THE COLLECTOR
Dear Collector,
Can you help identify this vase I found at a yard sale? There is a partial paper label with the letters “ORR” above “CA.”
I found a pottery in Torrance, Calif., which matched the label: California Originals, a brand name of Heirlooms of Tomorrow, produced bric-a-brac and knickknacks for major department stores during the 1940s and ‘50s. If you paid less than $5 for this candy dish, then it was a bargain.
Dear Collector,
I decided to brighten up some old coins as they were quite dark with age. What can I do to clean them?
Whoa! The three criteria for coins are condition, condition and condition. Do not attempt to bring old coins to a shine, signs of age are OK; you would only reduce their value.
Dear Collector,
Here are some photos of “Future Fiction,” an old magazine that I got years ago. It seems to be in good condition.
Your March 1940 issue has stories by Isaac Asimov and Jack Williamson, two famous names in science fiction literature. Current value on this pulp magazine is $15.
Dear Collector,
I have a Minnesota sewing machine which was given to me by an aunt many years ago. Anything you can tell me about this treadle run machine will be appreciated.
Beginning in the 1890s, Sears Roebuck went into competition with Singer and White, two of the largest manufacturers of sewing machines. Selling under the brand names Minnesota and Burdick, Sears had many of their products made by National Sewing Machine, Goodrich and American Sewing. Your circa 1890 cabinet model sold for about $24 when new; far less than its present value of $200-$250.
Dear Collector,
While attending a flea market, I bought this “Rootie Kazootie Club” button for $3.50. I was told by my grandmother this came from an old TV show. Is that true?
Now I feel very old, because this was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. Rootie, a puppet, and his pals (Polka Dottie, Gala Poochie and Mr. Deetle Doodle) appeared on club pinbacks. They are valued at $10 each, but if you can assemble a complete set of six, then the price goes to almost $100.
Dear Collector,
I have two pieces left to me by my father whose ancestors were German. I am older and before I give them to my children I’d like to know something about them.
Since I have space to answer only one question, I’ll tell you something about your plate marked “Bonn” inside a castle. This backstamp was used by Steingutfabrik (Earthenware Factory) Franz Anton Mehlem, a potter founded in the Rhineland city of Bonn in the 1830s. This plate dates from between 1900 and 1920, after which time Mehlem was taken over by Villeroy and Boch.
Dear Collector,
I am sending a copy of a $50 bill from 1934 that I’ve had for several years. What is its value?
Though our coins bear the date in which they’re minted, paper money carries the year that that particular design was adopted. So, in theory, your bill could have been printed years after 1934. Because your note has visible creases (vertical and horizontal), it falls into the $60-$80 category.