Collector plate’s true value measured in family connection

Dear Collector: Enclosed is a picture of a plate I found among my mother’s things after her death many years ago. The figure on the plate has remarkable detail and is in excellent condition.

Employing the same blank that was used in their popular 1908 calendar plate, National China Co. of East Liverpool, Ohio, offered this design to various advertisers, including M.J. Baker, who I assume was a large retailer in Deer River, Minn. As was the convention in those days, these souvenirs were decorated with a decal portrait of a lovely lady, and yours is among the most beautiful I’ve seen. Now worth only $15-$20, this keepsake’s true value lies in its connection to personal family history.

Dear Collector: I have a 1955 Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band album; what’s it worth?

RCA issued this four record set in a spiral binder under the catalog number LPT-6702. In today’s market, an album in very good condition is worth $60.

Dear Collector: I inherited these bookends from my father, who received them on his 10th birthday in 1930. Should I insure them?

Described in one price guide as John Smith and Pocahontas, this pair has a high value of $100.

Dear Collector: I bought this “Hullabaloo” game for $8 at a yard sale because it reminded me of the 1960s television program with “Herman’s Hermits” and “Gary Lewis and the Playboys.”

Running from January 1965 to April ‘66 this pop music program offered acts like Marvin Gaye, Petula Clark, Gene Pitney and Marianne Faithfull (her real name), along with the hosts you mentioned. Your game by Remco is worth at least three times the price you paid, plus a million memories.

Dear Collector: I have an 1818 silver dollar; can you tell me its value?

No coins of this denomination were minted in the U.S. between 1805 and 1835. Nor were silver dollars issued in 1918, in the event you inadvertently wrote the wrong date.

Dear Collector: Have you ever heard of a doll called “Mary Make Up?” These photos show her in her original clothing. Is she worth anything?

Mary and a slightly larger version called “Magic Make Up Face” were made by American Character Doll Company in 1965 and 1966. Both have vinyl face and body, which allows for the application and removal of make-up. Yours is now valued at about $50, minus the box it arrived in.

Dear Collector: What’s the story behind this gumball machine I bought at the local flea market?

Called a “Victor Baby Grand,” this 1950s vending device is notable in that it has a wooden case instead of aluminum steel, as most machines had in those days. You have the “Deluxe” model which is listed in one price guide at $35-$75.

Dear Collector: Where and when was this “Catalina Island” bowl made?

Decidedly Deco, which puts it in the 1930s, your piece comes from Catalina, a southern California island (as the Four Preps song goes) “twenty-six miles across the sea.”

Recommended reading: “The Encyclopedia of Early American Sewing Machines,” Carter Bays (Collector Books, 2005, $29.95). “Cloth Dolls,” Brenda Brightmore (Krause, 20054, $22.99). “The Big Book of Cigarette Lighters,” James Flanagan (Collector Books, 2005, $29.95).