THE COLLECTOR
Dear Collector,
I got this cookie jar from my mother-in-law years ago. I’ve never used it; wouldn’t hold enough cookies for my six children. Could you give me a date and value on it?
As good fortune would have it, your circa 1950s elephant jar can be traced to Shawnee, a Zanesville, Ohio, company who often stamped its wares with a simple “USA.” Elephants with a raised trunk are considered lucky, though only in America, Canada and Europe. This bit of superstition cannot be found in today’s elephant homelands: Asia and Africa. Your bow tied “Lucky” may lack cookie capacity, but he’s not deficient in value with an estimated worth of $400.
Dear Collector,
On my way to school in 1930, I paid for a candy bar with a quarter. Upon counting my change, I found I had a nickel and an 1860 half-dime instead of a dime. I’d appreciate knowing its value.
Your 90 percent silver coin has a slightly smaller diameter than the Mercury dime you should have received. You didn’t get shortchanged because it’s now worth between $12 and $17.
Dear Collector,
I own an 1873 Winchester rifle serial number 358XXX. It’s been in the family for a long time. Can you give me an idea on its value?
A Second Model, this 1890 lever-action gun could be worth in excess of $500 even in a fair to poor condition.
Dear Collector,
I’ve been wondering for years if this funny little vase is worth anything? It just appeared mysteriously when we moved 30 years ago.
I can tell you that it was made by Porcelain Factory Tettau, sometimes called Royal Bayreuth, between 1902 and 1957, but I cannot even give a guesstimate of its value.
Dear Collector,
My husband, who is a martial arts freak, got this karate action figure (we girls call it a doll) at our local flea market. He paid $10 for it. Was that too much?
I’m surprised that your husband didn’t recognize Oddjob, the lethal bowler hat hurling villain from the 1964 James Bond flick “Goldfinger.” Bulky actor Harold Sakata played the part – my favorite Bondsian bad guy. The missing hat brings this 1965 Gilbert toy down a notch or two in value, to about $50.
Dear Collector,
This teapot was a wedding gift to my grandparents in 1903. Can you tell us something about it and also its value?
Made by John Sadler, whose father James founded an English factory producing fine earthenware teapots, your “Brown Betty” (perhaps named after a popular pudding of the time) bears a partial Design Registry Number that may date it to the 1890s. When I’m asked about the dollar value of an object that’s been in a family for generations, I often answer with something like: “Nothing is more valuable than history.” In the case of your teapot, the past is greater than the cash.