ShareThisDear Helaine and Joe:Would you please help me find the current retail value of a Jackie Kennedy head vase by INARCO, style number E1852, dated 1964? I saved one of your articles from back in 2001 that said the value was $500 then. The condition is good.Thank you,D.C.Dear D. C.:It has been almost seven years since we have addressed this subject, so maybe it's time for another look. This is one of the more desirable styles of so-called "head vases," but has the piece's monetary value held up?INARCO stands for International Artware Corp., founded in the early 1960s in Cleveland. Founder Irwin Garber had previously worked for the National Potteries Corp. since the '40s. NAPCO ended up acquiring INARCO, and relocated the company to Jacksonville, Fla., in the mid-'80s.The INARCO "Jackie Kennedy" head vase is often said to depict the former first lady dressed in mourning black after the death of her husband. This sought-after piece is not extraordinarily rare.Now, D.C. wants to discuss value. We're going into more detail than usual to show the difficulties of trying to determine actual value. We found the item's highest price, $995, in a 2007 price guide. But at auction, this INARCO piece can bring prices that range from a low of just $150 (Auction Galleries of the Palm Beaches, Dec. 10, 2007) to a high of $425 (Bean and Bean, Loveland, Colo., Jan. 21, 2007). Fairly recent auction prices also range from $250 to $300. We also recently saw one in a retail shop for $600.Just for fun, we checked eBay on the day we wrote this article. One Jackie Kennedy head vase was available for a little less than $400 and another, with a few condition problems, had a "Buy It Now" price of $250.We believe the top insurance replacement value for an INARCO E1852 "Jackie Kennedy" head vase may range from $800 to $900 plus. The retail value ranges from $600 to $800 at present.(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 27540, Knoxville, TN 37927.)
Valuing a head vase
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