THE COLLECTOR
Dear Collector,
I am submitting photos of this old pistol to see if it has any value. On the barrel is engraved: “Forehand Arms Co., Worcester, Mass.”
Forehand, successor to Forehand & Wadsworth (established in 1871), produced inexpensive firearms including your .32 caliber nickel-plated revolver. Probably manufactured in the 1890s, this gun doesn’t requiring cocking; hence it’s called a double action model. I can see it’s missing some plating around the hammer, which puts its grade at fair to good, and its value at about $100.
Dear Collector,
I have a delightful little Mickey Mouse wooden figurine that has a paper sticker on his feet which says it was made in Germany. It is most unusual because Mickey has a pointed snout of a nose. Could you tell me what it’s worth?
True, early Mickeys were a bit rat-faced, but have since evolved into the cute fellow of today. Your early 1930s painted pressed wood toy has a listed value of between $300 and $400.
Dear Collector,
I understand that the $500 bill is no longer printed. I have one that belonged to my grandfather, and would love to know how much more than its face value it is worth.
The last distribution for this denomination was the 1934 series; however, there was a previous printing in 1928 along with a more valuable gold certificate issue. Depending on which series and type you have, value can range from $600 to more than $5,000.
Dear Collector,
My mother insists that the object in the enclosed photos is an old fashioned chef’s whisk. I have no idea myself what it was used for; do you?
While looking like a wooden handled wire whisk, this thingamajig, found in many 19th century households, is really a lamp chimney cleaner. Wrap a cloth around the tines, and now you can remove that stubborn soot from inside your kerosene lamp’s glass chimney. But who knows, maybe it’ll scramble eggs, too.
Dear Collector,
I bought an old pitcher that has a picture of an arm and sword with the word “Rieti” stamped on its bottom. How much is it worth, and where was it made?
Rieti ware was probably named after the town in central Italy which was the birthplace of Emperor Vespasian, Sacker of Jerusalem. Your semi-porcelain pitcher was made by the Boston-based New England Pottery Company during the 1880s. Because you didn’t mention size, condition or type of decoration, there’s no way, sight unseen, that I’ll hazard a guess as to its value.
Dear Collector,
Is this photo signed by Alan Hale who played on “Gilligan’s Island” worth anything?
Right name, wrong generation! Your Hale, a famous character actor of the 1930s and ‘40s (who hailed from Washington, D.C.) was The Skipper’s father. The senior Hale is best remembered for his 1938 role as Little John in “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” starring his friend Errol Flynn. It appears that the younger Hale has about a $25 lead on dad when it comes to autographed photos, which are valued at around $125.