Detailed decanters aren’t worth much

Dear Collector,

I have a total of 12 decanters similar to the one in the enclosed photo. Each soldier is different and they have Arnart Imports Inc. on the underside. I have no idea what the value of these figurines might be; your help would be much appreciated.

An importer headquartered in New York City, Arnart mostly handles Japanese wares such as your porcelain novelties. Originally containing California cream sherry, these circa 1969 decanters in the form of Napoleonic era grenadiers (assault troops trained in the use of grenades) are well decorated and detailed but not costly, perhaps $15 each.

Dear Collector,

This Remington Rand Number 5 portable was my mother’s. She bought it new.

I wish you had included when she got it and its serial number. With very little to go on, I can only tell you that this machine is probably the “streamlined” model dating from 1940, when it cost nearly $50. Value has since doubled on your mom’s typewriter, though it must be in perfect working order.

Dear Collector,

I was given nine issues of Grit magazines, all from 1935. What are they worth?

Grit, in publication for more than 100 years, bills itself as “American as Mom and apple pie.” Your copies, in broadsheet format, are listed for a high of $5 apiece.

Dear Collector,

I have a 1929 quarter that has an eagle on the back and a lady with two tablets that say “In God We Trust.”

Considered controversial because of a bare-breasted Liberty when designed in 1916 by Herman A. McNeil, this pattern went through two changes before your year’s example was minted along with more than 14 million other coins. Purchase power in 1929 was nearly three gallons of gas. Today’s value is between $4 and $6.

Dear Collector,

I have a 1935 one dollar Silver Certificate. Could you tell me if it is worth anything?

A dozen or so variations of this bill were issued; most of them are now worth $2 to $4 in circulated condition.

Dear Collector,

What can you tell me about the plastic “Fremlins” elephant bank in these photos? I got it at a roadside stand in Canada several years ago.

A now defunct brewery in Maidstone, England (about 30 miles south of London), Fremlin placed their pachyderm trademark on many advertising pieces including your 1950s bank. I hope you didn’t pay more than $100 for your find, because that is what it is now worth.

Dear Collector,

We’re seeking assistance with identifying the age of our working Airline stand up radio? My wife’s mother received it sometime in the 1940s.

Made under contract for Montgomery Ward, Airline radios, no longer manufactured, were around until the transistor age. Your seven tube model 62-123 console with shortwave band came out in 1935, so perhaps your mother-in-law got it when it was used. Since it still operates, value is a bit over $100.