Anyone know what these are?

Traceycater
by Traceycater
I was given these items and asked to see if I could find out anything about them. I have tried to search them and now am depending on my hometalk people! Thanks
I was told this went over grease on a stove back in the day?
Is this a grease cover from a long time ago?
This "leaf" dish I have no idea what it was used for. It has "made in occupied in Japan" on the other side.
Hard to see, but this is the opposite side of the leaf dish.
These are made out of a strange material. ?
No markings on this, but it is small. Old? There are 2 of different colors.
Second colored one, these aren't even big enough to use as a spit cup?
This is a hard plastic yet not a newer one. It works on a 12hr time unlike ones that work a week or so.
This is a water, ink painting and the picture does not do justice. I wish I could find who does this kind of work. Any guesses?
  35 answers
  • 0ce2257839 0ce2257839 on Sep 06, 2015
    I believe the two top plates are flue covers....where the pipe for a freestanding wood stove went through the wall...when the pipe was removed, these plates covered the empty hole to keep drafts out.
    • See 2 previous
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Ellen DeVilbiss Thank-you for the info!
  • Rita Leaf Rita Leaf on Sep 06, 2015
    The leaf dish that has "occupied Japan" is very rare and highly valued by collectors.There are books and sites online that are great resources for information and value of these items.
  • Candace Ferraro Candace Ferraro on Sep 07, 2015
    Yep. Oceansioban is right.
  • Dawn Dawn on Sep 07, 2015
    The leaf dish may be a tea bag holder.
  • Anke Anke on Sep 07, 2015
    The leaf is filled with Soja sauce and you dip your yummy sushi in it.
  • Nancy Gramm Nancy Gramm on Sep 07, 2015
    I believe the two bird glasses/vases are majolica. The glaze looks a lot like some pieces I have. First photo shows a vase I've been told is from the early 20th century. Second is pre-WW2 Japanese majolica, which I think yours might be. Majolica has kinda gone out of favor but I love its bright, bright colors.
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Nancy Gramm Thank-you! I believe we may have the same type of ceramic ware in the majolica!
  • Jen Jen on Sep 07, 2015
    Those bird cups could also be toothpic cups
  • Purl68 Purl68 on Sep 07, 2015
    The leaf is for tea bag, made about 1945-49 when we had troops still in Japan after WWII. The round piece fit over the hole the stove vent .... wood burner ... went outside ... used it in the summer when didn't use heat to keep the summer heat from coming in
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Purl68 Am getting a lot of the same suggestions from all of you!! Thank-you I am so glad for all the help!
  • Kathy Kathy on Sep 07, 2015
    I believe the leaf is a trinket dish. It is neither valuable, nor rare. You can find them online priced between $4.00 -$9.00
  • Kay Kay on Sep 07, 2015
    The plates may be flue covers. Used to cover the hole in the wall where the stove pipe went through the wall. Some of these are highly collectible. A local antique shop/dealer could answer this question for you.
  • Chris J Chris J on Sep 07, 2015
    Google images got me this...it looks like your pic.Here is a link http://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Venice-Underwater/357E7B3166B004EA
    • See 3 previous
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 08, 2015
      @Chris J I sure will! I'll let everyone know what any of these are if I can get to the bottom of it! May take awhile, I live in a VERY small town called Batesville in Arkansas and just moved here after 22+yrs in Florida, so I may have to travel a bit to find honest dealers/buyers! I will keep everyone posted! Thanks again EVERYONE!!!
  • Jackie Gfeller Jackie Gfeller on Sep 07, 2015
    The 'grease cover' looks like a chimney cover to me. Back in the old days when we heated with wood...(not so long ago for me)...you would take the wood heating stove out about May and cover the chimney hole. Then about late September you would bring it back in for the winter. The piece you have looks similar to the ones we used to cover the chimney hole.
  • Deborah Brown Deborah Brown on Sep 07, 2015
    The plates are simply decorative wall art. My mother had a few of these back in the 1950s. Brass plates were popular back in the 1940s and 1950s, and the small foil print inserts were very common. I actually have a few of those plates packed away somewhere. Look on the back of the brass plate and see if there is a piece of the back that sticks out in a small U shape. That's where you can hang it on a nail. I know what Jackie is talking about I have seen a couple of the flue plates. They always reminded me of tin pie plates. The small leaf dish is probably part of a tea service. You could put lemon wedges, tea diffusers or tea bags on them.
  • Barbara Watkins Bowen Barbara Watkins Bowen on Sep 07, 2015
    The coo-coo clock was probably made in the 60's or 70's. I used to have one I got while on a trip there around 1970.
  • Jim L Jim L on Sep 07, 2015
    The small leaf dish was used as an ashtray.
  • Mary Ker Mary Ker on Sep 07, 2015
    You might want to take them by an antique shop and see what they can tell you.
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Mary Ker That is what it is looking like! I thank everyone who has helped!
  • Christina Dorrego Christina Dorrego on Sep 07, 2015
    I believe made in occupied Japan increases the value. Maybe it is a salt dish?
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Christina Dorrego I sure do want to find out what it was used for! All these guesses! I just want to let everyone else know about it! Thanks!
  • Christina Dorrego Christina Dorrego on Sep 07, 2015
    NeVet mind. Jim is right. I found this, although the link didn't take me anywhere helpful, I took screenshot..
  • Shelby Richer Shelby Richer on Sep 07, 2015
    They are stove pipe covers. They blocked holes where stove pipes were removed
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Shelby Richer I was told that as well. Did they make them plastic or metal of some sort? I think they are really neat if that's what they were used for!! Thank-you for your interest in those!
  • Shirley L Bearce Shirley L Bearce on Sep 07, 2015
    Two little cups could be 'majolica" something similar,OLD
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Shirley L Bearce Thank-you for letting me know about the cups, I have no idea what the are made of or what they were used for.!
  • Swan Road Designs Swan Road Designs on Sep 07, 2015
    First, the two decorative plates are just that, decorative plates. They are NOT flue covers because the curvature is opposite to the way flue covers are made. The ceramic cups could be shot glasses or, as someone else already suggested, toothpick holders. The two little children figurines "look" like Hummel figures, but could also be knock-offs. There are plenty of those. There are clues that an expert in Hummel's can see and be able to tell you more. If they are the real deal, they could have some value. The "Occupied Japan" dish was made between 1945 (after the close of WWIi) and April of 1952 and probably just a whatnot or some such little decorative piece. Don't feel it's an ashtray because there are no indentations or support spaces to hold a cigarette. If it is an ashtray, it wasn't used as such because there is no telltale staining on the surface. I can't offer any information on the clock or the picture but I'm reasonably certain of what the other items are.
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Swan Road Designs Thank-you for your information! The two little children figurines are a hard plastic, not ceramic, I don't know what the plastic was called. I wondered if the two cups were toothpick holders?! Thanks again!
  • Linda T Linda T on Sep 07, 2015
    The figurines, if not china or pottery, might be chalk.
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Linda T Thank-you! They are a kind of plastic/resin that I have no idea what it is made of. I'm going to find out some how! lol Thanks again!
  • Anita Erskine Anita Erskine on Sep 07, 2015
    Made in occupied Japan items are very collectible. For more info check this site:http://gotheborg.com/qa/oj.shtml
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
      @Anita Erskine Thank-you! That site will take me some time, but will use it for sure!
  • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 07, 2015
    So far I think I have found out that the leaf dish was used for butter pats. Not sure what it's worth yet. The little boy and girl is made of something called satelene? If anyone knows what that is I could use the help! Thank-you to all of you!
  • Patricia Clark Patricia Clark on Sep 08, 2015
    The first two items are somewhat vintage decorative plates. The leaf may have been used for butter pats or possibly to hold used tea bags. The little "cups" may be toothpick holders. The Made in Occupied Japan items are from after the Second World War and are indeed collectible but do not fetch as good a price as they used to. Hope this info is helpful.
  • Anke Anke on Sep 08, 2015
    Well I think even in times like that there have been people who enjoyed live. And the produktion of goods was necessary for the economy. So maybe that little treasure of yours is a sign for people thriving for normality...
  • Jenny Clingerman Burgess Jenny Clingerman Burgess on Sep 08, 2015
    The gold plates look like something I had back in the early 70;s taht came from Home interior. They hang on the wall
    • Traceycater Traceycater on Sep 08, 2015
      @Jenny Clingerman Burgess I remember Home Interior ! Is that showing our age? lol
  • Jane R. Jane R. on Sep 08, 2015
    I have a set of six of the cups with the birds on them. Mine is the one with the blue wings and tail, but the main color is green, not beige. They have Japan on the bottom, but the ink is fading so bad you can barely make it out now. These were given to my Mother about 70 years ago by my uncle. He got them when he was in the service, overseas. As far as I know they are for hot tea. Mine are 3 3/8 inches tall and the top opening has a diameter of 2 3/8 inches. I have no idea what they might be worth.
  • Anke Anke on Sep 08, 2015
    Butter in japanese cuisine ?
  • Sharon Sharon on Sep 09, 2015
    The first 2 plates are what covered the hole in the chimney when the potbelly wood stove and pipe was removed for the season.
    • See 2 previous
    • Sharon Sharon on Sep 09, 2015
      We had them too. oh the good ol' days that weren't that long ago. ; )
  • Lis296352 Lis296352 on Sep 10, 2015
    The small white leaf dish may be for either soy sauce (for sushi) or to rest chopsticks on.
  • Doreen Dwviniczuk Doreen Dwviniczuk on Sep 10, 2015
    Looks like you are cleaning out the China cabinet. The little dish may be worth a little bit of money because it says Occupied Japan. The Japanese did not like to remember that time and tried to buy a lot of pieces that have that printed. They then destroyed the pieces. A little bit of history.
  • Maggie Huffman Maggie Huffman on Sep 21, 2015
    i found this.....Occupied Japan" (OJ) is a term used for the time period from 1945 (after World War II) through April 25, 1952; it was during this time that the Allies "occupied" Japan. You will also see items marked "Occupied Germany" - both of which are generally an insult to these countries. I do not have any specifics on the German occupation. As Japan needed to rebuild their economy after the war, part of the agreement to allow them to export goods out of their country was that they had to mark 50% of all items with "Occupied Japan" or "Made in Occupied Japan." This could be done with a paper label, cloth label (as on scarves, doilies, clothing), engraved, handwritten or stamped. Thus, you may come across things, such as a salt and pepper set, where only one of the pair is marked OJ and the other will just have "Japan" on it. They exported every thing you can imagine, but during the last 2 years, 90% of the items were kitchenware, which is why we have a proliferation of china, dishes, vases, etc. Many of the figurines were cheaply made, and looked it. But the Japanese had a wonderful talent for mimicry - you will find pieces that you would swear are Dresden and when you turn them upside down, you will find "Made in Occupied Japan!" The collectibility of OJ is that it covered a specific 6-7 year period in our history. There are many fakes out their now, especially those that portray black persons, so you need to be careful. One test for porcelain: the mark was always put UNDER the glaze. If you have a suspicious piece, try nail polish remover. If the markings come off - it was a fake. Bisque pieces are most highly prized and much harder to identify for authenticity. Warning: Do NOT ever wrap any bisque item in newspaper or colored wrapping. The bisque will absorb the print and is near impossible to remove. It will ruin the piece. I hope I've helped you a little and didn't give you more than you wanted. I've been collecting OJ for 30+ years and get a little passionate about the subject. You can go to e-Bay or Yahoo and run a search on Occupied Japan and see many items up for sale, to give you some idea of where the pricing is going. Most of the serious collectors I know are disgusted with the outrageous prices being asked for the lower valued items out there. I hope this helps. Have a great day, Ms. Sam Armijo mailto:foxisam@peoplepc.com
  • Maggie Huffman Maggie Huffman on Sep 21, 2015
    the top ones are antique stove pipe flue covers, i believe. i've always thought they were charming....quite a few on ebay!
  • Bonnie Bonnie on Sep 22, 2015
    the two small glass shaped items are toothpick holders