Author: Donna Welch

Dear Donna,

I have an assortment of wooden balls — croquet balls and others that are larger with no painting on them. I thought before throwing them away I would check — if any interest I would love to give them away. Let me know your thoughts.

Thank you, Donna.

Cecile

Dear Cecile,

Old croquet sets can run in the range of $15 to $100+. That would be for a complete set. the older the better.

Cecile, I think having just the balls would be fun for someone for decorative purposes, crafts etc. I do think the larger brown balls could be bocce balls, from a totally different early game. If so they would be very heavy and a hard dense wood. I think finding a home for free could be tough unless you know someone. So maybe donate them to a church fair, thrift store, or even an antique shop. Cecile, I have to say it’s not often you hear “give away.” It made me smile! Because memories of playing croquet make smiles. I hope you find a new home and life for your collection of fun!

Hello, Donna.

I read your column each week in the Hippo, and I wonder if you could help with a table. I’ve attached some pictures.

My parents got this from a cousin about 15 years ago. Someone was moving and my folks just took the table. It’s very heavy, has Italian marble in it and the dimensions are 102 x 40 x 29.

All of the original chairs are gone and years ago someone told me that it was an expensive table due to the marble. Is that true?

Any information would be appreciated.

Thank you.

John

Dear John,

Your table looks substantial and nice but doesn’t fall into my area for being antique. It does bring up a good point, though.

Even though a piece might not be considered to have an antique value, quality and some age would still give it a value. Better if you had a maker that was well-known in furniture. Then it would be quality, design and as always condition. Last would be finding it a new home.

John, not having the complete set can definitely matter in pricing it as well. My suggestion would be to go out to a few furniture consignment stores to see if you can get an idea of what pricing is for similar size and quality tables.Then you decide how to market it.

I apologize for not having more information for you. Good luck, John, and I hope your table finds a new home.

Dear Donna,

I have a tin full of assorted mostly damaged pieces of old jewelry. I don’t want to throw it away if someone can find a use for it. Can you help me with any information on where to take it? Sell or donate, what’s best? Thank you for any help.

Deb

Dear Deb,

I think before I did anything with it I would go through it. Bring it to a local store you can trust. What to look for would be pieces of gold or silver. Or any signed jewelry, watches etc. that stand out.

After that I would feel safe to either sell it as a lot or even possibly donate it. Crafters love jewelry fragments to remake into new pieces etc.

Wherever you bring it to for help, they might even be interested in purchasing it — an antique collectible shop, jeweler. Even if you don’t find any hidden valuable pieces, the tin lot should be worth at least $25. Cross your fingers! Maybe a tiny treasure is there.

Dear Donna,

Does anybody buy and use Depression glass anymore? When cleaning out my mom’s home I accumulated quite a few pieces. I brought them to a consignment store and got most of them back. Things have changed so much. I never thought I would get them back again. Any advice on what to do now?

Thanks, Donna.

Ellen

Dear Ellen,

First let me say you are right.

Things have changed a lot in the past years. Items that were popular for collecting and displaying are being unloaded as people want simplicity and less clutter now. I do think that some Depression glass is wanted; I also think that as always the best, rarest pieces, and those in the best condition, will always hold high value in the collectors market.

During the Depression era lots of glassware was made. So much of it is still around today. Common pieces seem to now get pushed back.

I think now I would donate it to a fundraising sale or possibly a yard sale yourself. But for value I don’t think I would price it more than $1 or $2 apiece. If there was any more value to them I think that would have been the pieces you didn’t get back.

Good luck, Ellen. Thanks for sharing with us.

Donna

Note: Ellen, if any of the glass is chipped or heavily scratched, toss it!

Dear Donna,

This small vase has been in my family for years. My parents got it for a wedding present back in the 1940s. They were both antique collectors so we have a few different pieces from them. It always sat on our dining room server. In the spring my mom would get flowers for it. Now it is mine and I have all the memories that come with it.

Can you give me any information on it? I will pass this on to my son and hopefully give it a new home.

Thank you.

Heidi

Dear Heidi,

First I want to say thank you for all the photos and information.

Your lovely Arts and Crafts Era vase is a Rookwood pottery piece. It dates back to 1912. All this information is imprinted in the bottom of the vase.

Rookwood is an American company out of Ohio. It has an interesting story (worth researching)and some extremely talented artist pieces. It was so popular for its Arts and Crafts matte finishes and patterns.

Rookwood values are based on condition, age, size, artist, and rarity of pieces. Your vase is 5” and a pea pod pattern in good condition with no damage. It’s in the range of $150+.

Heidi, I just want to say I think your memories of it are so important in passing it on. Just a tiny piece of paper inside will go a long way. Making family pieces important is all in memories!

Thank you for sharing with us and putting a smile on my face.

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!