THE COLLECTOR
Dear Collector,
This “Smokey the Bear” is in excellent shape; can you tell me how old he is and his value?
Although the name was first used by the Forest Service in 1944, the real Smokey Bear (no ‘the’ in his name) was rescued from a fire in 1950. Your Ideal plush doll dates from the early 1950s, and is now worth $50-$75.
Dear Collector,
What is the value of the March 1946 issue of “Holiday” magazine?
Now defunct, this travel mag featured well-known writers including John Steinbeck, whose 1962 book “Travels with Charley,” was based on a three-part piece that was first published in “Holiday.”
The value on your copy is about $10.
Dear Collector,
How much is this Foley Bone China cup and saucer celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee worth?
Marking Victoria’s 60th year on the throne, your 1897 porcelain set should command at least $100.
Dear Collector,
My uncle, who was in the Air Force, gave me this foreign money when I was a kid; where does it come from?
Your 25 kronur bill, printed in 1961, comes from the Republic of Iceland. According to the “Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: Modern Issues” edited by George S. Cuhaj (KP Books, 2005, $47.40), it’s now worth $1.
Dear Collector,
What do you think these Panama Canal stamps are worth?
One of the earliest Commemorative Issues, which began in 1893, your 1913 two-cent stamps show the Pedro Miguel (pronounced “Peter Magill”) Locks. Since they have been used, value is only about 50 cents each.
Dear Collector,
These six mugs, with a lady doing a progressive striptease on each one, were given to me by a business associate in 1950. The inscription on the bottom is “Kindell.” Can you tell me anything about them?
Dorothy Kindell, a Laguna, Calif., potter who worked in the 1940s and ‘50s, was noted for her “naughty nudes,” with which she decorated cups, mugs, ashtrays and knickknacks. Presently, your set of sexy sippers surpasses several hundred dollars in value.
Dear Collector,
I bought this functioning Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer watch at a yard sale for $10; did I get a bargain?
Listed in one price guide at $100, your Ingersoll wristwatch was made in 1946.
Dear Collector,
I have my grandmother’s Singer sewing machine, and want to know when it was made. The serial number is G1119XXX.
That particular machine came from Singer’s Elizabeth, N.J., factory in 1911.