Dear Collector,

This tea set was given to my mother-in-law sometime in the 1930s. Can you tell me who made it and its approximate value?

As the backstamp of a stylized elephant tells us, your lusterware set was “Madein Japan.” The general rule is that the cruder the marking (notice how the two words were run together), the less value is placed on the pieces. Toshiro Shoten, Ltd., a short-lived porcelain producer who cannot be traced beyond 1954, made quite a number of low-quality wares for export, mainly to the United States. Your set, consisting of pot, creamer, sugar, plus cups and saucers for six, is worth $125-$175.

Dear Collector,

Here are photos of a “Yankee Trader” game that was given to my mother and her brother when they were children. I know it dates from the 1940s. Is it worth anything?

1941 was the year that Corey Game Co. of Everett, Mass., manufactured this board game. Value today is between $100 and $125, depending on condition.

Dear Collector,

I am bequeathing this Lotta Lee Troy painting to a relative in my will and would like to be able to include the artist’s history with it. Can you point me in the right direction?

Troy (1874-1963) was an art teacher in her native Louisiana, where she created most of her works. Your piece, which I believe is a watercolor depicting watercraft, should be insured for $1,500, which is its fair replacement value.

Dear Collector,

Do you remember the TV series “The Monroes”? I still have my third-grade lunchbox showing some of the characters from that show. It’s in pretty good shape, considering I often hit my older brother with it (that’s how I broke the Thermos). Does it have any value?

I don’t have any memories of this Western which ran in the 1966/67 season, so I looked it up on the Internet. Most of the stars were unfamiliar, except Barbara Hershey and Ben Johnson. I did find several references to your Aladdin metal lunchbox, putting its price at between $75 and $125.

Dear Collector,

This old Waterbury clock was a trash find. I got it one morning on my way to work, and have been trying to get it going ever since. If I can get it working, what do you think it will be worth?

If you succeed in getting it to operate, this circa 1880 Vulcan mantle clock could be worth over $300.

Dear Collector,

I have Homer Laughlin dishes; the name on the bottom is “Skytone.” Could you please tell me anything about them?

Skytone is the pattern name of wares developed in 1950. Primarily decorated in light shades of blue, there were a number of decorating schemes including “Star Dust” and “Bluemont.”

Dear Collector,

What is a 1909 penny worth?

Unless it is one of those uncommon coins bearing the designer’s initials, VDB (Victor D. Brenner), your penny has a possible value of about $1.