posted 08-07-2003 11:33 AM            

Sometime around 1910, Unger Brothers began making objects in a far more restrained style than their Art Nouveau pieces. Clearly a different designer was at work. Your luggage tag is an example of that. This later Unger silver shows a change from extremely ornate stamped Art Nouveau women, beasts, flowers, animals, etc. to more chaste scrolls and geometric designs.

A lot of times the later pieces are heavier. One later Unger piece I had a while ago was a bar pin with not-very-skillfully engraved leaves. I also had a sash pin with scrolls similar to those on your piece. Both that and the bar pin were heavier and not as well designed as their Nouveau pieces (which were all designed by one man).

In fact, this fellow who designed their Art Nouveau wares (I forget his name now) is basically responsible for Unger's popularity today. Prior to his appearance, Unger silver was pretty humdrum (think of patterns like Passaic). After he started designing, patterns like Dawn and He Loves Me appeared. These are much more popular today than their earlier patterns and sell for a lot more. He also designed most or all of their familiar Nouveau jewelry designs. After around 1910, when the Art Nouveau style was on the wane, it seemed like Unger changed to a whole new company (or reverted to its old self). As I mentioned above, they no longer seemed to produce well-designed products.

And honestly, Unger silver has never been truly well made (in the way Shiebler, Jensen, and old Gorham jewelry is). If you've ever handled one of their stamped Art Nouveau pieces, you've noticed that the silver is thin and susceptible to wear-through and denting (I will say their Nouveau flatware is relatively heavy). In other words, since Unger jewelry has never been top quality, Unger prices are based almost totally on design.

So, Unger silver is most desirable if it is their Art Nouveau work, since that was Unger's only period of excellent design (I'm sure a few pre- and post-Nouveau pieces are exceptions to that). Some people buy earlier/later pieces if they are Unger collectors, but prices aren't anywhere near their better pieces. Your luggage tag is actually among the nicest of their later jewelry I have seen. It is nicer than the bar pin and sash pin I mentioned above (which sold for only $25 and $45, respectively, whereas similar Nouveau pieces would have sold double or triple that or better).

Comparisons:
Early, less desirable Passaic pattern

Cupid's Sunbeam pattern, c. 1904

Later, less desirable brooch