An antique set of bookends of a clown minstrel or Pierrot on a donkey. Listed in Kuritzky and De Costa's Collector's Encyclopedia of Bookends (2006) on p. 262 (plate 1810), dated to about 1932, with a rarity value of 5 (Rare), and valued by the authors at $175. The authors say the bookends have the maker's shop mark (the overlapping letters K and O), but if this mark is anywhere on this set, I cannot find it. I think it is far more likely that the workers neglected to add the mark than that this set is a reproduction, which would have been laborious to produce and paint. The bookends and colors used on this set appear identical to the set in the book. Sometimes K & O workers slightly varied their use of colors, say from one book to another.

MATERIAL: Gray metal or spelter. A magnet does not stick.

CONDITION: The bookends are in nice condition. One bookend has a small rough spot at the top of the clown's left hand where he is gripping the neck of the guitar. Some of the white paint is age-darkened, as is common, and there are a few tiny paint chips, notably in white areas. I'm not sure if K & O finished the bottoms of their bookends with tin plates over the openings, as Jennings Brothers did, but I think the bottoms of this set do not have such tin plate covers. The felts on the bottoms are probably replacements.

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT: Each bookend is approximately 6.25" tall, 5.5" wide, and 2.75" deep at the base. The bookends as a set weigh 4 pounds, 15.5 ounces.

The photographs are part of the description. Please examine them carefully, using the magnifier.

SHIPPING: The bookends will be shipped bubble-wrapped in a USPS Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box, the cost of which is $24.75.  Buyer will pay for shipping. Please note that eBay collects state sales tax. I will accept returns only if I have described the bookends significantly incorrectly, but not otherwise, because of the shipping cost I would incur with a return. I do not ship to addresses outside the United States. Please see my seller feedback.