We recently purchased a Victorian home in Hampton. We have three doors that are missing the match for knobs. Wondering if you might be able to help locate matches. Are they worth trying to find? Rob and Shea
Dear Rob and Shea, The value on antique doorknobs can run usually in the range of $10 to $50 depending on material and design. Now the tough part will be to find matches — like needles in a haystack, as they say.
I would try online first to see if a match is on any selling sites. Try Googling antique brass doorknobs (you might have to replace them both if you find what you are looking for in a complete set). Or maybe you’ll find similar knobs with the same aged patina (coloring of the aged brass). Next I might try flea markets and salvage shops as well.
All of these suggestions could take time, so it depends on the amount of effort you want to put into replacing them with original ones, or finding similar ones from the same time period that will fit into the rest of the doors.
Stonyfield Earth Day 5K 2019. Photo courtesy of Millennium Running.
Celebrate Earth Day
There’s still time to register for the Stonyfield Earth Day 5K; in-person participation closes at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 15, but virtual registration is open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, April 16. The race will be held in person on Saturday, April 17, starting at 9 a.m. and following a staggered time trial format. The 3.1-mile course starts and finishes in Londonderry’s West Soccer Complex, right near the Stonyfield Earth Day Fair. The cost is $30 for ages 21 and up, $25 for youth ages 12 to 20 and $15 for kids 11 and younger. The virtual run is $25. For more details or to register, visit millenniumrunning.com.
Make plans now to celebrate Earth Day at the New Hampshire Audubon Massabesic Center in Auburn. The Earth Day Festival will take place Saturday, April 24, with three time slots between 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., according to a press release. The day will be filled with nature activities like building a birdhouse, planting seeds, going on a scavenger hunt, taking a nature-themed walk and visiting the animals that live at the center. The center will not be releasing a recovered animal back into the wild as it usually does for Earth Day, but there will be an opportunity to meet one of the center’s ambassador raptors, like the barn owl, and everyone gets to take home a tree sapling to plant. Reservations are required; you can sign up for one of the time slots (10 to 11:30 a.m., noon to 1:30 p.m. or 2 to 3:30 p.m.) at nhaudubon.org or by calling 668-2045. The cost is $15 per family.
Math madness
Mathnasium of Nashua is hosting a Multiplication Madness Day Camp on Sunday, April 18, from noon to 2 p.m., with games and activities to help children review or learn multiplication skills. It’s geared toward kids in grades 2 through 5, but all grades are welcome, and previous multiplication experience isn’t necessary. Students will work in small groups with an instructor. The cost is $20. Space is limited. Call 242-2004 to reserve a spot.
Baseball is back
Single-game tickets to watch the Fisher Cats play ball for the first time in about 600 days are on sale now for the month of May, according to a press release. Their home opener at Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester is set for Tuesday, May 11, at 6:35 p.m. against the Somerset Patriots, with an Atlas Fireworks show after the game. That night kicks off a six-game homestand from Tuesday through Sunday, May 16, followed by another six-game series in Manchester against the Portland Sea Dogs from May 18 to May 23. You can get tickets now at nhfishercats.com or 641-2005. Tickets for games in June, July, August and September will be released later in the season as MLB capacity regulations continue to evolve, according to the release.
Featured photo: Stonyfield Earth Day 5K 2019. Photo courtesy of Millennium Running.
Can you tell me anything about this sweet doll? She is 3 1/2” tall and seems to be made out of string. Tina
Dear Tina, Your doll is part of a family for 1960s doll houses. I think they are made from a rubber plastic with string applied over it for a natural color and look and possibly durability.
Any kind of toys that made it through the 1960s to now should be priceless. I was a 1960s child and I played hard with my toys so it amazes me whenever I see such toys in good or unused shape.
The value of your doll would be higher if you can find the whole family of them together. Alone I would say that for collectors of miniatures she might be in the $10 to $20 range.
It’s Kids Night at the Y! On Friday, April 9, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., parents can drop their kids off at the YMCA of Downtown Manchester (30 Mechanic St., Manchester, graniteymca.org), where trained child care professionals will lead the kids in games, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts and more. Dinner will be provided. The cost is $25 per child and $10 for each additional sibling. Space is limited; register online or at the Welcome Center. Children must wear masks at the Y.
Goats, kids and yoga
Kids ages 6 and up can spend an hour with the goats at Legacy Lane Farm (217 Portsmouth Ave., Stratham) — while doing yoga. Drop your kids off at the farm on Saturday, April 10, at 9:30 a.m. for this indoor Goat Yoga for Kids class, where they’ll stretch and move while goats wander around and give them plenty of attention. Classes are limited to eight kids, and signups are only available online. The cost is $30. Search for the event on eventbrite.com or find Legacy Lane Farm on Facebook.
Play inside
Spend a few hours at Krazy Kids (60 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 228-PLAY, krazykids.com), on Friday night, when the indoor playground is open from 6 to 9 p.m. and the cost of admission covers all three hours ($15 per child, $5 per adult). Check out their Facebook page each week to find out if Friday night will be Glow Night, when the whole space is lit with black lights and disco party lights! Let the kids bounce, climb, jump and crawl on the inflatables or test their agility on the aerial ropes course. Other hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the cost of admission is for two hours. Online reservations are required, though walk-ins are accepted if capacity allows. Face masks are required except for toddlers 36” or less, and temperature screenings are required for entry.
Featured photo: A Glow Night at Krazy Kids. Courtesy photo.
Follow the Bunny in downtown Concord on Saturday, April 3! The free event will begin at the Statehouse lawn at 11 a.m., where kids will have the chance to participate in games, activities and crafts. They’ll also get to meet with the Easter Bunny and decorate their own treat bags before heading downtown to search for special treats. “Follow the Bunny” posters displayed on participating business windows will let them know that there’s a treat inside. The event runs until 2 p.m.
Also on Saturday, the Easter Bunny will hop on over to the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire (27 Navigator Road, Londonderry, 669-4820, aviationmuseumofnh.org) to meet with kids and give out special goody bags. Ask the Easter Bunny questions and pose for photos, then check out the museum’s kid-friendly activities and exhibits, like a scavenger hunt and a real airplane cockpit kids can climb into. The event will run during normal operating hours, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 6 to 12, seniors 65 and older, and retired/active military, and free for kids 5 and under.
Nature activities
Kids can hike, run or learn about science at Beaver Brook Nature Center (117 Ridge Road, Hollis), with new sessions of after-school and homeschool programs starting Tuesday, April 6. The Hiking Club and Trail Running programs, which are for kids in grades 4 through 8, are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively, from 3:45 to 5:15 p.m., from April 6 through May 18. The center is also hosting Homeschool Science those same weeks, from 9 a.m. to noon, for ages 6 to 10 on Tuesdays and ages 9 to 13 on Wednesdays. Classes will include hikes and other outdoor activities along with nature-related lessons. Register at beaverbrook.org.
Featured photo: The Easter Bunny visiting the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire. Courtesy photo.
This was a necklace that we found in my mother’s jewelry collection. It seems to be a coin in good shape. Can you give me any advice on it? Should I leave it in the casing or remove it? Any information will be helpful.
Karl from Dover
Dear Karl, What your mom has or had is a Morgan 1921 silver dollar. It wasn’t uncommon to find dollar or half dollar coins in necklace form (sometimes other coins as well). Condition on most is poor but the coins, if older like hers, are usually real silver.
The Morgan dollars were minted from 1878 to 1904 and then again in 1921 like yours. If you look closely on the back of the coin, between the D and the O of “dollar,” there should be a tiny letter. That will give you the mint where it was struck (made).
The value on them in general for the year 1921 is in the range of $25 to $40 depending on the condition. If it were mine I would leave it in the setting until you bring it to someone to see. If you are looking to sell it, let them remove it. Until then don’t clean it; just keep it as you found it.
Note: Never clean coins yourself. Always let a professional in coins handle that, because cleaning can lower the value of coins.
