Posted 11 years ago
blunderbuss2
(199 items)
Our house keeper hated this thing. She was part black, Irish & Amer. Indian. Cast iron & weighs in at about 4 lbs/2 k's. Remember in the family going back to the 50's (no Scot & PW, not the 1850's). Was pleasantly surprised to find it at my sister's while visiting in July. Does anybody have any info on the history/manufacture of these? I see no marks. Here again I see no cat. with CW to include it in & think they need to spend some time coming up with practical cats..
Try googling cast iron Aunt Jemima, most of what you'll see are painted tho'.
Actually T/C, I have been searching my memory & it seems that this one was painted. Seems I remember red & white on it as a kid. Thanks for your interest & lead.
Very cool, sorry I don't have any info, but really like it.
Thought it looked like the Aunt Jemima image but wasn't sure. Will research tomorrow when they were made as I'm crashing now. T/C put me on the right track & have more of an interest. The perfect connection that CW helps us make!
These were also called mammy. They came in at least three sizes and the ones that were change banks were really popular back in the 1950's. My mother still has hers with the change in it from back then. Back then they had a big fat black woman dressed as Aunt Jemima that cooked pancakes every Friday night at the A&P Tea store and gave them to customers to promote Aunt Jemima mix and syrup. The banks and other perks were there for sale. They are pretty common and you will find lots of them online. There was also a butler and a baby as I remember.
One other comment. As you research this have it beside you and pay attention to detail. There were differences in the scarf position of her hands etc. When I looked up my mother's for her I found an online guide that pointed out the detail that would both date it and identify who made it.
Thanks fhrjr2. Found quite a few on ebay once i was pointed in the right direction.
Pitty the house keeper didn't like it but I love it.
There are pictures here of a large 12", 8 lb version
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1920s-largest-hubley-cast-iron-mammy-door-stop
???????????
Excellent point walksoftly. Hubley did make them as a door stop and an original is worth $300 - $500. I use to love collecting Hubley door stops. I believe all their mammies were marked but it might be worth checking. I have unmarked Hubley stops and the way to identify them is dimensions and weight. They were hand filed as opposed to being rotary ground, that is a dead give away for a fake. Although I believe all their stops were two piece. There should have been one screw in mammies back. Either way it is black Americana and people collect it. Not a fortune but not something everyone has.
If you look closely there is a line visible in the fourth photo where the two halves come together. Also down the outside of her arm in photo 2, they are very tight, good quality I think.
If you shine a light up inside and look at the front side of her there should be a place where a screw could be turned in to hold the two halves together. I think I still have a Hubley database on my other computer. Might be fun to look it up just to be sure. At 4 pounds this could very well have been a door stop. I still have two or three Hubley stops that are around 5 pounds.
I am almost positive that it is 1 solid casting but have asked my sister to ck it as it is in KY & I'm in St. Maarten. I appreciate all the appreciations one this.
OK, if this was a Hubley it would be marked on the inside lower front C. Hubley. However it may still have considerable value, just not as much. Hubley sold all of his molds around 1940 and the items were still produced by a guy named John Wright. There would be no marking except perhaps a rectangle. If it is from a Hubley mold it would be the smaller of the two mammy doorstops he made.
Never expected this much interest in an old cast iron door-stop. I've asked my sister to look for the markings etc.. I didn't even think to measure the height which I guess at 9-10".
I had to see some of your items, Blunderbuss...this one is fantastic. I haven't read all comments, but not all Jemima's were more red than black...she looks either original paint, or repainted so long ago that it is acceptable. You'll never discover her true maker if unmarked because so many used molds of similar nature (in my view)...but a def fine item!
For note: I have a 1915 magazine that advertises Aunt Jemima Pancake and Flours. On the bottom it has an ad for the Family of 4 Aunt Jemima Dolls. I love old advertising too, and it can help to learn more. I offer this info only because the one commenter gives accurate info on the Butler and dif sizes of these issues. The trick to finding the most accurate info on this item has been pointed out above...exact dimensions, is the seam spot welded or screwed together, any foundry marks or makers marks are an unknown of course...I would def call her a door stop...but major makers like Hubley is nearly always marked. I did not know that Hubley molds had been sold and some recasts made...good info
Abounding - I to love old advertising because it can be a wealth of information. The biggest problem with Hubley is to see the actual mold number on many items you need to take the screw out and open them as the mold number is inside. That is where the dimension and weight are important. Repros are always way off. When the molds were sold the Hubley brand was removed and where it use to be there will be a blank rectangle.
I'm kind of confused. This was obviously cast as is with no screw that I saw. Where is this screw supposed to be? Welding? I don't believe they could weld cast iron in those days.
The screw head in one image that I saw was just below were her apron is tied.
Walks, I'm certainly not new to antiques & certainly would think I would have noticed a screw going from the back to the front but I've been wrong (once). In other words, I can't swear to anything since it is in KY & I'm in SXM. If two halves put together, I would have thought I would have noticed over the years & when I photographed it. My pic shows that far in the base I think. You have my curiosity up now & will ask my sister if she will ck it out for us.
FHR, I read above where there would only be the rectangle from old Hubley molds. It's interesting information to know. The weight of repops are always wrong, but discovering weights are somewhat easy with the net and sites like EBay.
Blunderbuss...I think I read above where it was seamed, so it would either have to be screwed together somehow, or spot welded somewhere, and walksoftly indicates where it is most likely to be found. Did you discover anymore?
A/O, I've forwarded all this to my sister as you see & it is in her hands now. I really want to know now! I do know that it has been in our family ever since I can remember, which would go back to the early/mid 50's. We grab on now as in a few yrs, I might not remember my name. Of course by then I can always ck my passporte. Oh crap, where is that thing?! Senility has it's advantages, - I just can't remember what they are.
LOL...yeah, I get a little of that myself naturally....it can be fun though - I blame my missing keys on the Fairy Folk...that way I don't also seem crazy ;-)
I love it!
Fairy Folk? Interesting, I always blame my wife. Maybe I will give her a break and call in the fairy folk.
I really think this is a repro and probably not from a Hubley mold. That doesn't mean it is not old......it just makes it a pain in the butt to research. These are still being made today so identifying an unmarked one is nearly impossible unless you have an example from the foundry that made it to compare it to.
fhr, me not know Mon. I do know my mother picked it up before 1960 & loved it. Our housekeeper hated it!
The bottom fell out of cast about ten years ago and it still isn't good. There are so many reproductions on the market people are shy about cast unless it is marked.
Is that screw supposed to be a long one that goes from back to front? If so, I would surely have noticed it.
Yes, it would go from back to front and hold the two pieces together. It would have been around her waist or lower back area and would have been a flat head as opposed to a phillips head screw. Yours should have been where her apron ties behind her back, right in the middle of the knot. I don't see a screw there.
Fhr, there just wasn't a screw or I would have certainly noticed it. It is in KY & I'm in SXM, but I assure you that it is a solid hollow casting. There must be such a thing because that's what it is. I looked it over & it's a solid piece. So what does that tell us? It's in great unrusted shape. It is a solid cast. There were never any solid cast pieces?
U think it had pain on it once a pond a time ...?? make you can cruise through these for a match or find some useful info.....
https://www.google.com/search?q=cast+iron+aunt+jemima+door+stop&rlz=1C1HLDY_enUS829US829&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjf6andmIHgAhXknuAKHdT8B3MQsAR6BAgEEAE&biw=1536&bih=755#imgrc=LQ5ZdrgI5yUqVM:
Maybe ...lol
They look the same to me.