Old copper pots with feet

[jim]

Hello, I was hoping someone could give me some insight on what I should do with these. I have 5 copper pots that I purchased all at the same time. They all appear to be different styles and different ages. Pictures of the two most interesting ones are posted.

Sorry if these are not "pots" but I really don't have a clue what their real names / purposes are.

Below are four pictures of the large one, and three pictures of the small one. The small one has the words "Made Exclusively for Ethan Allen" and "Made in Israel" on the bottom. The larger one has the words "Craftsman Hand-Made in England" on the bottom.

[fancypants]

I'd say (without knowing the size of the item) the purpose intended for the larger item would be for (any combo/singular of the following) scooping/holding = coal , ash &/or coal clinkers , jim ....aka a 'coal scuttle' .

The smaller 3-legged do-dad looks like a designer/decorative type , originals of which would commonly be used for heating/cooking over live fire in a fireplace (I don't think yours would stand up to that kinda hevi-duty use , though) .

[mart]

Me thinks like Fancypants !!  Coal hod/scuttle !!  As far as I know Ethan Allen only sold decorative items !!  I have never heard of cooking items being added to their furniture line !!  They did have all sorts of small imported items that could be used as accent pieces !!  These copper items always sell well on ebay !! I would list them individually not as a group !!

[jim]

Thank you for the posts. I will try listing them on eBay, however how should I list them? Should I get them appraised first to find out exactly what I have? Or are you guys pretty sure they're both just decorative pieces that aren't that old, and I shouldn't try to sell them as "antiques"?

I don't want to list it as something that it's not and then get a hit with negative feedback..

[mart]

How big is the larger one ??  Are you sure they are copper and not brass ??  What i do if I am not sure about an item is just to say " I don`t know or I am not sure about the age " !! In your title you can list it as "Antique ? with a question mark that would indicate that you are not sure !! The legs on the smaller one would indicate that it was decorative rather than a cooking pot because it would not sit on a cooking surface so would not heat well !! As for the others, post them here with any markings and we will try to determine how old they are !! Both of these do not indicate any great age other than maybe 1900`s !!

[hosman321]

I believe these were most popular in the 1950s-1960s. I have a brass coal bucket myself and I was told by the antiques store that it was that age. Those marks definitely don't look older than 1940s or so, at least to me.

[mart]

I agree with you Hosman !! I would not have them appraised because the value would be eaten up by appraisal fees !! You would do better to list them and be honest,, that you do not know the age exactly,,and let the buyer decide !!  I have never had a problem with telling the truth on ebay !!  I do have return customers because of it !!