Will reader win with Winnie?
Dear Collector,
We found this “Winnie the Pooh” in the attic. The tag on the foot says “© MCMLXVI Walt Disney Prod., Made in Japan.” How old is it and what is it worth?
Using our handy-dandy Roman numeral decoding ring, we arrive at the date of 1966 for your sawdust filled find. Check for another tag on his hind foot bearing the Jestia trademark. This Japanese company made Pooh and companions under license from Disney specifically for sale at Sears, Roebuck. Value would be around $20.
Dear Collector,
Does the Pabst beer sign in these photos have any value, even if the thermometer is broken?
Replace the thermometer, and your 1960s tin advertising sign could be worth as much as $100.
Dear Collector,
I am not a stamp collector but I did come across some interesting stamps (pics enclosed) on a bunch of old letters sent to a relative years ago. Please tell me they are valuable, or at least rare.
All of your commemorative postage stamps are from the mid-1950s. None are rare. None are valuable. In 1893 the U.S. honored Christopher Columbus with a one-cent stamp (considered the first commemorative issue) that is now worth as much as $500 for a block of six.
Dear Collector,
My father served in Vietnam where he took some personal items including photos, letters and what he thinks is a pay book from a dead North Vietnamese Army soldier. Would these things have any interest for collectors of war memorabilia?
I can’t speak for those collectors, but I would suggest you or your father try to return these things. It would be easy enough to find a translator among the many Vietnamese who’ve settled here. And I’m sure that there must be some informal conduit for the transmission of such effects. Do the research.
Dear Collector,
My mother has this small Westclox “Shirley Temple” clock. Since Shirley was a star in the 1930s, and Mom is only 55, she thinks it was old when she got it.
Even though this pocket watch has a photo dial showing a six-year old Shirley, it was made in 1958. Surprisingly, this relatively modern timepiece has a value exceeding $200.
Dear Collector,
My sons were playing under our house and found an old Burgermeister Pale Beer can and wanted me to ask you if it was worth anything?
Back in the 1960s, when I lived in San Francisco, I remember imbibing a “Burgie” or two at the local suds shop. Looking online, I see they went bust in the early 1970s, which would mean that breweriana (cans, bottles, trays, etc.) would be considered collectible. But as to putting a price on the particular can your sons stumbled upon, I’d have to know age and condition first. Oh, and a photo would be appreciated.