Grandma’s china valuable for its origins
Dear Collector: Please find enclosed a picture of English bone china. I believe this to be a tea service that belonged to my paternal grandmother. I am anxious to know its history and worth.
The Staffordshire-based maker of your circa 1903 set was Samuel Radford, who is credited with producing porcelain and bone china, itself a type of porcelain containing different ingredients. Your letter lists multiple pieces; too many to place a value on. And anyway, haven’t you always considered Granny’s things valuable – otherwise, why keep them?
Dear Collector: While going through some of my husband’s old papers that his mom had saved for him, I found a first edition of Sports Illustrated dated Aug. 16, 1954. It is in excellent shape. Is it worth anything?
Listed as high as $150; a more conservative value of $50 to $80 should be considered.
Dear Collector: Are these Straight Arrow cards worth anything, or should I just toss them? I have 40 of them.
Straight Arrow (the alter ego of crime fighter Steve Adams), appeared on radio during the late 1940s and early ‘50s. Your cards, issued in a different set of 36 each year from 1949 to 1952, are worth as much as $4 apiece. Still thinking of tossing them?
Dear Collector: I have a cast-iron Saint Bernard bank. One of his legs is marked “Copyright 1900.” Can you tell me something about it?
A copyright date is not the same as a date of manufacture. Generally an item is made after (sometimes way after) it is patented. Your rescue dog is actually a spaniel carrying a pack. As long as there’s been no repainting, he’s worth about $300.
Dear Collector: I am 80 years old and remember my mother unpacking her china. The seal on the back says “Georgian Homer Laughlin.” Can you give me any info?
The Eggshell variety (yours is decorated in Homer Laughlin’s Countess design) was introduced in 1940, though the Georgian pattern goes back to 1933. As implied by its name, Eggshell is a light, semi-translucent ware. It would take too much space in this column to put a value on each piece of service for 12 (with some unidentified pieces missing). I hope when you use the settings, you tell your diners they’re eating off plates more than half a century old.
Dear Collector: I have a Sorry game from 1934 in perfect condition. What is it worth?
Parker Brothers, now owned by Hasbro, presented Monopoly in 1935. But a year earlier, Sorry, one of their most popular board games, was introduced. A mint Monopoly goes for $1,000; while sorry to say, a vintage Sorry in the same shape has a high value of $75.