VOLUME 9

A Time for Some Review
By
Woody Baston

The picture featured on this front page is usually saved for the introduction of a new design. After all it is important to let everyone know what is new, isn’t this why most of you subscribe – to be kept up to date on that which is new in the world of Sebastian Miniatures? So why is the place of honor filled with a picture of a piece that was designed in 1947 and in addition to that the piece is mounted on a display background that was not produced at 13 Bassett Street in Marblehead? The answer is simple; the piece is a well done unique use of one of Mr. Baston’s designs. You will say that customer modifications to a Sebastian miniature have always been regarded as irrelevant to the value of the piece, and you would be correct. However, we are not saying the piece is more valuable, what we are saying is the piece is worthy of note. This unique piece was found by a new Sebastian collector Bob Whitney. The piece was part of a collection some of his relatives had. When the relatives passed away the collection came to Bob. He became interested in Sebastians and bought the hardcover Johnson book to learn more about the line and discovered he had something different with the piece pictured above.

This piece and the obvious interest it has generated, especially with the author of this article, leads to an opportunity to reiterate the policy regarding modifications to Sebastians and the effect it could have on the value of the piece. It has been the opinion of all the folks who, over the years, have been in charge of establishing values for the line that non factory/studio modifications would not be taken into consideration when setting the value for a piece. This policy goes back to the heady days of the early 1980’s. This was a time shortly after the publication of Dr. Johnson’s hard cover book that was supposed to be a complete listing of all the pieces created by Mr. Baston. We say supposed to be because as soon as the book was published, collectors were finding or had in their collection pieces that were not in the book. Many of these pieces were legitimate Sebastian Miniatures. However, there were others that were modifications of one of Mr. Baston’s designs. It soon became obvious that a policy needed to be adapted to handle these modified pieces. It was decided, and we still endorse the decision, that a modified piece, even though well done as is the case of the piece pictured here, would be valued by the world of Sebastian appraisers at the value of the Sebastian piece and no more. Therefore, the item about which we are discussing would be appraised at the value of the Trout Fisherman. Can you imagine the confusion that would have erupted had it been decided to add value to the piece because it was a one-of-a-kind item and therefore had an increased value? As it was there were rumors circulating through the world of Sebastians that some of the more valuable pieces were being reproduced by unscrupulous folks and making their way into auctions and the aftermarket in general.

We feel the valuation decision was correct in the 80’s and it is correct today. One may legitimately ask: What is the value of the Trout Fisherman we are discussing here? This is indeed an interesting question. We feel the work that someone put into creating the background for the Trout Fisherman was well done. Furthermore, we feel the background adds value to the piece but we feel it is not the place for someone involved with the creation, manufacture, or distribution of Sebastian to come up with a price. This is a case where the market will have to determine its worth.

While we are discussing things to do with Sebastians that are out in the marketplace it would be a good time to remind all of you how to care for your collection. We have written on this subject before, but it is a good idea to publish a reminder from time to time. First of all, never display your collection in a place where they are exposed to direct sunlight. The ultra violet light from the sun will fade and discolor the pieces.

What about a piece that has been on display for a number of years and is a bit dull or a piece for which you have been searching for decades and you find it in a yard sale but it is dirty and grease covered because the previous owner displayed it in the kitchen next to the stove. Is there any way to return it to its original finish. The answer is probably not. First of all the finishes that were use to complete the production process of Sebastians over the years have evolved and the earlier materials had a tendency to yellow. In the very early days the Sebastians, most likely the Arlington pieces, were finished with a coat of shellac. For centuries shellac has been used as a finish for furniture. Folks who are in the business of restoring furniture like shellac because it gives the furniture a patina that makes the piece look old and with time the finish will darken enhancing its look. The fact that shellac darkens over time might be desirable on furniture, but it did not seem a desirable characteristic for Sebastian Miniatures. After using shellac for a few years, Mr. Baston changed to a different finish. This new finish was called Dulux. Dulux was a material that could be applied with a spray gun as opposed to dipping it in a large container as was the case with shellac. Dulux was a better finish and was used for a number of years, actually for decades. It is interesting to note that shellac did not entirely leave the finishing process. Because hydrocal, which is the material from which Sebastians were made for many years, is porous, the surface needed to be sealed before the Dulux could be applied. Shellac did a great job sealing the pieces in preparation for spraying and was used on almost all of the pieces. The only pieces that were not dipped in shellac were the pieces that were to be finished with the translucent green bases. These pieces were dipped in a lacquer. The lacquer gave a better finish onto which the translucent green paint could be applied. It is interesting to note that the finish for the green bases was oil paint mixed into Dulux.

Having said that it is impossible to return an old Sebastian to its original condition, it is possible to clean it up a lot. As we start to clean our older Sebastian we need to remember that it was cast in hydrocal. Hydrocal is in the plaster family of materials and has a porous surface. Therefore, one does not want to submerge his or her Sebastian in water. The piece will absorb the water and there is the possibility that the water could wick up to the places where the piece is painted and lift the paint off the piece by working behind the paint to break its bond with the hydrocal. The preferred way to clean your Sebastian is to have a small container of a mild soapy solution and to dip a q-tip into the soapy solution and with the soapy q-tip to gently scrub a portion of the piece. Repeat this process until the piece is clean. Recently we have been using a product like Simple Green instead of Ivory Soap to clean the older pieces.

In the late 70’s or early 80’s Dulux was taken off the market. As was the case with a lot of the products we had used for a long tome Dulux had lead as a component in its formulation and it was no longer available. A number of other clear finishes were tried and eventually a clear acrylic material was used. The more recent Sebastians, starting in the late 80’s, were cast in a different material. This material was at first called bonded porcelain and eventually resin cast. This material is much harder than the hydrocal and the pieces could probable be submerged in a soapy solution, but we still feel that it would be better to clean the pieces using the soapy solution and the q-tip described above.

How Does One Ship Sebastians

Here is an area we have not discussed before but one that is growing in importance and that is the wrapping and shipping of Sebastians. More and more we hear of collectors or the sons and daughters of collectors improperly wrapping Sebastians for shipment. We have heard storied of large numbers of Sebastians being shipped to a buyer and the pieces were so poorly wrapped that most of the pieces arrived damaged. We even heard of the large clown Woody sculpted in the mid 90’s being so poorly packaged that it arrived in four pieces and was not able to be repaired. This is a unique example as the clown was canst in bonded porcelain and this material is much stronger than hydrocal. When a collector packs a number of Sebastians to have them signed or appraised at a Festival, Fair or now the Convention it is fine to wrap each piece in a paper towel and place them in a box. This packing is adequate because the collector will be hand carrying the pieces to the location and back. The box carrying the Sebastians will be traveling in their car and will vibrate little. When one ships a number of pieces over a greater distance it is a whole different story. First of all the package will be traveling in a truck not the family car. As a matter of fact the pieces might be traveling in a number of trucks. Each time the package containing your Sebastians changes vehicles it is not handled with the same care you would use when handling your package. The boxes are tossed onto conveyer belts from the large wheel around containers in which they were originally placed. The local truck takes the package to the transfer station where the package again needs to navigate more conveyer belts and roller tracks until they reach the long haul truck. Then the package travels whatever distance necessary to arrive in the general area of the final destination. From the long haul truck the package once again needs to navigate a maze of conveyer belts in another transfer station to the truck that brings the package to the town where its recipient lives. From there the package is unloaded and placed in the delivery truck that takes it to its final destination. What do you think the chances are that your package was not dropped or did not fall off one of the conveyer belts or roller tracks or not dropped by one of the handlers? At the least you can be sure your package was not handled with the same loving care you would have used each time it was picked up or placed in a new location. Furthermore, the trucks in which your package traveled on its journey did not have the same smooth suspension as your family vehicle. Therefore the vibration and the possibility of being dropped can wreak havoc on the Sebastians you packed, sometimes even when they were adequately packed.

How do you properly pack a group of Sebastians or one Sebastian for shipment? The rule of thumb is that there should be one inch of packing material surrounding the item you are trying to protect. The best way to achieve the desired protection is to place each piece in its own small box and then to float that box along with others in a larger container with more packing material around the smaller boxes. This is where the packing peanuts that get all over one’s floor are so good. There is a reason lots of shippers use the peanuts, they work. Prior to packing the smaller boxes into the shipping container each piece must be adequately protected in its own container, this is where a roll of paper towels could do the trick. The piece needs to have adequate protection all the way around it. When you gently shake the box the piece should not move in the box. However, you must be careful not to over pack the box. By putting too much packing in the box the vibration will be passed on to the piece and not absorbed by the packaging. Believe it or not, air is one of the best insulators. That is why tissue paper is used to pack your Sebastians in the factory. The tissue paper traps air and acts as an insulator. Speaking of air, bubble pack is a good packing material, but you can only use the smallest bubble pack if you are packing a piece in a small individual box. There is something about bubble pack you should know, some types of Bubble pack are abrasive and can damage the finish of the piece. Therefore it would be wise to wrap the piece in saran or some other type of plastic wrap before using the bubble wrap.

What if you do not have any small boxes? The last time you cleaned out the attic you threw out all the Sebastian boxes you had been saving from the 50’s, this is where you need to be especially careful. There is a tendency to over pack a box. If you are shipping a lot of small Sebastians your job will be a lot easier. Again bubble pack would do a good job but you must put enough of it around each piece. It is also important to tape the bubble pack so that it will not unwind from the piece in shipping. A rubber band could be used instead of tape. The pieces need to be placed in the shipping container with additional packing material on the top and the bottom of the box. Separating one layer of pieces from the next by cutting a piece of cardboard to fit the box is also a good idea. When you close the box you should feel a little pressure. This pressure means you have enough packing inside the box. As with a lot of things if some is good it does not mean that a lot is better. You should not have to lean on the box to close it.

There are a number of Sebastians that are heavy. These pieces should never be put into a box with smaller pieces even if you put them on the bottom of the box. There is no guarantee the box will travel right side up. Therefore, the heavy pieces could end up on the top. Getting back to heavy pieces mixed with smaller pieces, the problem with this is the heavy pieces tend to travel through the box because of vibration. As a heavy piece vibrates through the box it can damage the smaller pieces with which it comes in contact. The larger pieces should be placed in a different container. Here is one of the common mistakes collectors make. They get one large box and plan to put their whole collection in it. This course of action is one that inevitability leads to disaster. You need to think in terms of using two, three, or more shipping boxes. The pieces in each shipping box need to be grouped by size and the larger the pieces is the more packaging you need to put around it. Should a piece have a delicate element such as Hannah Duston’s arm and hand holding the ax, the arm and hand holding the ax needs to be treated specially. We have found that using saran wrap and wrapping the arm, hand, and ax in the saran as you would a piñata is an acceptable way to approach this packaging nightmare. Another possibility is to use a cardboard sleeve or “splint” to support the fragile element.

So when packaging your collection for shipment, surround each piece with at least one inch of packaging, use individual boxes whenever possible, and place similar sized pieces in more than one shipping container. Finally adequately insure the package or packages.

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Every three years there is a new Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Two thousand eight was the first year for a new Grand Master. Each new Grand Master brings his unique qualities and attributes as well as new ideas to his term of office. Therefore, it is gratifying when the new Grand Master decides to continue to include Sebastian Miniatures in his plans. The primary use for the annual Sebastian piece is to use it as a gift for guests attending an annually held meeting in December. However, the new piece is often used throughout the year as gifts from the Grand Master. The new Grand Master started his term of office during the grand Lodge’s 275^th anniversary celebration. The Grand Lodge has a long history and the Grand Master decided to draw on that history for the inspiration for the 2008 piece. The following is an excerpt from the Program of Events that was held to celebrate the 275^th anniversary. This passage will give you some history of the Lodge and explain why the Bunch of Grapes is an important symbol. The excerpt is as follows:

“Much has been written about the early years of Freemasonry in American colonies. We present here only a brief summary of the formation of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.

In the early 1700’s, British Masons who had settled in the American colonies gathered occasionally for informal meetings. One of these Masons was Henry Price. While on a return trip to London, Price was granted a commission from the Grand Master, R. W. Anthony Lord Viscount Montague, on April 13, 1733, to constitute lodges in New England and was given the title of ‘Provincial Grand Master of New England and Dominions and territories thereunto belonging.’ That authority was later extended to all of North America.

Returning to Boston, Price organized a Provincial Grand Lodge and also constituted First Lodge on July 30. The lodge was composed of Masons who had been meeting at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern. During the years that followed, additional lodges were charted in Boston as well as in Salem, Marblehead, Newburyport and Nantucket. Price was responsible for chartering lodges in other colonies and Canada.

The year 1733 is an important date for the constitution of the Grand Lodges, for it places Massachusetts as the third oldest Grand Lodge in the world. England, of course, claims the date of 1717, and the Grand Lodge of Ireland was constituted in 1725. The Grand Lodge of Scotland came into existence in 1736.

The first Lodge (which became known by its colloquial name “St. John’s Lodge” after its merger with the Second Lodge in 1783) followed the pattern of the London lodges by generally admitting upper-class gentlemen. Others were not readily accepted. So the tradesmen in England created their own lodges and eventually formed their own grand Lodges in 1752. The members of the newer Grand Lodges became concerned that the original Grand Lodge was no longer adhering to the ancient customs and labeled the older group as “Moderns.” On the other hand, the newer group considered themselves the true “Ancients” and received support from the Grand Lodges of Ireland and Scotland.

The group of tradesmen from Boston applied for a charter from the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The charter for the St. Andrew’s Lodge (later to be known as the Lodge of St. Andrew) was granted on November 30, 1756, although the charter never reached Boston until 1760, the year that Paul Revere was made a Mason. The Lodge met at the Green Dragon Tavern. Rivalry developed between the St. John’s Grand Lodge and the new Lodge of St. Andrew. The latter won acceptance from three military lodges stationed in Boston and then requested the Grand Master of Scotland to appoint a Provincial Grand Master. The request was granted on May 30, 1769 and Joseph Warren was named ‘Grand master of masons in Boston, New England and within One Hundred Miles of the same.’

When Joseph Warren was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775, the Provincial Grand Lodge did not attempt to contact Scotland to name a successor, so the members took it upon themselves to allow Deputy Grand Master Joseph Webb to assume the position of Grand Master.”

To those of you who have been long time Sebastian collectors there were some names in the previous quote that should have stood out. The names were; Henry Price, Marblehead, and Joseph Warren. Notable Sebastian Miniatures have been made to commemorate the two individuals and the one location.

One can imagine the conversations held at the Bunch of Grapes Tavern in the waning days of American colonialism. It was at gathering places such as the Bunch of Grapes Tavern where the actions were set in motion that lead to our independence. One of the books with which Margery and I have become enamored is a book by Pulitzer Prize winning author David Hackett Fisher. In the book Mr. Fisher debunks the folk lore that Paul Revere single-handedly alerted the countryside that the Red Coats were coming. Mr. Fisher was meticulous in his research into how colonial Boston functioned. It was also interesting to learn how Paul Revere was able to travel in many different levels of Boston society. It was this unique ability of Paul Revere that allowed him to play such a unique and important part in the events of the Revolution and especially the events on the 18^th and 19^th of April 1775. But I stray from the subject of this article.

All of this is to point out the importance of gathering places such as the Bunch of Grapes Tavern. When I was preparing to write this article I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the Bunch of Grapes Tavern. So I went to the omniscient source of information, the internet, and Googled it. I found additional information on the nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit web-site. Here is what I found:

“To reach the site of the Bunch of Grapes Tavern, built in 1712, exit the center doors of Faneuil Hall. Turn right on merchants Row. At its end is State Street. Look right to the southwest corner of Kilby and State Streets. You will see an older building with three historic plaques on it. On this spot Ohio was born. (Perhaps a brief explanation as to the reference to Ohio is appropriate at this point. The web-site dealt with Ohio and its early history to include early Masonic history).

On July 30, 1733, eighteen men organized the first Masonic Lodge in North America in the Bunch of Grapes. In 1750, Captain Francis Goelet described the Bunch of Grapes as the ‘best punch house in Boston.’ The Bunch of Grapes Tavern, at the corner of King (now State) and Kilby Streets was, just before the Revolution, the meeting place for those wealthy merchants sympathetic to the patriot cause.”

When possible I like to include the history surrounding a piece. I guess one could say that I come by this interest legitimately. Now for some explanation of the piece, when I was first told of the subject for the 2008 piece I traveled to the Grand Lodge in Boston and photographed a replica of the Bunch of Grapes that is displayed in one of the Lodge’s meeting rooms. When I returned to Wayland I took pencil and a pad of paper and started drawing various ways the piece could be portrayed. I was focusing on a free standing piece mounted on a base. I even considered a totally free standing piece but this concept presented problems as to how or where the required lettering could be added to the piece.

After a few days of sketching, new ideas came to me, the creative process often unfolds over a period of time, I arranged to meet with the new Grand Master. Upon showing the Grand Master my sketches he thought of another possibility. Since the Bunch of Grapes was the motif that hung outside the tavern, why not show it in its original environment. The question then was to determine the best way to portray this image. We discussed showing the façade of the tavern with a small Bunch of Grapes over the door. Next we discussed showing just the doorway in a manner similar to the SML 280 Colonial Fund Doorway or the SML 294 the Salem Savings Bank plaque. With both of these options, the Bunch of Grapes would be larger than on the first concept but still not the dominate element of the design. The composition on which we finally decided was to focus on the Bunch of Grapes and to add a feel of the side of the tavern and the bracket on which the Bunch of Grapes hung.

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