Author: Donna Welch

Hello, Donna,

I have several boxes of old bottles. They are dirty but otherwise in good condition. I think my uncle and dad dug them up years ago. Can you tell me what to do with them? Thank you.

Christine

Dear Christine,

First thing I would do is soak them in the sink with dish detergent. Don’t scrub. Just get the dust and debris off. Letting them sit overnight sometimes helps with this. Bottle collectors will do the rest of the cleaning if deemed appropriate.

Old and antique bottles are in a field of their own. There are plenty of experts out there. They can help in the determination of values. Lots of the items have just a decorative value but some can be rare and in the thousands for resale. So before you just toss them it’s a good idea to have someone look at them.

Send group pictures to a bottle expert online. They can spot valuable ones even this way. Or bring them to your local antique shop and ask if they could peek at them. Either way, Christine, a quick check is always advisable with anything you have questions with. Thanks for sharing with us. I hope you found a treasure!

Dear Donna,

I found this nest blowing around in my front yard over this past month. It was like a dried grass ball. I brought it inside and it actually was, I believe, a bird’s nest.

I was going to toss it and thought maybe I would run it by you first. Is there any value to this? It’s a big one and very full.

Thank you in advance.

Coreen

Dear Coreen,

I’m willing to bet lots of nests didn’t make it in trees. This year was so windy.

Birds’ nests and wasps’ nests are collected for interior decorative reasons. The bigger and cleaner, the better. I have seen huge wasp nests go for a couple hundred in great shape.

As for a bird’s nest I would say the value is in the $20 range. I think if you brought it even to an antique shop you could get half that.

I hope this was helpful, Coreen. Good luck finding a new home.

Hello, Donna,

I recently saw your info on a New England Patriots shirt in the Hippo. Figured I would ask about these two items. Just curious. Thank you in advance,

Emily

Dear Emily,

Thanks for reaching out. Both your items would be collectible to a collector of baseball-themed items. The pricing is tough, though. These types of articles were made en masse. Many can be found unframed. Any collector at the time would probably have saved the papers themselves. But purchasing them framed would have been costly, so I would think they have to be worth in the range of $100+ each.

Emily, I did research and found some out there but not selling for prices they were asking, which are much higher than I feel comfortable with. I think the price I gave you is a fair market value.

Thanks again for sharing and I hope this was helpful.

Dear Donna,

I found this box of assorted watch pieces and metal. Can you give me an idea of a value for it? I took what I wanted and now would like to see someone else enjoy it.

Thank you, Donna.

Terri

Dear Terri,

OK I’m in line for that! Just kidding, but who doesn’t like playing with watch pieces?

I think what I would do first is check for any watch faces, movements etc. Some may be valuable on their own. This I think could be done by a watch repair person and possibly a jeweler.

If you know they are just an assortment of pieces, next I would price it as a lot to someone. People enjoy decorating and doing crafts, jewelry with a lot of it! Sometimes just displaying the bunch in a glass jar makes for interesting conversations.

Terri, from what I can see you have an assortment of pieces from the early 1900s through to the mid to late century. I say the value for the lot if no exceptions is $75.

I hope you find a new home for the box of fun!

Good evening, Donna,

I saw your Treasure Hunt Q&A in the Hippo! I figured I would email and ask about this beautiful soup tureen. I stumbled upon this and the place where I consign and sell to, I’ve looked this item up and it seems as if it may be valuable based on the stamping or pattern.

Thanks for all your advice!

Michelle

Dear Michelle,

Your Johann Haviland Bavaria Germany piece, with no relation to Haviland Limoges France, appears to be in good condition.

The history goes back to the 1800s. Your maker’s mark on the bottom indicates it’s after the 20th century mark (after 1900s). I think depending on age, pattern and piece the values really are all over the place. As with any dishes the unusual pieces tend to have value. Common pieces like plates, cups and saucers stay at a minimum value.

Michelle, the value of your soup tureen is in the $50 range to a collector adding to their set. So it could be a small treasure to you.

Thank you for sharing and I hope this was helpful.

Hey, Donna,

Do you know if my New England Patriots shirt could have value? I got it in the 1980s. I never used it and it’s in great condition. Any help would be appreciated.

Donald

Dear Donald,

Any kind of sports memorabilia is collectible to me.

Your New England Patriots shirt being from the ’80s I would think would be fun for a collector, even though shirts were mass-produced and still are. Ones in unused good condition would definitely have a value. The values would depend on makers, teams, age and always condition.

Sports items in general can reach some substantial money in the collectors market. Rarer and antique items can run in the thousands. Your shirt is in the $60 range. Be interesting to know what you paid for it then.

I hope this was helpful Donald and thanks for sharing.