The Collector
Dear Collector,
I paid $7 for this object at a going-out-of-business antique shop. The salesperson had no clue as to what it is. It measures 5 1/4 inches long by 2 inches wide and 2 inches high. My best guess is that it is a souvenir involving a bridge, or it’s a writing pen or chopstick cradle. Can you help?
Definitely not for chopsticks, your cast iron “whatisit” could have been for ink pens, but the consensus in the office is that it may have been used to hold curling irons over a hot stove. Anyone else want to take a crack at it?
Dear Collector,
I believe this chocolate set, owned by my grandparents, is more than 100 years old. The bottom of everything except the plate is marked “Made in Japan.”
Prior to 1921, wares from Japan were backstamped “Made in Nippon.” Between 1921 and 1941 is when your mark was used on this Satsuma set.
Dear Collector,
In the 1970s my dad bought me this Davy Crockett clock at a flea market. Any idea how much it might be worth?
Part of the popular genre of collectibles inspired by Disney’s TV series of the 1950s, this timepiece manufactured by United Clock is worth about $150 in working order.
Dear Collector,
I have an 1838 dime in mint condition. On the front it has a man with a flag. Please tell me if it has any value.
Not a man but Lady Liberty holding a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom, on a Liberty Pole. Your coin, if in mint state (which means it’s never been circulated) could be worth thousands of dollars. More likely, your dime falls into a lesser category and has a value ranging from $20 to $35.
Dear Collector,
I would like to know who made this cigarette case and when.
Stamped with the initials (MH) for Moore & Hofman, your silver case was made in their Newark, New Jersey factory in the early 1920s.
Dear Collector,
What do you think my Classics Illustrated “Caesar’s Conquests” comic is worth?
You have a 1959 reprint of this high-brow comic originally issued in 1956. Your copy is listed at $20.
Dear Collector,
This “Shopping Center Game” surfaced when we were cleaning out our house before putting it up for sale. As far as I can see, there are no missing pieces, and the playing board is in good shape. Before I donate it to Goodwill, I want to know what it is worth.
Published in 1957 by Whitman (Little Big Books, etc.), when there were about three dozen “shopping centers/malls” in the country, your game has a value of $25.
Dear Collector,
How much is my Prestone Anti-Freeze thermometer worth?
Made in the 1940s or ‘50s, your advertising thermometer is worth a cool $100.
Dear Collector,
Please tell me if this china dog is valuable.
You forgot to send photos along with your letter– oops!