THE COLLECTOR
Dear Collector,
Please find photos of Hubley Pirate Pistol and box which were in a drawer for about 50 years; I would appreciate your evaluation of them.
One authority suggests a price of $250 for the cap gun and $200 for the box (reproductions of which sell for $75). Earlier this spring, a similar pistol and packaging auctioned for $600. To further confuse matters, one of these guns recently sold for just $42 on eBay, the Internet auction site. I feel that you should insure your late 1940s toy for no less than $500.
Dear Collector,
I bought this “Mrs. Rasmussen’s Book of One-Arm Cookery” book for $7 at a church fair just for its odd title. Is it worth more than what I paid?
I’m not completely sure what the title means, but you paid the average price for this 1946 cookbook written by Mary Laswell.
Dear Collector,
Have you ever seen a Pepsi advertising thermometer like the one in this picture? What is its value?
Urging us to “Have a Pepsi,” your 1950s marketing piece has a possible value of $150.
Dear Collector,
My lunchbox from the third grade is still in good condition. I dropped the matching thermos bottle on the first or second day of school, and my mother replaced it with a plain one. What do you think the lunchbox is worth?
An Aladdin Industries product, this 1961 steel “Huckleberry Hound and His Friends” box has great graphics done by Elmer Lehnhardt. As a bonus, “Quick Draw McGraw and Friends,” by the same artist, decorates the other side. Price range is between $125 and $200. Your lost bottle would have added another $100.
Dear Collector,
Can you tell me how much this old 2-cent postcard is worth?
Issued in 1951, your postal card (this is what the Post Office calls postcards) bearing the likeness of Benjamin Franklin, the first Postmaster of the U.S., is now worth 50 cents in its unused condition.
Dear Collector,
I’ve had this Suzy Smart doll since my childhood but lost her desk, chair, blackboard and easel. Even without her accessories, is she still valuable?
Billed as “The Talking School Doll,” your 1962 Suzy with blond ponytail and sleep eyes is valued at about $300 mint in box, while the doll itself is only worth $50.
Dear Collector,
My sister bought this Stangl vase about 10 years ago. Its shape seems to place it in the 1950s or earlier; can you give us some hint as to how old it is?
This orange and green Sunburst pattern vase was made in 1929.
Dear Collector,
We had a piano in our house when I was growing up, which my mother often played. The piano is long gone but I’ve kept some of the sheet music, including Mom’s favorite: “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” Can you tell me what it is worth? I don’t expect to sell it; it holds too many memories.
Composed in 1931 by the trio of W. Schwandt, F. Andree and Gus Kahn (“Toot, Toot, Tootsie, Goodbye”), your keepsake is valued at $5.