The collector THE COLLECTOR
Dear Collector,
Could you give me the date, value and maker of this game board?
Your 1890s travel game was based on the exploits of Nellie Bly, the pseudonym of reporter Elizabeth Cochrane (1867-1922), who bested Jules Verne’s “Around the World in 80 Days” by a week. Manufactured by McLoughlin Bros., a New York publisher taken over in the 1920s by Milton Bradley, this colorful game included a spinner and tokens for each player.
Since yours is missing vital parts, I propose that you frame it for display. If complete its value would be over $300. As is, it’s about $200.
Dear Collector,
We’ve found a 1787 Massachusetts one-half cent coin. On it is an Indian with an arrow in his left hand and a spear in his right. Please let us know if it has any value.
Now on the Commonwealth’s seal (no difference between a state and a commonwealth), the figure of a Native American holds a bow, not a spear, and the downward pointing arrow represents peaceful intentions.
Your copper coin, rated in good condition, is worth about $25 to $35.
Dear Collector,
We have six volumes of Aero Digest magazine. What are they worth?
In print from 1922 to 1956, this magazine is now valued at $15 per issue.
Dear Collector,
How old is the upright radio in these pictures? My mother said she had a similar one when she was a child.
The correct designation for this 1929 Apex radio is “console.” It has seven tubes and operates on alternating current. Probable value, in working order, is $125.
Dear Collector,
Could you please tell me the value of this Myers Bullet mixer?
According to the patent and serial numbers you provided, this electric milkshake (or malted) maker dates from 1938. A popular household and commercial make, Myers featured its mixer in at least three colors: ivory, black and white.
Check the wire and plug; they may be defective and require replacing. Value is determined by condition and may be as high as $100.
Dear Collector,
My grandfather got these bookends when he finished high school in 1927. Can you let me know who made them and what they could be worth?
Made by Bradley and Hubbard, a defunct maker of household goods, your circa 1925 cast-iron bookends portray a bust of the great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The value of $150 is small compared to the family history associated with these keepsakes.
Dear Collector,
I have a pin on button that has the word “Will” and an old fashioned skeleton key on it. My question is, who was Will?
What you have is a memento for the 1940 presidential campaign of Wendel Willkie in the form of a rebus: “Will key.”
Dear Collector,
Should I insure my antique Beanie Babies?
They are not antiques, but insure them anyway.
Dear Collector,
Could you speak at the next meeting of our fraternal group?
For a fee, sure.