Posted 8 months ago
vintagelamp
(1184 items)
Found these two figurines recently. I believed that they were jockeys, but after doing some research, I discovered that they were advertised as hitch-post bookends in 1948. Apparently, they were extremely popular as horse-racing gifts after WWII. The information I found states that these figurines are made of lead. The Meyers Company in Lexington, Kentucky sold these as bookends as well as lamps.
The article also mentioned an African American, Isaac Murphy, as the first rider to win three Kentucky Derbies. A pair of these bookends cost $37.50 circa 1948. I will attach a link concerning the history.
https://www.lawnjock.com/images/kitsch1ss.jpg
I absolutely love these!! I came so close to acquiring a set of these, but the seller just wouldn’t give in on the extremely high price he was asking.
jscott,
I found them in a junk store. They were priced separately. I suspected they were bookends. I had them call the dealer and he took $100.00 off for the pair. I think that I got two for under the price of one. I was very fortunate. I knew that you would love these.
You evidently landed an incredible deal on these. Sellers are asking well over $1000 for a pair of these. Anything jockey related is highly sought after by collectors.
jscott,
I paid about 1/4 of that. I can't find these colors online.
So wonderful, and a keen eye !~
PhilDMorris,
Appreciated comment from the keenest eye! Thank you!