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closeSunday, Sep. 06, 2009
Some states required badge in past to drive commercial vehicles
By Terry Maurer, What's it Worth
At What's It Worth we hope everyone is enjoying their end of summer three-day weekend.
To note the Labor Day holiday, today we answer an Oregon reader's question about her family's work-related collectible -- a chauffeur's badge.
And we explore the question "When is handpainted porcelain just 'sorta' hand-painted?"
Q. My father's uncle lived in Portland and we always have been told he once worked as a taxi cab driver. Evidence of his employment is this State of Oregon chauffeur's badge from 1927. There is lettering on the back reading "Irwin-Hodson Co. Portland." Are these collected and do they have any value? -- Audrey in Milton-Freewater
A. Chauffeur's badges, historically issued by many but not all states, allowed a working man or woman to drive a commercial vehicle for hire.
If you wanted to be a limousine, taxicab or bus driver, qualifying for the badge was a requirement. Functionally, they were much the same as a regular passenger car driver's license, with various states, cities and counties having different requirements for the enhanced driving credential.
Oregon issued badges like this one starting in 1909 and ending in the 1950s. Idaho's first chauffeur's badge was in 1913. Washington never issued badges, but there were, and are, special licensing requirements.
Badges from all states are collectibles today, but even with a national collectors' organization interest is not very strong.
Most collectors go after examples from states with large populations like New York, California and Illinois. Ranking high also are badges from the years of World War II, when it was hard for makers to get metal (most badges are nickel or copper). By the end of the war, badges had been modified from metal to celluloid or plastic -- much like political campaign buttons. The late years of issue from any state are of little interest.
Also sought after are related city-issued chauffeur's badges. We've seen them from such places as Pendleton, where they were for "Line Drivers" and found some dated as recently as 1966 from Spokane, where the city had a "Motor Operator" badge for taxi drivers.
The company that made your 1927 badge still is in business today -- a specialty printer and badge maker whose 100-year-old firm is located in southeast Portland.
Value, even in this very good condition, is $20 to $30.
Q. My mother, who passed away at 91, loved this plate so much she had it framed. It is beautiful but has a slight crack at about 5 o'clock.
It is hand signed, but we cannot determine what it says and internet searches have been unfruitful. I'm sure though that it is from the 1800s, if not older. -- David in West Richland
A. Yours is a very attractive example of a porcelain plate, the kind that's been collected for more than 100 years. Plates with pretty girls, children, animals and landscape scenes have been among the most popular. This plate dates to about 1890.
Businesses liked these plates, too. A merchant could add the name of their store or product to the plate and give them out as premiums to customers. That, in the days before radio, TV and the internet, was a common advertising practice.
Whatever is written on the back is impossible to read, but we suspect it may say "Hand Painted." In this case, that certainly means "somewhat" hand painted.
The image of the young woman is a transfer (think decal), a decorating technique developed in England about 1750.
A copper plate was engraved with the image, then a print was made on paper. While the ink was wet, the paper was pressed onto the plate's surface, "transferring" an image of the design.
Most color on transferware pieces comes from the glaze -- blue being the most commonly seen. Any "hand painting" was done before a second round of glazing and kiln firing. The back of the woman's hat here is a solid pink color, and that was likely the extent of any hand painting -- such extra work was costly and plates like these were mass produced as inexpensively as possible.
This plate has more value in the family than it does in the marketplace. With the crack, and glaze crazing that can be seen on close examination, the value is mostly in the nice framing work. At a retail shop or antiques mall, a fair price would be $30.
* Terry Maurer, a Tri-Cities personal property appraiser and antique dealer, is a member of the Certified Appraisers Guild of America. You may submit your antiques and collectible questions to What's It Worth by e-mail to whatsitworth@clearwire.net
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