Motivated by Sentiment or Speculation

Why do people collect? How do they decide what to collect? Is the man with 5,000 adjustable wrenches seeking to learn how the design improved, or does it bring memories of fixing cars with Dad? Does the woman with hundreds of dolls seek to make up for her meager toy supply as a child?

Many think collecting is a form of investment: Buy it now, save it in mint condition, sell it later at a profit. But that is not always true. By the time investors realized that old, boxed “Star Wars” toys sold well, there were hundreds of others saving the same things, creating a huge supply to be sold in the future. If the supply is large, the price usually will not go up.

Experts say collectors are like squirrels hunting nuts. The ones who are the most successful at interpreting the clues are the ones who get the prize, be it an acorn or a rare G.I. Joe figure. This may be a way to prove superiority. The collector who owns the rarest and the best is usually the winner.

Some collectors want to complete a set. The search is on for every Beanie Babies toy or every stamp used in Tonga. When the set is complete, the collector often gets rid of the collection because the fun is gone.

A small group of collectors are historians. They search for political buttons, books or Civil War memorabilia and then study the objects to learn about the past. The history of cooking is explained by objects such as iron-handled eggbeaters and fireplace toasters.

Most collectors still want what has appeal. A vase may look like the one in Grandmother’s house. Maybe the comfortable chair looks like Dad’s, or an attractive paperweight awakens a pleasant memory.

Many people are not collectors at all, but merely want to furnish a home. Older tables, beds, pictures, silverware, dinner sets and other useful items are less expensive and less commonplace than those found in the department store. Trips to shops, shows and flea markets can be family outings. Often, memories of where the antiques were found add to the enjoyment.

Whatever the reason, the collector can have fun, make new friends and enjoy a house full of special treasures.

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Question: My parents were married in 1946 while my father was in the Army. My mother just found her plaster wedding-cake bride and groom in her attic. I was surprised that the little groom was wearing a military uniform. Was this common? Is the cake decoration valuable?

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Answer: Wedding cake toppers made of a small bride and groom attached to a base became popular in the United States in the 1880s. The first were made of hardened sugar. During the 1900s, bride and groom toppers of varying quality had been made of wood, bisque, porcelain, chalkware or plastic. During World War II and into the early 1950s, a limited number of groom toppers wearing military uniforms were produced. They sell from $35 to $50.

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Q I have a metal plate that pictures a woman with flowing hair and a pink hair band. On the back it reads, “Compliments of Mattie Brewing Co., phone East 66, Home ex 942, Los Angeles, Cal., Pat. Feb. 21st 1905.”

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A Tin plates decorated with colorful pictures printed directly on the metal were popular advertising giveaways in the early 1900s. The most famous companies making these plates or trays were in Coshocton, Ohio.

J.F. Meeks Tuscarora Advertising Co. and H.D. Beach’s Standard Advertising Co. made thousands marked with the name of a customer or with their own name. Most of these plates sell for about $50.

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Q I inherited an eight-sided porcelain bowl decorated with pink and blue flowers. It is marked with a crown and the words “Royal Cauldon, England, Est. 1774, Bittersweet.”

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A The mark you describe was used by the Cauldon Potteries Ltd. of the Staffordshire district of England between 1930 and 1950. The company was founded as Cauldon Ltd. in 1905. It became the Cauldon Potteries Ltd. in 1920. In 1962, it was acquired by Pountney & Co. Ltd. of Bristol, England. “Bittersweet” is the pattern.

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Q My 16-inch Shirley Temple doll is in mint condition, except that her hair is not curled in the back. Should I have someone fix the hairdo, or is it better to keep it as I found it?

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A You probably have the 1972 Ideal Toy Shirley Temple doll. The doll was made with hair that was not curly in back. Probably as a cost-cutting measure, the 1972 doll had painted teeth and not individual teeth like the original 1930s or the 1950s versions. Your doll is worth about $125 in mint condition.

For a listing of helpful books and publications, include a self-addressed, stamped (55 cents) envelope to Kovels, Los Angeles Times, King Features Syndicate, 235 E. 45th St., New York, NY 10017.

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Current Prices

Figures are recorded from antique shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary because of local economic conditions.

* Monopoly game, popular edition, 1954, $40.

* American silver-plated salt cellars, cranberry glass liners, circular, pierced sides, ball feet, circa 1890, 1 1/2 inches, pair, $90.

* Pickard pitcher, Morning Glories, gilded band, 1912-1918 mark, 6 1/2 inches, $110.

* Bohemian glass vase, engraved, ruby-stained, Castle and Bird design, circa 1890, 6 1/2 inches, pair, $125.

* Goldtone compact with matching lipstick, square, faux pearls on lid, mirror and powder well, gold-and-black-thread design, signed “Ciner,” 3 by 3 inches, $180.

* Ben Casey comic book, No. 2, 1960, $220.

* Whistle Morning-Noon-Night sign, tin, “Thirsty? Just Whistle,” yellow ground, red middle, black lettering, 1940, round, 14 inches, $245.

* Hummel annual plate, 1971, Heavenly Angel, box, $370.

* French Provincial Empire daybed, rounded sides, free-standing columns, turret-form feet, circa 1830, 37 1/2 by 70 1/2 inches, $825.

* Vogue Ginny doll, plastic head, auburn wig, toddler body, tagged dress, 1953, 8 inches, $1,000.