Garden urns from J. W. Fiske

[elfotographo]

Hi,

I've just finish to restore two garden urns made at the end of the 19th century by J. W. Fiske & Company. I would like to know the exact age of these garden urns and their value.

Thanks

Al,   

[wendy177]

Beautiful pieces  do they have the Fiske Foundry Mark Impressed into the bases? J. W. Fiske & Company was one of the most prolific & famous Cast Iron Foundries in the United States in the 19th Century located in New York. If  J. W. Fiske  I would date your pieces approx. 1880 and  J. W. Fiske & Company pieces can be worth thousands , Sorry  but in my opinion by painting them gold you have only signifigantly diminished the value. but lets see what the others think. found one similar to yours

http://vandm.com/Pair-of-19th-Century-Cast-Iron-Gryphon-Handled-Garden-Urns-By-J-w-Fiske-and-Company-Ny-Ny/3_239_60=558_product=10019.aspx

[elfotographo]

Hi,

I didn't found any foundry mark into the base, but as you can see, the base is identical to the urns on the link you have suggest to me.  In fact, except the two Gryphon my urns are quite identical to the urns on the link:
 
http://vandm.com/Pair-of-19th-Century-Cast-Iron-Gryphon-Handled-Garden-Urns-By-J-w-Fiske-and-Company-Ny-Ny/3_239_60=558_product=10019.aspx

About the painting, the urns was covered by at least 15 coats of paint and the details where almost invisible.  This is why I decide to restore them.
 
Thank you very much for your precious help.

Al,

[mart]

Problem is you didn`t restore them,, you just spray painted them !!  The age is what any collector looks for,, not modern looking pieces !!  If you sell them you will most likely lose money because of this !!

[elfotographo]

Ok I see !  Well as you can see I am not an experiment collector.  It is not always easy to do the right thing with antique.  On one hand you want to keep it as originally possible but on the other hand you want the piece to look nice. Dilemma !

Thank you for your comment !

Al,

 

[mart]

We don`t expect everyone to be experts !! But we do want you to get the best possible price should you sell them !! And the old look is what collectors want !!  That tells them if an item is truly old and worth the money they will spend if they buy it !! By making it look new, they cannot see that !!  Its to your advantage to do as little as possible to an antique piece and preserve its patina !!