Identifying Vintage Lipstick Cases: Chen Yu & Richard Hudnut - Value & History

Question
Hello! I'm not sure if you can help me or not but in my mother's jewelry box I found eight (8) vintage lipstick cases. On the bottom of each of the lipsticks it says: "Chen Yu, Richard Hudnut, New York, Paris" and then the individual colors of the lipsticks (Firefly (there are 2 of these), Sun Red (there are 2 of these), Coral Fan (there are 2 of these), Sea Shell, and Singing Copper. I am not sure what the cases are made of but the color is gold and they have Chinese flowers and people etched on them. The only information that I have been able to find is the advertisements for these lipsticks and it looks like they might be from the 1950's or so. Can you tell me anything about them and possibly what they might be worth? Thank you! Kim  

Answer
Hello Kim and thank you for your inquiry. There are avid vanity compact and packaging collectors that wold probably be interested in your items. I've been unable to find any exact matches except in sets combined with a compact. You are right in that they are probably from the 1940-1950's. There is a book that may be of some help to you and you may find it in your public library or local bookstore - Mueller's Overview of American Compacts and Vanity Cases
by Laura M. Mueller.  I don't have it, but it does have some good information. Some of the compacts with designs similar to yours sell for $100 up, so it may be a good idea to follow up with some book research.

Online auctions are a great venue for researching and selling items. First do a little research on what similar items are selling for online - use your browser search or the auction search. Ebay.com is an excellent place for research and sales. There are also online appraisal sites that will research and value your item for you. "What's It Worth To You" is an example and they do charge a small fee.

Hope this helps !

Sally
jarrettsjade.com