The collector THE COLLECTOR
Dear Collector,
Enclosed is a picture of some candleholders my mother had for years and years. On their bottom it says: “Roseville USA, 1154-2.” I was wondering what they would be worth today?
Your set of “Water Lily” candlesticks, made in the early 1940s, has a current value between $125 and $175.
Dear Collector,
I recently bought the sheet music to “The Statue of Liberty Is Smiling” for $1 at my local flea market. Can you tell me if it’s worth more than I paid and if the composer, Jack Mahoney, is the actor who played Yancy Derringer on television?
You’ve confused actor and stuntman Jock Mahoney (who, at age 42, portrayed Tarzan on film), with the lyricist of your song.
In fact, Jock was born the year after Jack published this 1918 patriotic ditty; which has a listed value of $20.
Dear Collector,
A 1943 silver penny showed up in my change. My husband says it’s worth $100. What is you opinion?
To save on rationed metals during wartime, the United States. minted its 1943 pennies from a composition of zinc-coated steal, not silver. Over one billion of these coins were produced; which is why they still show up every now and then.
Value, even for an example in near mint condition, is only in the range of $12. The average coin is worth 25 cents.
Dear Collector,
I bought this Ricky magazine recently at a sale. It’s Volume I, Number I, published by Dell in 1958. Does it have any monetary value?
Released under Dell’s “Four Color” comics label, your Ricky Nelson fanzine could be worth as much as $200 if in near-perfect form.
Dear Collector,
We found this 7-Up bottle opener in our circa 1968 mobile home. It may not be old, but the box looked old. Can you help us with the age?
A Starr-X product (the company made wall-mounted openers for many bottlers), the slogan, “You Like It, It Likes You,” predates the late 1960s “Uncola” campaign. Even though it’s a relatively old item, value is around $10.
Dear Collector,
Here is a picture of a pink baby dish that looks like Donald Duck and is at least 60 years old. The only mark is a “U” on the bottom. Could you please tell me who made it and what it is worth?
Decidedly Disney’s Donald, your “Hankscraft” dish was made in the early 1940s (pink for girl, blue for boy) and is now valued at almost $100.
Dear Collector,
What is the value on this “Lilliput, Kal. 4.25” gun?
Made by August Menz of Germany, probably after 1930, this small-caliber pistol was intended to be carried in a pocket or purse; hence the reference to the race of tiny men in Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels.” The condition of this firearm leaves something to be desired and probably would grade out as poor. Your gun’s prospective value is between $75 and $125.