Dear Tsadik,
I enjoy reading your column in The Jewish Press. I have a green glass kiddush cup from my grandmother a”h. Would you take a look at it to see what it’s worth?
Chaya Milworn
Monsey, New York
Dear Chaya,
Thank you for your compliment, I appreciate it. Your kiddush goblet, made of green colored glass which was painted with a Star of David on one side and Moses holding the Ten Commandments on the other side, was made in Italy for the tourist and export market, and is known as “Murano glass.” Judaic glass pieces decorated like yours have been made in very large quantities since the 1950s, and the same designs have been used repeatedly since then up until the present day. While there is no monetary difference between a kiddush goblet made in 1955 or one made in 2025, there can be a price differential if there is loss or wear to any of the painted decoration.
In perfect, as-new condition, your kiddush goblet sells for about $100 today on the secondary market, as you have one of the most common-colored goblets, it being green. Other colors such as red and blue have similar values, but lesser-seen colors such as lavender and pink have a higher value to discriminating collectors. Unfortunately, you do have some wear to the gold Star of David decoration, which decreases the value of your goblet by about 25%.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
I found this while cleaning out my great-aunt’s apartment. It could be 100 years old… I don’t know anything more about it. Just wondering if you can tell me whether it might have antiquity value or I should instead put in shaimos.
Ardra Belitz
Riverdale, New York
Dear Ardra,
What you have is a silver-plated, metal-covered Haggadah made in Israel during the 1950s or 1960s. There should be a date of publication in Hebrew or English printed somewhere in the first few pages. The Haggadah is filled with illustrations by the artist Arthur Szyk (1894-1951), who has somewhat of a cult following in the Jewish illustrated book world. Your Haggadah and others similar to it that were printed in Israel after Szyk passed away were issued in tremendous quantities for the tourist and export market.
In perfect condition, where there are no torn or creased pages and no pen inscriptions anywhere (including the owner’s name), your Haggadah typically sells for between $75 and $125 today on the secondary market. Even if it has some wear to pages, I would advise not putting it in shaimos, as there are people who would be eager to take it off your hands because of the beautiful illustrations by Szyk.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
Got it from my father.
Aram Elovic,
Newton, MA
Dear Aram,
Shakespeare said “Brevity is the soul of wit” – it appears you are of like mind. Regarding your item: It is a Passover plate for eating off (it is not a Seder tray), and is a well-known, if not iconic, piece of English Judaica. It was made by Ridgway, which was a ceramics factory in Staffordshire, England. Your plate was available for sale by each of two London retailers, Bardiger and Tepper. Bardiger and Tepper were Ukrainian Jews who immigrated to London and set up shops well-known for, among other things, beautiful Passover china. Your plate is always found stamped with makers’ marks on the reverse that state the names Ridgway, Bardiger, or Tepper. In nice condition with no cracks or rim chips, your plate sells for between $50 and $100 today on the secondary market.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
I am sending you a few pictures of this spice tower.
Eli Schlossberg
Baltimore, MD
Dear Eli,
Your spice tower is made of finely spun silver filigree wire, made in the workshop of the Israeli based artist Zadok. I have seen spice towers identical to yours listed as having a date of manufacture around the year 1990. Some have hallmarks located underneath the spice compartment of “Zadok 925” (925 is sterling silver), while others lack a hallmark entirely.
Regardless of whether your example has a hallmark or not, your spice tower is instantly recognizable as a Zadok piece, due to the very tightly spun filigree, which only someone with many years of experience could achieve, so it is not possible that it is any kind of copy or imitation; the work involved is too difficult for a forger to put his time and effort in. As to value, I searched auction records for other Zadok spice towers identical to yours that appeared, and located three that were sold in the last five years. Remarkably, all sold for the exact same price: $1,000. That is what your spice tower is worth, providing it has no damage.
Best,
Tsadik
Dear Tsadik,
I recently acquired this spice box at auction. Can you tell me anything about it? Thanks.
Dr. Douglas Reich
Dresher, PA
Dear Douglas,
What you purchased at auction is a typical style of silver spice tower that can be found for sale today at any good Judaica gift shop. Based on the design and hallmarks, your example was made sometime in the last 25 years, either in New York or Israel. While I am not familiar with current prices of silver spice towers in Judaica gift shops, on the secondary market, your spice tower sells for about $200.
Best,
Tsadik
