Games of character hold low value
Dear Collector,
I acquired these Walt Disney “character card games” at a garage sale a few years ago. The set of six is complete and in good condition, even the box. There is no indication regarding manufacturer. Can you tell me when this item was produced and a value?
Packaged in a unique Disneyland Monorail box, this 1960 group of card games was made by Russell Mfg. of Leicester, Mass., where in 1774 the term “Minutemen” originated. Along with those in the photo are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, Mickey Mouse, and the Three Little Pigs. Surprisingly, the listed value is only $15. It seems it should be higher but those offered on eBay, the Internet auction site, have sold for even less.
Dear Collector,
Can you tell me if this vase with the name C. Romanelli inscribed on the bottom has any value? It was given to my father by actress Veronica Lake when he painted her house in the early 1940s.
Romanelli, descended from a long line of Italian sculptors, was brought onboard Metlox, a Manhattan Beach, Calif., company, pottery in the late 1930s, to design a line of decorative figural pieces. Your nude female is worth at least $100. The fact that it came from silver screen siren Lake should add another $50 to its value.
Dear Collector,
I am looking for an honest appraisal of a 1923 billion Mark coin, which I believe is very rare.
Issued by the German province of Westfalen (Westphalia) to address the hyper-inflation that overtook the country after World War I, your coin joined the other Notgeld, or emergency money that was printed and minted by cities, companies and the national government, sometimes with a single note or coin issued at a trillion marks. In the late months of 1923, your handsome coin, bearing on its obverse the likeness of Baron von Stein, a noteworthy statesman, didn’t have enough value to purchase a loaf of bread priced at over 50 billion marks! Today, its worth as a collectible is at least $100.
Dear Collector,
I am interested in knowing the value of my Winchester Model 94 Sesquicentennial .30-30 rifle? It has never been fired and is still in original case.
Winchester made 37,000 special guns in 1968 to commemorate Illinois entering the Union in 1818. Selling for about $100 when new, your lever action rifle now has a value of almost $400.
Dear Collector,
I purchased a GE Model 7F76 alarm clock for $10 at a consignment store in 1990. To my surprise I saw the same clock at an antique store for $100 about eight years ago. Can you tell me anything about this clock and its value?
I can tell you that eight years ago your mid-1930s mirror-fronted “Geneva” probably should not have been priced at $100, because right now it’s listed for $70-$80.