Beam Bottles Should Bring Around $50

Dear Collector: I am sending you a photo of two whiskey decanters. The elephant was given to me in 1956 as a gift, and I found the donkey about 20 years ago, paying $15. If you lay them down with their faces up, they turn into a glass holder and ashtray.

Distributed by Jim Beam and manufactured for that distillery by Regal China, your campaign collectibles not only serve as drink coasters/ashtrays, but can also be used as bookends. Since they have several functions — making them cross collectibles — they should sell for more than $50 for the set. < Dear Collector: “Bobby Locke on Golf,” a 1953 book — what is it worth and to whom?

With dust jacket, this Simon & Schuster edition is worth $40 to $50 — to you!

Dear Collector: Enclosed is a photo of a silver bowl given to me in 1929 that intrigues me. It is marked “Aurora, Triple Plate.”

It’s a product of Chicago-based Aurora Silver Plate Co., founded in 1869. Makers of “plated silver flatware and hollowware,” Aurora was incorporated into Mulholland Bros. Inc. in 1919.

Dear Collector: We have a 1912 U.S. nickel with the Roman numeral “V” on it. Can you tell me its value?

Depends on which mint it came from (the smaller the issue, the higher the value). San Francisco struck fewer coins than the other mints. Condition is also very important. That’s why the value ranges from a mere dollar up to more than $500.

Dear Collector: I have a “Mrs. Beasley” doll from when I was 7 years old, that talked when a string was pulled. She’s still in good condition. Just wanted to know what you could tell me about her?

Readers may recall Mrs. Beasley as Buffy’s companion from the 1960’s TV sitcom “Family Affair.” There were several versions of this model, including a small one that was paired with a 6-inch-high Buffy figure, making it a doll’s doll. That’s quite an odd idea when you think about it! The talking version usually goes for more than the non-talker, about $100 (with original box and in good condition, meaning she still has her “voice”), but a vocalizing Buffy is worth at least twice that.

Dear Collector: How much is a matchbook with “Aboard the Presidential Aircraft” printed on it?

Each of the three presidential planes is stocked with giveaways, including these matches, plus napkins, writing paper and the like. Folks who have never flown on one of these craft even have a memento — I have a matchbook, though I don’t remember how I got it. Anyway, you can imagine that since there is little exclusivity to these items that the value is nominal, about $5 to $7. Older souvenirs, from Eisenhower or Kennedy years, sell for a much higher price. But then, not everyone had access to presidential material in those days.

Dear Collector: I believe Mormons made my “Peoria Pottery” bean pots. Can you give me some history on these pots?

My research shows that there was no connection between Peoria Pottery and the Church of Latter-day Saints. In fact, these are not bean pots at all, but canning jars; the holes near the top were for wire bails which held a wax seal in place. They were made a decade or two after the Civil War.

Prices quoted reflect retail values and, as with many antiques and collectibles, these values vary.