At a recent New York auction, an original Pairpoint Puffy Rose Bouquet lamp sold for $15,000. Reproductions of the Rose Bouquet plus three other styles are now being imported from China. The other styles include hummingbird, butterfly and floral shades. Originals of these lamps bring from a starting average of $3,500 for florals to $4,500$7,500 for butterflies and hummingbirds. The Chinese reproductions wholesale for an average of $150 each. Available since 1998, new Puffy shades are frequently confused with old and commonly paired up with genuinely old bases. This article will compare the differences in construction between the new reproductions and authentic originals.

additional material by ACRN

The original Cambridge Glass Company of Cambridge, Ohio made a number of electric lamps based on flower frog figures. One of these original lamps used a figure called Draped Lady.

An American reproduction wholesaler has recently introduced an extensive line of carved bone that resembles 19th century carved ivory folk art.

Walk through any outdoor market or surf the large auction sites and youre almost sure to see handcuffs, leg irons and other restraints. Such pieces are often represented as slave shackles or are attributed to the American civil war, American frontier, or are purportedly marked with the names of well known prisons.

Heres a new Teddy Roosevelt 11-inch campaign ribbon.

Paper mache nodders are currently being made by the German firm of Marolin. The examples shown here are made in molds first introduced in the late-1890s. New pieces, like the Victorian originals, are painted by hand. These examples were $33 for the pair. New pieces are not marked.

tests for age, authenticity

Here is a bright colorful Mickey Mouse tin-back pinball toy, about 10-inches tall. The image of Mickey is from the 1930s, with the so-called "pie-eyes," black eyes with pie-shaped wedges of white. Pie-eyes used to be a good indicator of age but that's no longer true. Early pie-eyed images Disney characters have been appearing on many reproductions since the 1980s.

The original Atomic Robot Man is thought to be one of the first tin robots made in postwar Japan. It is a wind up piece that walks with a strange side-to-side Frankenstein-like waddle. Originals are sometimes, but not always, marked Made in Occupied Japan. Originals are only 5 tall.