Category: Family Fun

Treasure Hunt 26/04/02

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.

Treasure Hunt 26/03/26

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!

Treasure Hunt 26/03/19

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.

Kiddie Pool 26/03/12

Family fun for whenever

Books for everybody

Need some new reads? Children’s paperbacks are 25 cents, hardbacks are $1 at the Friends Annual Book and Media Sale at the Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St. in Nashua, Saturday, March 14, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, March 15, from noon to 4 p.m., according to nashualibrary.org. (There is a Friends-only preview on Friday, March 13, 4 to 8 p.m.; you can join the Friends that night, according to a library Facebook post). The sale will also feature gently used books for adults as well as games, puzzles and more, priced at 25 cents to $2, the website said. Make a Saturday morning of it: The Library’s Family Store Time runs from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Lil’ runners

This year’s Northwestern Mutual Shamrock Shuffle — the 2-mile run/walk that usually takes place on the day of Manchester’s St. Patrick’s parade (this year’s parade was canceled) — will instead take place the weekend before. On Saturday, March 14, participants will run the Shuffle on Canal Street in downtown Manchester starting at 11 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., there will be a 100-yard Lil’ Leprechaun Run for ages 8 and under, according to millenniumrunning.com/shamrock, where you can find registration information.

Phish for the kids

Rock & Roll Playhouse will bring “Music of Phish” to the BNH Stage, 16 S. Main St. in Concord, on Sunday, March 15, at 11 a.m. “The Rock and Roll Playhouse band offers its core audience of families with children age 1 to 7 games, movement, stories and most importantly an opportunity to rock out,” according to ccanh.com, where you can purchase tickets.

Fish for the kids

Thursdays through April 16 are “Big Fish Little Fish” days at Seacoast Science Center in Odiorne Point State Park in Rye with special themes and a group program scheduled at 11 a.m., geared at ages 0 to 5, according to a press release. On Thursday, March 12, it’s Turtle Time with special guest speaker Raspberry, and the theme for March 19 and March 26 is Pirates, the press release said. The center is open on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. See seacoastsciencecenter.org to purchase tickets.

Treasure Hunt 26/03/12

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.

Kiddie Pool 26/03/05

Family fun for whenever

Video game history

• On Sunday, March 8, SEE Science Center, 200 Bedford St. in Manchester, will celebrate Ralph Baer, the German-born engineer who lived in Manchester and is known as “the father of video games,” according to see-sciencecenter.org. According to SEE’s Facebook page, the day will feature activities celebrating his legacy, which will be included with regular admission — $15 per person ages 3 and up, according to the website. The Center is open Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the last admission of the day at 4 p.m., the website said.

Maple season

• New Hampshire’s Maple Weekend is Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, this year but Ben’s Sugar Shack, 8 Webster Highway in Temple, offers free tours on weekends throughout March, according to bensmaplesyrup.com. This weekend, visit Saturday, March 7, or Sunday, March 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a tour that demonstrates the maple syrup making process from tree to pancake. And, of course, the tour will include samples of maple products such as maple soft-serve ice cream, maple roasted nuts, maple cotton candy, maple soda, maple fudge, maple barbecue sauce, maple syrup and more, the website said.

• Charmingfare Farm, 774 High St. in Candia, kicks off its Maple Express event celebrating maple season with times for the public Saturdays and Sundays, March 6-22 (as well as some school group days). Visit the sugarhouse, see boiling sap, learn about tree tapping and taste the syrup during the event, which also features visits with the animals and a horse-drawn or tractor ride, according to the website, where you can purchase tickets for specific times during the event.

Big screen fun

• Chunky’s Cinema Pub, 707 Huse Road in Manchester, chunkys.com, will feature new Disney Pixar release Hoppers in its “Little Lunch Date” screening on Tuesday, March 10, at 11:30 a.m. The lights will be slightly dimmed and admission costs $5, according to the website. Let this also serve as a reminder that Tuesday, March 10, is town voting day in some communities, which can mean no school for students.

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