would be one of a kind. Others like it would be slightly different.
And ca 1883 is right.

 

Thank you for your considerate and well-informed opinion, AJ. About 10 years ago an appraiser looked at it and gave us a value of something like $45.00. I know antiques are in the dumper as far as value goes, but was he in the right neighborhood?

 

I would say at least $145.00, in the right place it could be more.

 

Nice! My gut feeling at the time was that something so old and in such perfect condition should be worth more than that. Now that I've heard from a REAL expert, all is right with the world.