Baby toys rattled evil spirits

What better gift for a new baby than a baby rattle? Babies have played with rattles since ancient times. At first the toys were meant for adults, who rattled them to keep evil spirits away from children. By the Middle Ages, the rattle, often attached to a handle made of coral to chew when teething, was a popular toy among aristocrats.

In the United States, hollow clay figures shaped like birds or dogs were made with small balls inside that would rattle. These, too were often meant for adults to shake. Clay is too easily broken and unsafe for a baby. By the 1800s, the famous silversmith Paul Revere and others were making silver rattles that also could be chewed. In the early 20th century, Tiffany’s, the famous New York company, made sterling-silver rattles as baby gifts.

Silver baby gifts like feeding spoons and special dishes are still being made. Collectors like all types of baby-related items.

Q: Can you tell me who made my porcelain vase? It’s 17 inches tall and decorated with hand-painted gold flowers. The mark is a red crown over a shield enclosing the initials RH. Another red mark reads: “Made in Austria.”

A: Your vase was made between 1900 and World War I at the Robert Hanke Porcelain Factory of Ladowitz, Austria. Today the city is called Ledvice and is in the Czech Republic. Robert Henke’s company was in business from 1882 to 1945. It made all kinds of decorative porcelain and giftware.

Q: I have a coffee grinder with the label “Aroma No. 9, Made in Cleveland, Ohio, by The Bronson-Walton Co.” Can you tell me more?

A: The Bronson and Walton Co. operated in Cleveland from 1901 until 1916. The company made metal kitchen goods, including baking pans, roasters, pails and buckets, as well as coffee grinders. The Aroma No. 9 mill had a steel canister. The label was lithographed dark green on white or red on black.

Bronson-Walton coffee grinders sell for more than $100.

Ralph and Terry Kovel’s column is syndicated by King Features. Write to: Kovels, (Las Vegas Review-Journal and Sun), King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.