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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

THE COLLECTOR THE COLLECTOR


Smoking woman plate may be worth several hundred dollars.
 (The Spokesman-Review)
Glenn Erardi Glenn Erardi

Dear Collector,

My dad bought this plate home from Germany around 1945. He loved it; I’ll never forget the smile on his face when he first showed it to us. Can you tell me anything about it?

The sketch of the marks you sent along helped considerably in identifying the maker, although there were a few errors. F.S. Oest Witwe & Co. was a Berlin firm founded in 1824.

Focusing the majority of its production on earthernware, Witwe (which means “widow” in German) did not last into the 20th century, perhaps making your art plate, with a colorful majolica palette, sometime in the last decade or two of its existence.

Value is at least several hundred dollars, maybe more. Hope that brings a smile to your face.

Dear Collector,

I’ve had this 100 peso note for so many years that I forgot where I got it. Has there ever been such a thing as a Japanese peso?

The note in question is a 1943 issuance from the Japanese Occupation Government of the Philippines. Not a rarity, your black-on-green bill is worth less than a dollar.

Dear Collector,

Is there any value to my Avon bottle shaped like an old Cadillac car?

Now valued at $15, this 1969 container once held after-shave.

Dear Collector,

What do you think my Huckleberry Hound ring is worth? I have no idea when I got it, or even where it came from.

Dating from about 1960, this brass “Huck Hound Club” item was originally a premium offered by Kellogg, Huck’s sponsor. Of the two varieties (enameled and plain), your undecorated one is the least desirable, now valued at $50.

Dear Collector,

I saw this gumball machine at a flea market and just had to have it. I paid almost $50 for it. Was I overcharged?

Dating from the 1930s, your cast iron Sel-Mor vendor also dispensed peanuts. Considering that similar devices, in far less shape, sell for nearly three times what you paid, I’d say you made a great deal.

Dear Collector,

Many years ago, I bought a number of dishes and serving pieces at a secondhand store. All are marked “Morgan Belleek.” How old are they and were they made in Ireland?

Not all Belleek comes from Belleek. In fact, there are a number of manufacturers in the United States that produced the eggshell-thin porcelain we associate with the original Irish ware.

Yours was made in Canton, Ohio, during the 1920s or early ‘30s and was named after William Morgan, an employee of Rea China Co.