Toy sewing machine worth about $250
Dear Collector: This toy sewing machine was handed down to me from my mother, who got it as a gift in the early 1950s. The tag on it says that it was made to celebrate Singer’s 100th birthday.
A functioning model, albeit a toy, this device does indeed memorialize Singer’s first 100 years, and is now worth at least $250.
Dear Collector: I’ve had this “African Queen” poster for quite awhile. On the advice of a friend, who claims old posters are worth something, I am writing to you.
Sorry, what you have is not a movie poster but rather a 1981 advertisement for Gordon’s Gin employing a still image from the 1951 silver screen classic starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.
Dear Collector: I’d like information of this little Royal Worcester “Mischief” figurine? The underside says “Modelled by F. G. Doughty.”
Freda Doughty and her sister Dorothy produced many original forms for Royal Worcester beginning in the 1930s, working right up to the ‘60s. Freda specialized in children, while Dorothy concentrated on ornithological studies in the shape of American birds. Your porcelain cutie, first issued in 1931, has a current value of about $250.
Dear Collector: Does this Donald Duck cookie jar have any value?
You can see this circa 1940s American Bisque container on page 38 of “Warman’s Cookie Jars” (Krause, 2004, $24.99), where author Mark F. Moran prices it at $350 plus.
Dear Collector: What is this unusual five dollar bill worth?
This large-size bill, called a National Bank Note, was produced in 1882 and printed in one style or another until 1908. The front bears an off-center portrait of President Garfield, plus a brown seal. Your particular example is now worth $65-$90.
Dear Collector: Please help me trace the history of this old refrigerator bank?
Manufactured for Majestic Ice Box by Arcade in the early 1930s, this cast iron penny bank is listed in one price guide at $475.
Dear Collector: I’ve had this picture for 31 years, having found it in a very old farm house our family owned; but have no clue as to its artist or title.
You forgot to mention whether your copy of Jean Francois Millet’s “The Gleaners” is a print or oil on canvas, as is the original (painted in 1857) now hanging in the Louvre. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say it’s a print, possibly worth $50.
Dear Collector: My wife received this stamp depicting Generals Lee and Jackson in 1948. Do you know its present day value?
Issued in 1937, this was one in a series honoring American military heroes. Stratford Hall, birthplace of Lee, is shown in the background. Your unused four-cent postage stamp, in impressive slate coloring, has a current value of 50 cents.
Dear Collector: Could you tell me how old this Santa Claus holding a bottle of Coke is?
Made for Coca-Cola in the 1950s by Rushton, a major producer of plush character toys located in Atlanta (which just also happens to be the home base of Coca-Cola), your promotional Santa could be worth as much as $175.
Recommended reading: “Doll Directory,” Kathryn Witt (Collector Books, 2005, $14.95). “The Official Beckett Price Guide to Basketball Cards 2005,” Dr. James Beckett (House of Collectibles, 2004, $7.99). “Mourning Art Jewelry,” Maureen DeLorme (Schiffer, 2004, $59.95).