Category: Family Fun

Treasure Hunt 23/10/26

Good afternoon, Donna Welch,

I have service for six of dinner, soup, bread/butter, salad bowl, dessert, cup/saucer and rectangular 11-inch platter that are looking for a new home. Can you provide a value of these dishes?

Marget

Dear Marget,

The Homer Laughlin Co. has quite the history. Since the late 1800s it’s been one of the most common names for china. There are many many styles and patterns. Diner china to fiesta ware, they have it!

I did find some pricing and it seems that the common dinnerware runs in the range of $5 to $10 or more per piece. The serving pieces and hard-to-find patterns and styles can be much higher. As always, all pieces have to be in great condition with no damage or scratches. Marget, the prices I found were all over the place and I think would vary a lot locally, depending on finding a buyer who will then also re-sell. My suggestion would be a local antique shop. But be aware, as I said, they have to then sell them. I hope this was helpful and your dishes find a new home.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo

Treasure Hunt 23/10/19

Hi, Donna.
A friend in New Hampshire who owns an antique restoration business gave me your contact. Is there anything you can tell me about this chair and its value? I was told it may be one of the 12 chairs created from the original. Thank you for your help.
Pamela

Dear Pam,
Your chair appears to be in great shape. Even though there is history behind this style, it’s tough to get the JFK recognition for it. When you do research you find that one of the original ones that JFK used brought a high value. But even though you were told this could be one of the original 12 made, it doesn’t carry the same value.

It did, however, get the P&P Chair Co. a boost in business. Out of North Carolina the company produced many rockers of quality. This style is not just theirs but other companies’ as well.

Yours, being in good clean condition and still usable today, would have a value in the $200 range. The days of being able to relax in a rocker!
I hope this was helpful, Pam.

Donna Welch has spent more than 35 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing. Her new location is an Antique Art Studio located in Dunbarton, NH where she is still buying and selling. She is a member of The New Hampshire Antiques Dealer Association. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at footwdw@aol.com, or call her at 391-6550.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo

Kiddie Pool 23/10/12

Family fun for whenever

A-maze-ing

  • If this week’s cover story has you thinking about bats, check out the brown bat corn maze at Coppal House Farm (118 N. River Road, Route 155, in Lee; nhcornmaze.com, 659-3572). The maze is open Thursday and Friday from noon to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from noon to 5 p.m., and daytime admission costs $10 for ages 13+, $8 for ages 5 to 12 and for 65+, military and college students (ages 4 and under get in for free), according to the website. This weekend, go on Saturday, Oct. 14, and Sunday, Oct. 15, for wagon rides between 10 a.m. and 2 p .m. (cost is $3 for ages 5+). And buy tickets now for the final flashlight maze of the season on Saturday, Oct. 21, with times from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The cost is $15 for everyone 5+; BYO flashlight.
  • Brookdale Fruit Farm (41 Broad St. in Hollis; brookdalefruitfarm.com) opens its corn maze on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The cost is $4 per person and includes a hayride.

The Halloween spirit

  • Why wait to trick-or-treat? Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia; visitthefarm.com, 483-5623) will start its Children’s Trick or Treat this Saturday, Oct. 14. The event runs Saturdays and Sundays, with admission times starting at 10 a.m., through Sunday, Oct. 29. Watch Jason Tardy’s Halloween Juggling Spectacular at 11 a.m., noon, 1 and 2 p.m.; visit barnyard animals and take a horse-drawn wagon ride, the website said. The event also includes candy, of course — costumed characters will hand out candy and costumes on kids are encouraged. Tickets cost $29 per person.
    Charmingfare’s Harvest of Haunts also runs Saturdays starting this Saturday through Saturday, Oct. 28, with admission times at 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m. Enjoy candy, a campfire, a wagon ride and a spooky experience designed for families with children (ages 12 and younger), the website said. Admission for this event also costs $29.
  • If your kids are too young for Canobie Lake’s (85 N. Policy St. in Salem; canobie.com) Screeemfest, check out the Sunday Family Fun Days with “Critters Live! The Halloween Party on the Midway Stage” at 1:30 p.m., Lights on Walkthrough of the Pinecrest Sanitarium from 4 to 4:45 p.m. and a Monster parade at 5:45 p.m. for little ones who are feeling brave, said the website. And check out family and kiddie rides in the Kiddieland area, which are listed on the website. The park opens at 1 p.m. on Sundays; the indoor Screeemfest Haunted Houses open at 5 p.m. and those walk-around characters come out around 6 p.m., the website said. Tickets cost $36 for 60+ and those under 48 inches, $51 for Sunday admission for adults and kids 3 and under get in for free.
  • And save the date for next weekend’s Not-So-Spooky Spectacular at the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; childrens-museum.org, 742-2022) on Saturday, Oct. 21. Admission times are 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m., which features a 2 p.m. concert with Mr. Aaron. The event “focuses on fun — not fright,” says the website, and will include science experiments, STEAM Lab take-home crafts, photos with a full moon backdrop and a pumpkin scavenger hunt, the website said. Admission costs $12.50 for everyone over 12 months ($10.50 for 65+).

Treasure Hunt 23/10/12

Dear Donna,
I recently purchased these wondering what they were. I know now they were and are used for holding flowers. My interest is in collecting them now. My question is values on them and where to look for more.
Thanks, Donna,
Ellen

Dear Ellen,
I enjoyed your email! Nice to see a collection beginning!
Metal painted flower holders like yours have been around for many centuries. They are used to hold flower stems in place inside a vase, bowl or other container. Even today “flower frogs,” as I knew them, are still in use.
The values of them can range from $5 to $10. Some fancier forms can bring much more. What a nice collection to have. As far as finding more, the hunt is on. Look at antique shops, flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores etc.
Ellen, I wish you luck in your hunt for a new collection. Thank you for sharing with us.

Kiddie Pool 23/10/05

Family fun for whenever

Family shows

  • Symphony NH hosts a Halloween Magic Family Concert on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at the Keefe Center for the Arts (117 Elm St., Nashua). The program will feature Halloween tunes such as “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Danse Macabre and Night on Bald Mountain. Costumes are encouraged. Tickets cost $8 to $20. Visit symphonynh.org.
  • The Rock and Roll Playhouse will present the live concert “Music of the Beatles for Kids” at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord) on Sunday, Oct. 8, at noon, doors open at 11:30 a.m. Tickets cost $18.75 in advance, an extra $5 at the door. Find out more about Rock and Roll Playhouse at therockandrollplayhouse.com.

Fall fest

  • Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia; visitthefarm.com, 483-5623) wraps up its Pumpkin Festival Saturday, Oct. 7, through Monday, Oct. 9, with admission times starting at 10 a.m. each day. Admission costs $29 per person (23 months and younger get in free). Pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, take a tractor or horse-drawn wagon ride, enjoy live music and more.
  • Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls; applecrest. com) is open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on weekends through the end of October the orchard holds harvest festivals, which run Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This weekend the focus is the Great Pumpkin Carve, with a master carver tackling an 800-pound pumpkin to create a giant jack-o’-lantern, according to the website, which says the carve is scheduled for Sunday. Look for live music throughout the weekend: The Green Heron Bluegrass band on Saturday, Unsung Heroes on Sunday and RockSpring on Monday.

Treasure Hunt 23/10/05

Hi, Donna,
Saw you in the Hippo. Do you have any knowledge of these old toys’ value or the market for them? Appreciate your input.
– Tracy

Dear Tracy,

Who hasn’t played with a Fisher-Price toy!

Your collection of Fisher-Price toys does have a value in the collectibles market.

Fisher-Price is a well-known manufacturer of quality toys. The company has made toys from the 1930s to the present.

My suggestion would be to bring them to an antique shop to get a value on them. With Fisher-Price toys, condition is everything. Consider their age, the paint on the wood, the paper designs, etc., as well as whether the set is complete and in working condition.

Some prices for hard-to-find toys in excellent shape can run into the hundreds. Common and easily found ones start at $10+.

I hope this helps you find a new home for your toys, Tracy. Good luck!

Donna Welch has spent more than 35 years in the antiques and collectibles field, appraising and instructing. Her new location is an Antique Art Studio located in Dunbarton, NH where she is still buying and selling. She is a member of The New Hampshire Antiques Dealer Association. If you have questions about an antique or collectible send a clear photo and information to Donna at footwdw@aol.com, or call her at 391-6550.

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