Signature increases item’s value

Dear Collector: I found this pitcher in storage and would like to know its age, maker and value?

Simple enough. It was made in Limoges, France, between 1892 and 1907 by Tressemanes & Vogt, a well-respected porcelain maker. Bearing a decorator’s signature, your ewer (mug, pitcher or ewer, each serves relatively the same purpose; however, value increases with rank) shows that it was hand painted, making it worth $200 plus.

Dear Collector: What’s my old Danny Kaye comic book worth?

More accurately titled “Patches,” your 1947 copy of this seven-issue comic from Rural Home/Patches Publishing features Kaye in his movie role as “The Kid from Brooklyn.” Depending on condition, value range is $20 to $100.

Dear Collector: I just got a birthday card in the mail from a longtime friend. She put a 1939 3-cent postage stamp on it, as 1939 is the year of my birth. Is that stamp now worth more than face value?

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Panama Canal, your commemorative jugate stamp portrays Teddy Roosevelt and George W. Goethals, the canal’s builder, and is worth 25 cents.

Dear Collector: This flowerpot is marked “NM.” Who made it and when?

Sometimes referred to as a porch jar, your circa 1940s matte green piece came from Nelson McCoy of Roseville, Ohio. Although you didn’t ask, I can tell you that it’s valued at $300 in one leading price guide.

Dear Collector: I can’t believe I found this $10 Silver Certificate in an old book from my father’s library. As you may be able to see from the enclosed photos, the bill is in very good shape. What is it worth?

Printed from 1891 to 1908, this large size note was redeemable for its equivalence in silver. You’ve made a good find; its value exceeds $500.

Dear Collector: My mother got this quail salt-and-pepper set back when I was a kid, and they were always on the kitchen table where we ate most of our meals. Are they valuable?

Red Wing made your keepsake bobwhites, not quails, back in the 1950s. In terms of money, they’re worth $50. Totaling up all the remembrances when they occupied a place at the table would make them priceless.

The Collector: While clearing out some things in the attic I happened across this small movie poster for “Jungle Drums of Africa.” How much is it worth?

From the late 1940s Republic Pictures serial starring the pre-Lone Ranger Clayton Moore, this 11-inch by 14-inch card is one of a set that was displayed inside a theater’s lobby. Yours, called the “title” card is worth about $15.