Victorian (1880's?) Antique Solid Brass Hand Holding Light Socket Sconce

[Curious Curator]

I just picked up a set of (I could not believe it when I saw them) what I’m hoping are Victorian wall sconces. They are solid brass and very heavy-at least 5lbs each. While not exactly like the on in the link I’ve pasted below, they are very similar. Rather than the brass “candlestick”-mine has ceramic sockets (probably a replacement). I found this link, but haven’t found a “sold for” price. Does anyone know if these types of sconces are forged often? What is the likeliehood? They are beautiful and I want to put them up in my house! I may or may not sell them, but I’m really curious as to how much they go for. This “may” determine if I even sell them. I paid about $22. with tax for the pair.

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/lighting/sconces-wall-lights/pair-of-1880s-victorian-brass-hand-sconces/id-f_4719243/

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

Good morning Daisy:

Try this link and see if you can find a close match. If you find a match and want to know the price(s), let me know and since we have a subscription, I can give you the prices.

https://www.worthpoint.com/inventory/search?query=wall+sconces+hand+holding+torch&category=

Good luck..

Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atlanta

[Curious Curator]

Thank you, MDC Galleries! Here is a photo of my sconces. Not sure if Flickr works here, but here’s my go at it. If it does not show, I’ll try another way.

[Curious Curator]

Great! It worked.
Here are a few more views. Again, thanks!

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

Daisy: Out of 73 listings sold on Worthpoint, most with hands holding a torch only one listing has the fingers “open” and “not clutching” the torch stem with wrapped fingers. The pair of open finger ones also have a taper candle and glass globe above the drip catcher plate.

Unfortunately the closed fingered ones can be up over $1,000 and one at $1,500.

The only open fingered one sold at $195.99 BUT IT IS THE CANDLE AND GLASS GLOBE PAIR not ones with an electric socket.

Making a big assumption here, but maybe yours once looked like these [click the link]:
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/unique-vintage-victorian-style-brass-469234398

but got retro-fitted [altered] and converted to having light sockets. As to what that did to the real value, I wouldn’t know, but even so, as Ryanne says they are really “cool” and even though maybe converted, I would try to list at maybe the $195 or even $273 and then run Sales at 20% Off and take offers at up to another 20% Off. So at $273 list and either a 40% Off Offer and a combination of a Sale and an offer on top of that, you could end up at about $165 to $175 +/-.

But who knows. But in my opinion they are not in the category of the $750 and up pairs.

P.S. don’t think they are “forged” but the hands may be “cast” and the torch “turned”. And check to see if the metal is magnetic. If so it is steel or iron, if not then probably brass.

Good luck.

Mike at MDC Galleries and Fine Art in Atl

• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by MDC Galleries & Fine Art.

[Ryanne]

wow those are so cool!

[Curious Curator]

Thanks for all that info, MDC Galleries! So I checked to see if it was magnetic…the only magnetic part of the sconces are the bases, or the concentric circular part of the sconces. The rest is not magnetic. I’m really torn between listing and using. I used to own a Victorian house, and these would have been beautiful and fit right in! Too bad I did not find these then.

Ryanne, you and Jay really have to move to Chicago! you would make out like a bandit here. I wish I could just shop all day, (wouldn’t we all?) but I can’t.

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

You’re welcome. Guess everyone can see I had some time on my hands today, thus all the forum replies.
In case you may not know, in the Andrew Lloyd Weber movie, the Phantom of the Opera, when the main character descends into the tunnels under the opera house, he is advised to keep his head low. And on the walls as he descends the staircase there are arms-hands holding torches that are attached to the walls very similar to your concept pair.

They are cool. If you keep them they would have to we wired and run to a switch or maybe you could get a ceramic sleeve to go over the socket area and then slide a pillar candle into the socket and find a glass chimney to go over it [sort of reverse engineer] it back to the way the ones are in the link I sent.

Good luck
Mike

[Antique Frog]

Don’t know if you get them in the US, but I’ve seen quite a few brass lamps purporting to be railway carriage lamps. Marked ‘GWR’ on a small plaque.

eBay listings

Described by a dealer as “a flimsy copy of an item that never existed and are practically worthless.”

[ludmilla]

Hi Daisy,
I am new to this forum but found it because of your brass hand sconces!
I am a designer and a restoration artist (since the mid-1980s) and I am currently restoring my own Victorian house. I have been looking for some sconces like this for a while!

These look to me to be reproductions of Victorian hand sconces, as the style got popular again in the mid-20th century as part of that Hollywood Regency thing. Possibly the castings are original and were assembled later, there are tons of possible explanations. The ones you noted at First Dibs sold for about $1,200 to a designer, plus $250 for shipping, and they too had been rewired (the long torch on top was added.) I had that pair in my favorites for months but they were too expensive IMO.

In my search I have seen these same style with the open hands and lace sleeves with added tole lampshades, oil lamps, glass globe shades, 1940s neo-colonial shades (no!), and even 1970’s flicker bulbs.

There is a pair on eBay that is listed for $1200 and still has its original oil lamp works as well as an old electric switch.(they were not all like this, it’s just one variation) But these are true antiques: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Turn-of-the-Century-Antique-Hand-With-Torch-Metal-Wall-Sconces-a-Pair/153501998749?hash=item23bd6e9e9d:g:StQAAOSwA41c6YO4

Yours have been polished up a lot and I can see the rewiring job is recent and that may take away from their overall value, but they can be reworked to be more stylish for the decorating market. If you decide to sell them, I’d recommend trying eBay with a starting price of $450 for the pair. ((and please do let me know as I have been looking for some like this for some time!))
great find, congratulations!

[Curious Curator]

Ludmilla,

So glad I was instrumental in getting you to this forum! This is a great community and I’ve learned a lot in the short time I’ve been here.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and for the recommendation. For now, I’m holding on to the sconces, as these are really “me” and I may just put them in my own home for the time being.

[Author]

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