I've told you about the start of my collecting journey. I have owned over 100
Hendryx cages with a few Osborn, Lindemann, Crown, and Pacific cages thrown in for
good measure. Although I tried to collect only Hendryx, there were a few
cages that caught my eye that I added to my collection.
There are several online sites that I have purchased cages from: ebay, Etsy, and Ruby
Lane. I have purchased feeders from North Fork Pets and Antiques. I know that there are myriads of other sites of which I am not aware.
Several times I have purchased feeders and/or cages just by looking at
Google Images under "Hendryx bird cage" and clicking on the picture
that piqued my interest. I have gone to antique stores, garage sales, and
thrift stores. I have answered Craig's list ads. I have 'googled'
Andrew B. Hendryx Co. and looked at each of the 340 entries offered. I've been diligently searching rare book stores and museums for
Hendryx trade catalogs. I just acquired my 5th trade catalog (1910) this month.
I can draw you a diagram of the Andrew B. Hendryx genealogy line for
3 generations. I have copies of patents that fill a 3" binder.
I didn't get here over night. It's taken interest, time,
energy, money, effort, curiosity, bumps, mistakes, and patience (with myself
and others). Today I would like to write about beginning collecting and
what to 'look' for in case you don't have the ability to look at or touch the object yourself.
Each creator/inventor/artist has his own style/touch/flair that
is recognizable to the collector. There are classic 'signs'
that are consistent with the same manufacturer. I can talk to you more
readily about Hendryx so will do that. I am sure that the same can be
said for Crown, Lindemann, Osborn, and the others.
In the 1910 trade catalog and the two prior ones that I have, it
is noticeable that the cages are not labeled with the Hendryx name. There
is the 'look' consistent with the brass cages as well as the Japanned cages
that is classic Hendryx. He used the "T" feeders (for the brass
cages) with either the flat backs or the rounded backs. Some of these have
the Hendryx name on them, some have just the patent date, and some are
unlabeled. He used the oval feeders from either clear glass or opal
glass. These are labeled "Hendryx". He used the
triangle-shaped feeder that hung from the top on the Japanned cages. These
were unlabeled. He used the triangle-shaped tin-topped/glass bottom
feeders; again unlabeled. My trade catalogs skip to 1926. In this
and subsequent catalogs, everything is labeled "Hendryx". In
my research, I read that the cages, stands, and accouterments were available at
pet stores, your local Woolworth's, Penney's and Sears, as well as hardware
stores. The prices differed according to the cage style as well as
whether it was labeled or not. There are classic looking "Hendryx"
cages out there without labels. I believe these are the ones that were
cheaper to obtain. As it is with today's goods, you pay more for the
known name brand on the item. I have an original Hendryx ad from a 1927 magazine (yes, it's another Hendryx item that I collect). It states: "At bird stores, hardware, department or house-furnishing stores, you will find charming new Hendryx designs, priced from $2.00 to $150.00; stands from $2.50 to $25.00."
You may be wondering where I am headed with this, and I'll answer
you.
Before you buy a "Hendryx", ask questions from the
seller if you are dealing with an online sale, or ask yourself the same
questions as you examine a cage/stand in front of you. Ask.
Examine. Ask. Examine. Pay or walk away.
I've learned to ask questions of the online seller if
the pictures and/or the description do not satisfy my hunger for answers.
- Where is the Hendryx name? Sometimes it's evident on the door of the cage, the bottom of the cage, or on some of the later cages, the tag is on the side of the cage at the bottom just above the pull-out tray. If you are shopping online, ask for a picture of it if it isn't pictured already. There are some sellers of cages without tags that would tell you "I've sold a lot of Hendryx and I know that this is one." It's up to you to decide if you like the cage just to like it, or if you want a labeled cage.
- Is the stand a Hendryx? Once again, you may be told "original pair", or "Hendryx cage and stand", but if it isn't labeled on the bottom in the cast iron "Hendryx, New Haven Conn (or CT)", you can't prove it's a Hendryx. Multiple times I've been at antique shows and have turned the stands upside down to look at the bottom only to see the lack of the Hendryx name. Is that a deal breaker? It depends on whether you want to be a purist and only collect Hendryx or if you want a stand to hold a stunning Hendryx cage.
- Is the seed
screen guard intact? Often times there will be a
picture or two of the seed guard but not necessarily of the damaged part.
Most of the sellers are good about documenting and showing the
damage. If the text description says something about the seed guard
having some damage, ask for a picture of the damaged part.
- May I have a picture of the feeder openings? These are the high-use areas of the
cage and will show wear and tear. They also give you insight as to what feeders you will need to complete the cage.
- Is there a pull
out tray? Please include a picture. Some pictures
will show the tray present and pulled out. Others won't show or
mention it. I've been burned several times by getting cages without
trays. I've also received cages that had big burned out holes in the
trays. Ask. Ask. Ask.
- Has it been painted? This is a biggy. Real big. I received a "brass cage in good condition" that was a banged up brass cage that had been gold painted. You can't always tell online that the cage has been painted . Sellers don't always offer the information. I recently purchased a brass cage which had been painted. The paint is usually a deal breaker for me but the shape/style was so unique that I was willing to take the cage and the white paint. Had it been another color, I would not have purchased it.
- Are all the
hooks in place and in working order? This is a two-part
question. There are hooks that can be present that don't swivel or
that are not functional. And there are cages that are "securely
attached to the base" that end up being held in place with wires
instead of the clasps. Ask for pictures of the clasps.
- Is there any
obvious damage? I
once wrote to a seller who sent detailed answers back indicating that the stand had been broken, parts refashioned and replaced, and the
finial hanger replaced. I would have not known about these repairs
and replacement parts if I hadn't asked. The posted pictures did not show these parts of the cage/stand. The seller sent me detailed
pictures when I asked for them and I decided not to purchase. I asked this question from another seller who told me that three wires were
held in place by strings but she thought she could fix them with some wire
she had. I want my cages/stands intact and original. Information is power!!
- Have there been
any repairs? I've
seen pictures of cages that have big solder marks on parts of the cage.
These are not original to Hendryx. He prided himself and his
company in not using solder in the cages as it provided a
harboring place for vermin.
- Are the door
latch and spring intact and functioning? If the picture shows
the door wide open without someone holding it open, the spring is broken.
If the door is just ajar with someone's finger holding it open, you
can guess that maybe the spring is working. Ask though. This
isn't usually a deal breaker, but be sure the door will latch. Few folks want a cage with the door hanging wide open because the latch isn't
working.
- Is the finial in
place?
Ask for a picture. There are some pictures that show wires meeting
in the middle of the top of the cage with nothing going over the top of
them. The round knob or finial is usually missing and a substitute
hanger is in place. The cage wires should be covered with a brass
round that includes the finial knob and the hanging hoop. Japanned
cages often have wooden finials.
- Is the pedestal plate straight? Often there will be dips and swells in the rims of the pedestal bases for the classic beehive cages. The important thing is that the base ring of the cage comes in contact with the 3 clasps on the pedestal base so it can be securely attached.
- Does it have the classic riveted attachments of the wires on the brass cage? Hendryx patented the riveting technology and used it exclusively with his brass cages instead of solder.
- Do you "know" that the cage you are looking at is the classic Art Deco, mid-century chrome hatbox, scalloped or dome-topped cage but there is no Hendryx tag? Look at the front of the cage and see if there are 2 parallel holes near the bottom. Often these cages lose the Hendryx tags but they are such "classic" Hendryx that it's obvious it's an "original". You have to decide whether you want a cage with or without the tag. I purchased 2 hatboxes without the tags. I could see the holes on the picture from the seller.
- When it's hung from the loop does it hang straight? Request a picture of the cage hanging. Even if someone is holding the loop. I once purchased the Arts and Crafts Mission cage (looks like a house) that the seller said had intact clips and hooks. When I got the cage, the hooks that held the cage to the base were intact and held well. But when I held the cage by the top loop, 2 of the hooks that held the roof in place were broken. Unless I was willing to use wire to hold the roof in place, the cage needed to sit, not hang.
- Is there a picture of the front door? If it's a brass cage, the door will either open left or right. I haven't found any consistency with the door opening. If it's a Japanned cage or a Mission cage, the door will slide up and down. The newer Japanned cages (after 1926 for sure) have "Hendryx" embossed on the top crossbar of the door. Earlier ones may not be embossed. This year I saw an ad for an Arts and Crafts cage "New Style Cottage Cage" according to my catalog. It had the seed guard in the form of a picket fence. It was a rectangular cottage shape with a slotted roof, chimney, drawer base and the darling fence. It's such a classic Hendryx I didn't ask for a picture of the front door. The other pictures showed everything that was important. I purchased it. Surprise! There WAS no front door. I think I still would have purchased it since it's so unique, but it would have been better had I known it was missing.
- What is Prevue Hendryx? If the cage looks newer and is advertised as Hendryx, be sure to get a picture of the tag. Early in my collecting days, I ended up with a large Prevue Hendryx cage. Prevue Metal Co. purchased The Andrew B. Hendryx Co. in 1967. Prevue kept the Hendryx name to retain the history of the cage business. If it says "Prevue", it's a newer shirt-tail relative to The Andrew B. Hendryx Co.
- Is the cage pictured with feeders and are the feeders the correct ones correctly placed? I saw a brass cage with the cut-out heart seed guards which indicates that the cage takes a winged box-shaped feeder that goes inside the heart guard. The picture showed oval feeders in the wires near the top third of the cage. The feeders had been slipped between the brass wires. Feeders go at the bottom of cages, not the top. Suspecting damage to the wires because of the misplaced feeders, I asked the seller to remove the feeders then take pictures of the wires. They were not damaged or misaligned and I purchased the cage.
- Why are you buying the cage? You've seen a cage that is attractive and has your attention. Is it the cage itself or is it the cage along with the faux birds, bird nest, twigs, feathers, etc. etc. etc. that is inside the cage? Sometimes there are more pictures of the added items than the cage itself. If you plan on keeping the decorations as shown, fine. If you are buying the cage for the cage itself, ask that the decorations be removed and start over. There may be a flaw or two that these additions are hiding.
- How will it be packaged? I purchased several OLD, delicate, Victorian cages that I insisted be double boxed for shipping. I've asked the sellers to prepare them for shipping, add the insurance, and send me an additional bill for the pre-paid vs actual shipping charges. It's worth it to me to get an intact fragile cage. Is there a stand that is being shipped also? It should be shipped separately than the cage. The stand bases are usually cast iron. Unless secured well, they will deliver a death blow to any cage in the same box when shipped.
