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Eagle Weathervane

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Author	Topic: Eagle Weathervane
venus Posts: 282 Registered: Jul 2005	posted 06-25-2006 09:14 AM Would anyone care to see the pre 1900 weathervane that just flew my way? It is copper (I think) so believe it meets the guidelines? Let me know and if it is a yes, I will post the pictures and tell the tale. IP: Logged
hello Posts: 200 Registered: Jun 2005	posted 06-25-2006 10:33 AM Of course! I think weather vanes are one of the more interesting antiques to display! IP: Logged
venus Posts: 282 Registered: Jul 2005	posted 06-25-2006 02:53 PM Once upon a time, well about 36 years ago, some young people set out for a day of swimming and riding the woods. I was along for the adventure. Turning off a main highway we wandered down a dirt road, canopied by huge oaks. There was a "pig trail" (a southern expression) leading off of the dirt road. So seeing no posted signs we took it. Back into the woods we went.... All at once we entered a clearing. Nestled under big big tree was a mansion, right out of "Gone with the Wind" . Perched atop it was an eagle weather vane. The house was in disrepair and appeared vacant, but we knew it belonged to someone, and reluctantly left. Fast forward to 2006. Had a chance encounter with a collector friend. They told me of Gone With the Wind type being renovated in the same area as our find. Had to be the same one. They also said one of the workmen had been given a weather vane, when the owner wanted it off the roof. Long story short, my friend got the weather vane which they passed on to me. Called a Historical Society friend. "Yes" she had been in the house years ago. It had been in the town of Marion. Marion last showed up on Florida maps in 1947. All this to say I am sure this is a really old pre 1900 weather vane, or close to it. The wing span is about 23", the arrow is about 21" and the eagle length is right at 16". It is full bodied and I think it is copper. I think a possible maker is JW Fiske, as he made an eagle with an arrow. But no luck with a picture as yet. I am also trying to find the owners name before the present owner of the house. So far all I have is Doc. IP: Logged
outwest Posts: 390 Registered: Nov 2005	posted 06-25-2006 07:06 PM That is so neat! I wish I had one of those. It looks very well made, too. IP: Logged
venus Posts: 282 Registered: Jul 2005	posted 06-25-2006 07:34 PM It is outwest....Wish you were close enough to hold it. If I had you to hold it I coulda taken a better picture too I am so tempted to put it on my office building. It is in the historic district and was built in 1900. Probably won't tho. IP: Logged
swarter Moderator Posts: 2920 Registered: May 2003	posted 06-25-2006 07:48 PM Search on Google Images for Eagle Weathervane and you will find it. [This message has been edited by swarter (edited 06-25-2006).] IP: Logged
venus Posts: 282 Registered: Jul 2005	posted 06-25-2006 08:45 PM Those look like modern reproductions to me. Don't think they started making reproductions as long ago as this weather vane is old. But thanks for the information. If I run across a reproduction I will use that page for reference. This is a rather small community and I know that that house is still standing. The friend who let me have it, didn't know I knew anything about that house. In fact it was 36 years from sighting to someone even mentioning that house to me. I had asked numerous people over the years if they had ever heard of it. The friend who let me have it told me, (after the purchase) that he was dying and just wanted to get his affairs in order. Nowhere in this chain of ownership can I find any deceit. In fact the base remains up on the roof. It had been built into the roof and they left it. Guess I can go down there and see if my eagle fits the base. IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 06-25-2006 11:52 PM The term needed here is 'traditional' as in 'contiuously produced'. Like from the 18th century to today. This looks like a form that has been made for centuries. And I feel 'reproduction' only applies to things where there was a long period when it wasn't produced. During the Roman Empire, Egyptians made reproductions of ancient pieces to sell to Roman tourists. IP: Logged
obnock Posts: 27 Registered: Mar 2005	posted 06-29-2006 03:32 AM Venus call me stupid but would this vane work? I thought the purpose of such things was to indicate wind direction, with the plane of the arrow so small and the eagle of-set, I cant see how it can show the wind direction. Have these things become just decorative? IP: Logged
venus Posts: 282 Registered: Jul 2005	posted 06-29-2006 08:42 AM Have no idea.... All I do know is where it came from. The house is Civil War era, give or take a few years. It cost xx.xx so there is no room for profit to make and sell. It still has some pecan blooms, caught under neath, spider web between the tongue and the top of the beak. Moving with the wind has to do with weight distribution. It was made in somewhere around 16 molds. That is all I know. I was absolutely delighted to find something associated, with a experience that after 36 years is still etched in my mind. If I can find or take pictures of this house I will post them. It is one of the hidden treasures of this county, with I imagine less than 100 people being aware that it exists. I will continue to learn more about weather vanes. In fact have ordered a book on them. IP: Logged
Kimo Posts: 1627 Registered: Mar 2003	posted 06-29-2006 08:49 AM It should be pretty simple to determine the age of the house through the local land records or at least get pretty close just by the architectural style which would place a limit on the maximum possible age. Then to get a minimum possible age you would use the date at which the house was last occupied. I'm not sure it would be possible to nail it down much more than that unless there were maker's markings on the vane. It is hard to tell from the photo but from what I can see I would not think it is a really old one and more likely was a decorative "homage to the past" installed by the homeowner or housebuilder. I don't think it is a forgery (something made to deceive) since it was actually being used to decorate the top of the house. From the photos it appears that the arrow is fused to the shaft. Does it look like it was made this way or does it look like it has a substantial and robust swivel joint with a lot of wear from actual swinging in the wind day after day for a 100 years or more? At the very least it is a nice looking decorative object that you saved from the rubbish pile and hopefully you can use it on your own house now. [This message has been edited by Kimo (edited 06-29-2006).] IP: Logged
venus Posts: 282 Registered: Jul 2005	posted 06-29-2006 04:53 PM See post below please [This message has been edited by venus (edited 06-29-2006).] IP: Logged
venus Posts: 282 Registered: Jul 2005	posted 06-29-2006 04:57 PM quote: Originally posted by venus: Being miles away and looking only at pictures I suppose it is hard to appreciate what I am looking at. Having it hands on makes a lot of difference. Dealers in town have seen it and all think it is old. Nothing gets by my hubby, he is probably the smartest person I know. He also looks at things with a very critical eye. If I didn't have the real deal he would have told me. He was with me that day 36 years ago and he knows what we saw and what we have. The courthouse in this county burned. There will be no public record of that house. In order to trace anything on it I have to know exactly where it is. I only know the general area. It is in the country somewhere, back in the woods. I am going to contact someone at the local museum, find out if they took pictures of that house or know anything about it. There was a calendar made of old houses in the county, perhaps it was on it. You have to understand it was not easy to find the first time, it is NOT common knowledge. The arrow tip is made out of iron, don't think it is zinc. The weather vane is very, very old. Did it work well? I have no idea. But if you go to the encyclopedia of Collectibles Time Life Books (common to most libraries,) look at the ram on page 74 -75 . (The book that includes weather vanes.) You will see the color and texture of this weather vane. IP: Logged
wev Moderator Posts: 4121 Registered: Apr 99	posted 06-29-2006 06:32 PM Venus -- We have let this thread develop because we were not sure where it was headed and, since it was in the New Members’ Forum, we felt there should be some latitude. We had hoped that by now it would have taken a turn toward our core subject, silver, but it has not. This is not to say that we discourage posts dealing with other metals; we simply wish then to bear in some way -- trade techniques, partnerships and associations, stylistic developments, etc -- upon the main subject at hand. That said, I must admit that weather vanes are of personnel interest to me and I have enjoyed seeing your piece. But I can’t pursue all that is of interest to me without its taking a toll on the other things which I must focus on. This thread, as interesting as it is to me (and others), is not helping to further the central focus of this forum. Now that it is about to branch out into old houses (another interest of mine) it is about to provide even more of a distraction. I and many of the moderators feel this is where this thread, in its present flow, needs to end. I am sure there are other forums on line where this topic would prove more apt and where you stand a better chance of furthering your knowledge of the subject. And who knows but you may bring it home again, so to speak, having discovered something that is relevant to the SSF. The odds are in your favor; there were silversmiths who worked as and with coppersmiths and/or blacksmiths. Please understand that this is in no way intended as a rebuke; we value your participation and the enthusiasm you have brought to the Salon. SM:WEV IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 01-09-2014 03:52 PM Today this thread was re-opened and moved to this forum (Flatware/Holloware - non silver Forum). IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 08-19-2018 06:27 PM IP: Logged

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