Hoping the Value Is Music to the Ears

Question: I ran across some stacks of sheet music in my father’s attic composed by Fred Waring and dated 1940 to 1943. The music is in mint condition, and I wondered what its value is.--G.K.

Answer: There is certainly a market for sheet music in this country where there may be as many as 10,000 collectors.

San Luis Obispo collectible writer Robert D. Connolly says much of the value depends not only on condition but who’s on the cover as well.

“People buy not just for the tune but for the picture of a Crosby or a Sinatra,” he said.

Connolly noted that there is a National Sheet Music Society that meets periodically at the Pasadena Public Library.

Helen West Cole, an Oregon dealer (H.W. Cole Enterprises, P.O. Box 201, Woodburn, Ore. 97071) who has been auctioning sheet music by mail for 25 years, said she would be glad to take your collection on consignment.

“I sold more than a thousand dollars worth of sheet music at last month’s auction” to buyers in the United States, Canada and a few in Great Britain, she said.

Although age is no guarantee of value, she said in a recent telephone interview, date and rarity of sheet music count in calculating value besides simply the condition of the collection. Based on these factors, one piece of sheet music could be worth as little as $1 or as much as $200, she added.

Waring, who died in July, 1984, and his Pennsylvanians musical group were very popular, and so there may be thousands of examples of his compositions in collectors’ hands--thus lowering a Waring collection’s value unless there are some specimens that were not widely distributed.

What’s currently hot in sheet music? Dealer Cole said “very old stage-production sheet music produced before 1900” is much in demand and that “ragtime is always good” and should bring a relatively high price in today’s market.

Q: How far back can we trace soda water in this country for the purpose of bottle collecting?--T.F.

A: American production of unflavored soda water--actually seltzer water--can be traced back to the early 19th Century when individuals, such as pharmacists, got the idea that they could market a neutral-tasting product that could satisfy assorted thirsts. It was also felt at the time that such a drink had medicinal value and could cure miscellaneous aches and pains.

But, surprisingly, it wasn’t until the early 1880s that the idea of flavoring soda water spread, leading to mass production of various cola drinks. Coca-Cola soon became a product legend.

Collectors say finding bottles that contained the original seltzer creations of entrepreneurs of more than a century ago is difficult, although they sometimes turn up at flea markets and antique shops.

Oftentimes, the bottles themselves were more interesting than the contents, carrying individual embossed designs or unique shapes. But early 19th-Century production was quite limited.

Catalogue prices range all over the place for examples of these early soda bottles--from a few dollars each to about $100. Price can be dictated by condition, design and unusual coloring. If a collector can research the company and come up with an approximate production date, all the better.

There were hundreds of early producers, so research the subject well before entering the market.