Posted 6 years ago
MissVintag…
(2 items)
This door stop was left behind in the home we just moved into. It appears to be a Hubley reproduction, but still a vintage piece. Smooth cast iron (other than some roughness at seem) and air brushed paint with hand painted face. It also has some file markings on bottom of feet and body.
Very heavy - weighs almost 9 pounds, 10" long x 10" tall x 4" wide. I read that some reproductions used the Hubley cast. If so, wondering what year this was intended to look like and its actual age. Very interested in the history of this piece!
Hi MissVintage, The originals were produced in the late 1920's and 1930's. Also, you won't typically see the screw heads exposed on the originals. The screw heads were most always spackled over before painting took place. The one you have is most definitely a reproduction, and a nice reproduction at that, but it's hard to say when it was made. Reproductions have been around since the 1970's. I have a couple of "Left Facing" reproductions myself. But, I also have some originals from the early 1900's. Hope this helps.
Scott
I would agree with jscott363, he summed it up quite well. I believe Hubley sold their molds without their name branding around 1948. If you look up an original Hubley you can find the measurements and weight. No reproduction will be the same. Even after the molds were sold the Hubley name was ground off so weight will be different.
Beautiful Boston terrier doorstop, a nice little housewarming gift! Enjoy, thank you for a lovely post for those of us who are animal lovers
- Jenni
fhrjr is absolutely correct. You'll notice that the originals are noticeably thinner than the reproductions and the rib cages were also much more defined.Here's a link to two of my "Right Facing" Boston Bull Terriers. You can see the differences here.
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/196232-vintage-boston-bull-terrier-doorstops
Thank you so much everyone! Really helpful. @jscotto363- I looked at your pics, and it does look like my cast. (Can't tell from pics I uploaded but the ribs are quite defined with same number of lines in same places.) I agree it's a well done reproduction- probably from the 70's.
Thank you fhrjr2 - I read that Hubleys were no longer made after the 40's so that date makes sense as far as when the mold was sold. It sounds like this dog was probably made to looks like a Hubley from the 30's.
This article was helpful as far as Hubley weight:
http://dogco.com/hubley-cast-iron-dogs/
Thank you Jenni! We are enjoying him.
MissVintage18 I had seen the article before and it points out a very important thing when examining an item that is helpful for telling if it is original. Notice the article says the rough edges were filed off. That includes bottoms of the feet etc. Reproductions are not hand filed they are rotary ground with modern power equipment. It is a small point that most people read but don't think to apply it when examining a piece because they are unaware of the process used in making reproductions.
Thanks fhrjr2 - how does one tell the difference between rotary ground vs filing? Wondering if some of the Hubley casts used by other companies also hand filed the bottom... mine does appear to be the exact same mold as the original Hubley and looks like the bottom was filed. But it has Phillips screws. Fascinating to learn about this history!
Miss Vintage18 Hubley did not use Phillips screws on these. Next you will want to know if the screw might be a replacement for an original. Yes that might be possible but doubtful. If you want to be sure what you have there is only one way to find out. Remove the screws and open it. Inside there should be a rectangle with the Hubley name and a three digit number. Mine is # 304 and is the seated version facing right, I have parted with the others. Hubley didn't use product numbers or forge numbers they called them Item numbers for record keeping. I stopped collecting Hubley about 20 years ago but from the pictures alone I see a reproduction and not from a Hubley mold. If this is from a Hubley mold, inside there would still be the raised rectangle area but the Hubley name will be ground off and the item number may or may not be there. The name was ground off when the molds were sold but the raised rectangle remained on all molds and some item numbers also got left.
Perfect! Thanks fhrjr2. I did open it - no rectangle to be found. Definitely a well done reproduction made to look like a Hubley cast-- but not from a Hubley it appears.