Enamel-covered spoons were manufactured in 1950s

Dear Collector: This set of small David-Andersen spoons has been in my family for years. Can you tell me how old they are?

Just as with porcelain and pottery, the marks on these 1950s Norwegian enamel on sterling silver coffee spoons decorated in the basse-taille technique (in which a metal surface is engraved and then covered with translucent enamel) tell us approximately when they were made. Dated to the 1950s, your six-piece set now has a value of between $50 and $75.

Dear Collector: Can you tell me the value of my Roseville vase marked with “824-15?”

Those numbers describe a 1930 “Thorn Apple” design vase, 15 inches in height. Listed in one price guide with a value of $750-$950, I’ve seen this same item sell at auction for $350.

Dear Collector: I have three “Sports Illustrated” magazines from 1954. Are they of any value?

If one of them is the first edition, released in August, then it could be worth more than $100.

Dear Collector: I found this tin sign at a flea market, yet have no idea what it was used for. Can you tell me?

Back in the days when all firefighting was performed by volunteers, metal plaques called “fire marks” fixed on insured property announced a reward to the first fire company which responded. Your reproduction, probably made within the last two decades, is just one of many that have appeared on the market.

Dear Collector: Years ago, my father gave me some of his 1962 Topps baseball cards. Somehow, over the years I’ve lost most of them except the Stan Musial one. Can you tell me if it is worth anything?

In perfect, out of the pack condition, this card (No. 50) has a market value of about $70.

Dear Collector: I went to a church bazaar, where I saw a 1964 Popeye lunchbox which I bought for $2. Can you put a price guide price on it?

Displaying colorful graphics, your King Seeley Thermos product lists at over $100 in one reference book.

Dear Collector: How old is this pistol-shaped “Shoot-a-Lite Safety Gas Liter?” And what was it used for?

Before gas stoves and ovens ignited automatically, wooden matches (some of us still remember them as kitchen matches) or a sparker, such as yours, came into play. Believe it or not, your 1920s German made example is now worth $70-$100.

Dear Collector: I have a 1945 copy of “Betty Crocker Cook Book for All Purpose Baking,” in near perfect shape. Does this book have any value as a collectible?

A popular guide during the war years, this book went through several printings. Its value today is about $12. Betty’s name is on hundreds of books, yet she never existed. The most famous of American cooks was invented by her company’s advertising department.

Dear Collector: What’s this “Golden Nugget” Jim Beam bottle worth?

This 1969 specialty decanter made expressly for the famous Las Vegas casino is worth $30-$40.

Recommended reading: “Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Volume One” edited by Neil Shafer & George S. Cuhaj (KP Books, 2002, $65.00). “Collecting Dinky Toys,” Mike Richardson (Francis Joseph, 2001, $24.95). “Illustrated Dictionary of Practical Pottery,” Robert Fournier (A&C Black/KP Books, 2000, $39.95).