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Value Of Old Teapot Isn't Steep

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By JAY MOORE, Tribune correspondent

Published: October 27, 2007

I inherited my teapot with warmer from my grandmother, and I am guessing that it is about 75 years old.

It appears to be made of copper and other metals. The teapot is marked on the bottom 'S Sternau & Co., NY,' along with a monogram inside a circle.

What can you tell me about it?

R.J.

Tampa

S. Sternau & Co. was located in Brooklyn, N.Y., and operated between approximately 1890 and 1930. It made a huge variety of brass, copper and nickel- and silver-plated products, including bathroom fixtures.

Sternau is best known for its canned fuel (used as a source of heat in a warmer frame or small stove). Invented about 1900, it was made of ethanol, methanol, water and a gelling agent and marketed as Sterno.

Although Sternau is long gone, its canned fuel product Sterno lives on. The trademark is owned by Candle Corp. of America. Sterno is still used to warm chafing dishes and to cook on camp stoves.

Your S. Sternau teapot and warming frame would retail for about $65.

I would like to know more about my table that turns into a bed. What is it called, when was it made, and what is it worth?

W.L.

Glen Allen, Va.

The table that morphs into a bed is patent furniture manufactured during the first quarter of the 20th century. Concealed beds were made in the form of wardrobes, chests of drawers, desks, sofas and tables.

Early furniture catalogs refer to them as automatic beds, combination beds or folding beds. They were popular for use in small houses and big-city apartments where space was a valuable commodity.

Early folding beds are not practical today because of the lack of support. If you offered a night's stay at your home, I would bring an air mattress. For this reason, prices are low. It would retail for $110.

Have a question about antiques? E-mail a complete description with a clear digital image (.jpg file) to athome@tampatrib.com. Include a name, address and daytime phone number. Regular mail can be sent with clear photographs (plain-paper prints or Polaroid

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