Authentic Foundry Original Paint Finish – Base of Sphinx is Brass rubbed iron. This is a prized genuine antique and I feel to be in Very Good appreciating collector’s investment grade used condition. Item or variation can be found in Cast Iron Collector’s Guides. I have never seen the paint done so well on the figure of this piece – it is rare that it is even painted at all. The Boston Terrier Button you will notice in one of the pictures is a magnet – which is a simple test to assure you that it is indeed cast iron. There is no structure damage that I noticed during inspection but please use the zoom tool to be double sure I have not overlooked anything important or unimportant in my observations. Completely stable, meaning, no parts are missing or have ever been glued back on and there is no evidence of cracks, breaks, replacement, or repair to my eye. There is an imprint where the mold extraction tool left its mark on the back bottom. Finish is appropriate as well as texture for a makers typical materials; Paint or Patina is guaranteed to be 1st original finish unless otherwise noted. Creation date is from the cast iron/metals heyday era lasting from 1880’s into the early 1940’s (some Wright/Wilton pieces date into 1950’s). The Weight is shown in photos. To assess size, a soda can is 5 tall. Note: Doorstops were made as doorstops, but heavy cast iron bookends were made as both during this era’s industrial age. Today many antique cast iron bookends are used as doorstops for their weight, aesthetic, and functionality. Caring for your antique cast iron figurals: I find the best was to bring out your item’s best color, preserve it’s original paint, and to protect it from too dry or too humid an environment is to clean it with original pledge. Other than dry feather dusting, I use the original pledge about 2x a year. Your item will arrive as clean as possible without doing deep detailed cleaning or museum preservation work – I will leave that to you. How can something so’durable’ be so’rare’? Many Victorian and turn of the century cast iron and metal figural items are rare or completely lost because of wartime efforts that took place for nearly half of the last century. During the Great War, World War II and beyond, there were constant neighborhood drives to collect all non-essential cast iron and metal goods. These items were then melted down for their materials to help with the manufacturing for our wars necessities and armament. Other special finds are those items which would have been for children, which typically would have been used vigorously then thrown away once out-grown. To Collector’s these figural sculptures are basically time capsules of a bygone era, wearing their beautiful battered paint proudly. They also have intense historical value as authentic artistic creations of the United States of America’s industrial age pioneer heroes. So, that’s why if you find one of these special collectibles, you should consider it a prize, and if you are a serious collector, you probably consider it priceless. Susie, The Dutchess of Arkansas & Her Business: Since I find these little treasures everywhere I can not verify the origin of many pieces. All of my items will come to you in fresh, clean and safe packaging. I always leave feedback once I have received yours, this way I know your product made it into your waiting happy hands. I also have a brick and mortar location of The Dutchess of Arkansas inside The Rose Antique Mall should you ever visit the NWArkansas area. Someone get me my tiara! The item “RARE Painted Egyptian Revival Sphinx Antique Art Deco Cast Iron Doorstop Littco” is in sale since Tuesday, March 18, 2014. This item is in the category “Antiques\Decorative Arts\Metalware”. The seller is “susiessensations” and is located in Bella Vista, Arkansas. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Russian federation, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, Ukraine, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica.
- Age: 1900-1930
- Country/Region of Origin: USA
- Primary Material: Cast Iron
- Type: Bookend / Doorstop
- Maker: Littco
- Weight: approx 2.5 lbs
- Color: Multi-Color
- Original/Reproduction: Original
- Style: Americana