Antique teapot safer behind glass
Dear Collector: This teapot was from my great-aunt who lived in Massachusetts in the mid to late 1800s. It is marked “Dixon & Smith, 6.” Could you give me this value on this?
According to the genealogy included in your letter, this pot made in Sheffield, England, predates your relative by maybe two generations. The makers, Dixon & Smith, were in business from 1811 to 1822, so you have a real antique. Your family heirloom, measured in teacups (6), should be displayed behind glass, with a nice note on its history. I’d suggest that you have it insured for at least $300, which may cover the cost of replacement, but could never purchase a substitute for its personal history.
Dear Collector: My mom was given this cookie jar shortly after she got married in 1958. It was made by Hall’s. I have not been able to find it in the cookie jar books or online. Could it be valuable?
Since it is actually a pretzel jar, you would not come across it in the books. As you said, it was made by Hall China Co. of East Liverpool, Ohio, and it obviously dates to the ’50s, though the line (“Blue Bouquet”) was produced into the 1960s. You may be surprised to know it’s valued at over $200.
Dear Collector: Someone who knows about these things told me this implement was used long ago to help lace up shoes and boots. Is this true?
’Tis partially true. Employed to assist buttoning boots and shoes in the olden days of great-grandmother’s time, this tool with a small hook on a long, thin shaft is called, appropriately enough, a “button hook.” Folks also think most of the handles are ivory, when in reality they’re usually celluloid, an early form of plastic. Objects similar to the one in your pictures (should I say hook-alikes?) go for a trifling $5. But they do make unique conversation pieces.
Dear Collector: One of my favorite books was this copy of “Little Women” that I kept from when I was young. The dust jacket is tattered, but the cover and pages inside are still OK. What do you think it’s worth?
Your 1955 Whitman edition has little monetary value but appears to hold a king’s ransom in reminiscences for you. What would you rather have, a few dollars or a million memories?