Dopey toy makes owner look pretty smart

Dear Collector: Can you tell me anything about this Dopey wind-up toy? It belonged to my mother and would only come out at Christmas.

A 1938 Louis Marx & Co. toy, this tin representation of Disney’s beloved dwarf is a find at $300.

Dear Collector: My grandmother received this pitcher as a gift on her wedding day in 1900. It’s in perfect condition. Can you please tell me its value?

According to its backstamp (maker’s mark), the date you provided seems right for this piece of porcelain made by C. Tielsch & Co., a German potter located at that time in Altwasser, now part of Poland. The value of Granny’s keepsake should not be measured in coins, but in remembrances, which always beats out bucks.

Dear Collector: I have an antique Singer sewing machine and would like to know the value if possible. The ID number is G273XXX. It was purchased in the 1920s or ‘30s by my grandfather.

Not only can I track down its date of manufacture (1913), I can also prove that it was made in Singer’s Elizabeth, N.J., factory. The original selling price on your Model 29 was about $40, quite a sum in those days. You neglected to mention the machine’s condition. If working it should be worth $50 to $75. Oh, by the way, this Singer is not an antique; not for a few years anyway.

Dear Collector: I am 68 and remember this Keebler bluebird clock from when I was little. Could you tell me how old it is?

A variation on the cuckoo clock, your circa 1935 pendulette is cased in molded wood resembling a rustic cabin with a bluebird feeding its young. Luckily, you still have the packing box, which would put the clock’s value at more than $100.

Dear Collector: I have an Aunt Jemima and Uncle Mose salt and pepper set made in Dayton, Ohio, by F&F Mold and Die Works. They show signs of wear. Age please?

Your promotional items are from the 1950s. In reasonable condition their value is $10 to $15.

Dear Collector: Attached is a photo of a proof set of 1948 to 1968 coins from Israel. They are still sealed in plastic; can you tell me what they’re worth?

Even after a generation, your six coin collection is only worth $3. This is an average from eBay, the Internet auction site.

Dear Collector: I have a “New Delineators Recipes” cookbook from 1929.

I’m not sure where the title for this popular hardcover book came from, but it may derive from sketching or outlining, as in describing recipes. Listed at $35 to $40, this volume from Butterick Publishing can still be found in homes today.

Dear Collector: Am looking for information on Freeman Leidy decorative pottery. History of said artist, etc.

The omission of a hyphen between the names makes a world of difference. Your inquiry leads to Ceramic Originals, a Laguna Beach, Calif., company founded by Russell Leidy and Cloyd Leland Freeman in 1944. Makers of artware, they ceased operation in the mid-1950s.