Marks v. United States

28 Cust. Ct. 98, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 9
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedFebruary 28, 1952
DocketC. D. 1393
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 28 Cust. Ct. 98 (Marks v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Marks v. United States, 28 Cust. Ct. 98, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 9 (cusc 1952).

Opinion

Johnson, Judge:

This action involves the classification of certain earthenware teapots and coffeepots which are encased in a metal felt-lined cozy. The articles are in chief value of metal. The collector separated the units for duty purposes, assessing duty upon the earthenware teapots and coffeepots at the rate of 10 cents per dozen pieces and 45 per centum ad valorem under paragraph 211 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as plain white earthenware. Upon the metal felt-lined cozies covering the pots, the collector assessed duty at the rate of 15 per centum ad valorem as household utensils in chief value of brass, under paragraph 339 as modified by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T. D. 51802. The plaintiff claims that the earthenware articles, together with the metal covers therefor, constitute an entirety and, as such, are dutiable as brass household utensils at the rate of 15 per centum as assessed by the collector only upon the brass covers.

At the trial the plaintiff testified that the teapots and coffeepots come in three sizes; the small, #408, the medium, #350, and the large, #8515. Teapot #408, illustrating #350 and #8515, the sizes imported herein, was admitted in evidence as illustrative exhibit A. Coffeepot #350, as illustrative of the larger size #8515 here in question, was admitted in evidence as illustrative exhibit B. Teapot #8515 was admitted in evidence on behalf of the defendant as illustrating the largest size teapot as illustrative exhibit C. There was also admitted in evidence on behalf of the defendant an ordinary earthenware teapot as illustrative exhibit D.

The witness further testified that the articles are always sold as complete entities, but that replacements of the metal or earthenware parts are kept in case either part is broken and replacements are needed. However, the witness stated that the articles are only sold as a single unit in retail establishments such as Hammacher Schlemmer & Co., Inc.; Lewis & Conger; and Alice H. Marks Shop. The pots are used for the purpose of keeping hot, for practically an hour, the beverage contained therein.

The witness further testified that he had been importing these particular pots for 2% years, and that the covers are interchangeable for the same-sized pots. The witness was of the opinion that the covers would not fit other pots of the same size, not designed for such use.

Counsel for the Government demonstrated how the cover of illustrative exhibit C would fit over the ordinary teapot, illustrative exhibit D. It is very obvious from fitting these two articles together that neither was made nor intended to be used together. Furthermore, it is clearly demonstrated by such illustration that the metal cover was only intended to be used with the pot it was designed to fit. Although [100]*100the pot could be used without the cover, obviously the cover is useless without the pot. Illustrative exhibit C, which is the size of teapot here imported, has a metal cover with four small nobs attached at the bottom for legs. The bottom portion is a half globe and contains a felt lining. At either side there is a cut-out portion to enable the handle and the spout to protrude. The top part of the metal cozy has the cover of the teapot screwed to the cozy and such cover also holds the felt lining. It is hinged to the bottom portion on one side and has a latch at the other which hooks onto a nob for that purpose on the bottom portion, and at either side there is a cut-out portion for the handle and spout. When closed, these cut-out parts of the metal cover fit snugly around the spout and the handle. When containing an ordinary teapot, it is obvious that the purpose for which it is designed, to contain the heat, is entirely lost because of the looseness of the cover, particularly around the spout and the handle. It fits about as well as a man’s overcoat upon a half-grown boy, and looks more incongruous.

The case of Isaacs v. Jonas, 148 U. S. 648, involved the importation of cigarette papers and pasteboard covers. The papers and the covers were imported together. The Supreme Court found that the leaves of paper were fit for nothing else but to be made into cigarettes and smoked with tobacco wrapped in them and that the covers were fit for nothing except to hold and protect the papers until made by the smoker into cigarettes and, therefore, the papers and the covers were held to be entireties.

In United States v. Miyaka, 22 C. C. P. A. 38, T. D. 47039, deflated globes, designed to be fastened to an aluminum, graduated, semicir-cumferential piece, and an aluminum tripod mounting, were, as en-tireties, assessed as articles in chief value of metal. It was claimed that they were separately dutiable. The court stated that it was quite obvious that the articles should be treated as entireties because each globe, with its complete mounting and instructions, is enclosed in a closed box, which is named thereon “Patent No. 75632, Collapsible Pocket Globe”; that each box is a sealed package, containing a collapsible globe, a frame and mounting, all parts necessary to fully complete the article, and instructions for fitting the parts together into a complete whole. As the articles were imported and were intended to be, and were, used together, the court held that under the doctrine of the most recent cases, the articles were entireties.

In United States v. Dryden Rubber Co., 22 C. C. P. A. 51, T. D. 47050, a knocked-down machine for cutting sponge rubber cake was imported in four cases. It included a band saw with mountings, etc., together with the electric motors, one to furnish motive power for two small emery wheels which were in constant contact with the blades, and the other to furnish the motor power to the machine. As imported, bolt holes for the attachment of the two motors had been provided. The appellate court held that the grinding machine with [101]*101motor starter and the rubber-cutting machine with motor consisted of an electrical machine as an entirety.

The case of United States v. Haaker, 4 Ct. Cust. Appls. 508, T. D. 33935, involved a winged figure of a woman upon a pedestal made of a square shaft with a carved capital and base. It was held that as the pedestal was formed under the supervision of the designer of the figure with a view to the symmetrical appearance of the whole and was intended to support the figure, it was an entirety with the figure.

In the case of Mrs. Eunice Essig Brack v. United States, 64 Treas. Dec. 1103, Abstract 26145, an unset emerald and a form of bottle, composed of rock crystal with a hinged gold top, were classified as an entirety. There, the importer claimed the emerald was duitable separately. The court held that when two or more parts of an article are shipped together and intended to be used together as one article, and by mere assembly they are made into one article, they are to be regarded as entireties.

In Koeller-Struss Co. v. United States, 59 Treas. Dec. 175, T. D. 44560, dice games, consisting of dice enclosed in a glass and metal container composed of a metal base in the center of which is a metal spring supporting a glass dome with a bottom composed of metal, cork, and a piece of green baize or felt, were held dutiable as entire-ties, the value of the dice being minor as compared with the value of the container. The glass dome was shown to be removable and the dice easily removed, but the court found that the stand would be useless without the dice.

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Related

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58 Cust. Ct. 418 (U.S. Customs Court, 1967)
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40 Cust. Ct. 186 (U.S. Customs Court, 1958)
Aluminex, Inc. v. United States
37 Cust. Ct. 411 (U.S. Customs Court, 1956)
R. J. Saunders & Co., Inc. v. United States
31 Cust. Ct. 300 (U.S. Customs Court, 1953)
Marks v. United States
29 Cust. Ct. 368 (U.S. Customs Court, 1952)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 Cust. Ct. 98, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/marks-v-united-states-cusc-1952.