Many of us have items that we inherited or were given to us, and we know very little about them. Since I write about auction finds with a little history to them, I get questions from readers about their own items.
I had written in one blog post that I was not expert enough to place a value on many of the items I’m asked about. I have done blog posts that served as guides to help readers determine on their own what their stuff is worth.
Starting today, from time to time I’ll choose at least two questions from readers, do some preliminary research and outline my search as a way to help you do the same on your own. It’ll be similar to what I do with my blog posts: use the free resources available to me to find out an item’s history and what it is selling for at a given time in the marketplace.
Here are two questions I received recently and the answers I offered. I’ve also included a trail of questions and responses to a query from an 80-year-old woman from Iowa in search of a book from her childhood. It was a children’s book written in the 1930s that I wrote about in a blog post as objectionable because of its stereotypical images of black children.
In fact, I asked the reader to answer questions for another blog post about the book and her remembrances of it, and she obliged.
You’ll see in my answers below that I also pointed readers to websites where they could learn more about their items besides the value. Becoming educated about what you own is very important to ensure that you don’t just give your stuff away or unwittingly dispose of your family history.
Question:
I have two Coca-Cola trays, a girl holding a glass of Coca-Cola in her left hand and she has her right hand on a pendant around her neck. Back of the tray says 1927 Calender Girl. The other tray has a girl with her left hand under her chin and holding a Coca-Cola bottle with her right hand. The back of the tray has no writing.
My Answer:
More than likely, your first tray is a reproduction. I found several repros just by Googling “1927 Coke calendar girl.” Does your tray look like this one, which is a 1974 repro.
Here’s more info about Coke advertising trays. And here’s the answer to a question about a repro. Here is a guide to help you determine if yours is authentic or a repro. Here’s an interesting 2009 interview with a Coke memorabilia collector.
You can also check eBay to see what the 1974 trays are selling for. I found asking prices on the web for $20 to $25 for the reproductions, and more than $100 for original trays from the 1920s.
Since you didn’t send photos of the trays, the second tray sounds like a 1953 Menu Girl Tray. It could be an original, and I found several that had been sold for $9.99 to $45 on eBay and $90 on a retail site. A lot of them were not selling on eBay.
Question:
I have a hardcover book of the Philadelphia Public Ledger for the entire month of September 1935. Any idea what this is? 23″ long and 17″ wide and approximately 4″ thick. Haven’t been able to get any info on this.
My Answer:
Are there any markings or a manufacturer’s name on the cover of the binder or on any inside pages or on the spine? Look very closely to see if there’s anything that might offer a clue as to who bound the papers. That should give you a place to start on the web to find out more about the papers.
The bound papers may have belonged to the newspaper’s library or a public library. Before microfilm, newspapers bound old copies for research. When I worked at the Philadelphia Inquirer not too long ago, the library kept bound copies of recent newspapers that we’d use to look up old articles. I’m sure that the same was done back in 1935.
Here’s some information I came across on the web about newspapers doing just that.
You may be able to find someone or a site on the web with a person who’s an expert in old newspapers. I’ve found that folks collect practically everything and become experts in what they collect. The blogger at the link above appears to be an expert in old newspapers. Drop him a line.
If you want to sell the bound papers, you should check eBay to see what they are being sold for. It’s a good idea, too, to find out if any significant event happened in September 1935 and is contained in a story in any of the newspapers. That could entice someone to buy the papers on eBay.
Question:
When I was a child, I read the book “Nicodemus and His New Shoes.” I would like to buy it. Do you have any idea where I could locate it and the price?
My Answer:
You should be able to find a copy by searching via Google. Since the book is out of print, it’s likely to be costly.
Reader’s Response:
I have been looking for it for some time, but can’t locate it. I realize it will be expensive.
My Answer:
Did you search by Googling “Nicodemus new shoes”? When I did a quick search, I found at least three books: one on amazon.com for $605, two at alibris.com for $49 & $150, and one at abebooks.com for $150.
Reader’s Response:
I finally located the book at Abe Books for I believe $49.50. I read this book as a child and am looking forward to reading it to my grandchildren. Thanks for your help.
Reader’s Response:
The book turned out to not be the right one. It was $49.50 and so I returned it. When I’m sure I will get my money back, I’ll order the correct one, which is $70 if it is still available. The correct one is “Nicodemus and His Little Sister.”
Reader’s Response:
I received the book “Nicodemus and His Little Sister.” Turns out it wasn’t the book I wanted either. I don’t know if the book I’m interested in involved his mother or grandmother. I vaguely remember him bringing a dog home and his mother or grandmother said he should have put it on a leash. Then (I think) he was told to bring home a pound of butter and he drug it home on a leash. There were probably 5 different examples of (him) doing something wrong, but doing it as they told him to do with the former object. Make sense?
My Answer:
I Googled “nicodemus and butter” and found a reference to another book that sounded like the one you are looking for. It was illustrated by Inez Hogan but not written by her. I think this is the one you want. It’s called “Epaminondas and his Auntie.”
You can see a copy of the book here.
Reader’s Response:
You are correct. That’s the one I want. Now to see if I can find it.
Reader’s Response:
I did and it was 5 dollars something plus 3 something postage so I ordered it. Thanks so much for your help.
