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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Always better to be conservative with price

Different guides will list  different prices for antiques. (The Spokesman-Review)
Glenn Erardi

Dear Collector: I was born in 1940 and always remember this cookie jar in my mother’s kitchen. It is now in my kitchen. We went to an antiques store and found the jar in a book valued at $450. Could this be possible?

Anything is possible, but not necessarily probable. While the price guide you used gave you that high figure, I have several in front of me, plus a number of Internet sites that give your 1943 Hull jar a lower value, from $250 to $375. It’s my habit to go with the conservative price, always a practical practice.

Dear Collector: Can you tell me if this Cloverdale Ginger Ale thermometer is a reproduction? The woman who sold it to us at a yard sale was unsure, so she charged only $5 for it.

Lucky you! You got an authentic 1950s advertising piece with working thermometer for roughly 1/40 its listed value.

Dear Collector: Is there any value to these LBJ/HHH matches?

Lyndon Baines Johnson and Hubert H. Humphrey garnered the offices of President and Vice President under the Democratic banner in 1964. Your matches were just one of many items produced for that campaign, and their value is $3.

Dear Collector: If I have a 1910 “Boy Scouts of America Official Manual,” how much would it be worth?

I believe this is the earliest scouting tome, going through three editions, with a rough value of $1,000 each. Well, do you have one?

Dear Collector: I’ve seen your book on mustache cups at various stores. I have a number of cups and mugs with three holes on the little bar across the top that protects the mustache.Yet you say these are not authentic mustache cups?

I’ve run across this question many times, and always respond with: “Take a drink of water from your cup, see what happens.” Go ahead, make my day!

Dear Collector: What do you think of these old magazines? I found these and dozens of others sealed in an old mailbag stored in a relative’s barn. I hope they are worth something.

Your list included more than 30 titles, of which I focused on the 1930 “Startling Detective Adventures,” because the bad guy on the cover looks like Adolf Hitler. Since he didn’t come into power until 1932, it must be a coincidence. Anyhow, this issue could be worth more than $50, if in near mint condition.

Dear Collector: I half-heartedly collect beer bottles and cans. I’d like to know the history of Clyde Lager Beer?

Clyde, a product of Enterprise Brewing Company of Fall River, Mass., was made in the 1950s and ’60s. The brewery was in and out of business beginning in 1893, changing names several times before folding in 1963. Collectible cans from this company are worth several hundred dollars each.

Dear Collector: Can you place a value on a Dick Tracy BLB?

Big Little Books, published by Whitman, printed dozens of Dick Tracy stories. The holy grail for collectors is “The Adventures of Dick Tracy,” valued at more than $500.

Dear Collector: In your opinion, will “Star Wars” things become antiques?

Sure, why not? But most of us won’t be here to see it.

Prices quoted reflect retail values, and as with many antiques and collectibles these values vary. Readers are encouraged to submit questions with photos to The Collector, P.O. Box 229, West Boxford, MA 01885-0229 or ask online at: www.askthecollector.com. Please don’t ask help in buying or selling your items.