By Dan Yelin

Copyright keenesentinel

I have this brass iron that was brought to America by my ancestors from Denmark. It has a “J” on it for my old family name, Jensen. Is it worth anything and could you please tell me anything about it?

J.F., Keene

Hello J.F.,

Your brass iron may look to some like an early sad iron, one that is heated on the fire and then used to iron clothes, but it is actually a box or a slug iron. It was rather an ingenious design where a metal slug would be heated in the fire and then inserted into the opening on the side of the iron. This would allow for the iron to stay hot without soiling the flat ironing surface. Traditional sad irons required being placed into the fireplace to be heated, which in turn would soil the flat ironing surface, causing it to be constantly cleaned before use.

Your iron is dated 1827 and is made from brass. It is extremely well constructed, and I admire the dovetailed hook for the latch that is inserted on the side. In a retail setting your iron could bring upwards of $100 to the right collector. It is not an extremely popular collectable, but its age and quality would make it easier to sell than most other examples on the market. Thank you for writing and I look forward to any other questions you may have.