I have accumulated several hundred marbles. I display them in jars but think it’s time to move them on. I haven’t purchased them in ages, so I’m wondering what the value might be today. Most are like the ones in the photos, with a few of what I call “fancy” ones. Dan
Dear Dan, Marbles were and are a very common collection to have. They bring such fond memories and are decorative (in jars like you have them).
Because there were so many machine-made marbles, most are very common and can be found in jars (canning size). You can pick them up at antique shops, flea markets, etc., most for around $15 to $30 a jar.
If you have been collecting for a while and haven’t had them seen by someone, my suggestion is to either have someone look at them or get a marble reference price guide. It’s important to just make sure some are not more rare, because then the values can rise up quickly. This isn’t tough to do when there are so many places to get the information today and great photos as well.
Let’s just say they are all common aside from what you think are fancy ones. You still have a treasure that should be easy to find a new home for.
The New Hampshire Farm Museum (1305 White Mountain Hwy., Milton) is opening for the season on Saturday, May 29, and to celebrate, it’s hosting Dairy Day, where kids can learn how to make butter, ice cream and cheese, play farm games, go on a tractor-drawn ride and participate in a barn scavenger hunt with prizes. You are welcome to bring a picnic or buy lunch at the museum. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. until Aug. 31. Admission is $10 for adults, $7.50 for seniors over 65, $5 for kids and teens ages 4 and up, and free for children under 4, museum members and active military service members. The special events for Dairy Day are included with the cost of admission. Visit nhfarmmuseum.org.
Fun with the Peanuts gang
The Derry Opera House (29 W. Broadway, Derry) is reopening this weekend with You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, performed by the Kids Coop Theatre, on Friday, May 28, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 29, at 1 and 7 p.m. The Peanuts gang plays baseball, struggles with homework, sings songs and celebrates friendship in this show, based on the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Tickets cost $15 and are available on a first come, first served basis. Visit kids-coop-theatre.org or find the event on Facebook to reserve your tickets.
Ocean celebration
Join Seacoast Science Center (570 Ocean Blvd., Rye) for eight days of fun activities and events created to celebrate World Ocean Day, which is Tuesday, June 8. From Tuesday, June 1, through Tuesday, June 8, take part in a variety of virtual and in-person events, including beach cleanup days, educational programs about marine life, a recycled arts contest, a virtual 5K run, tide pool explorations, trivia challenges and more. The events kick off with a beach cleanup from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; you can download a DIY Cleanup toolkit at seacoastsciencecenter.org, then head to Creek Farm in Portsmouth at 4 p.m. to see the results of the cleanup. Visit seacoastsciencecenter.org for the full schedule and to register for events.
Featured photo: Photo courtesy of the New Hampshire Farm Museum.
Sing and dance your way through fun story songs and jams with Mr. Aaron during a free virtual interactive musical journey hosted by the Stockbridge Theatre in Derry on Saturday, May 22, at 3 p.m. Award-winning musician Mr. Aaron will perform pop favorites, kids’ classics and hits from his latest release, Intergalactic Music Spectacular. You can access the livestream at youtu.be/Yl6vWe31EdY. There is no cost, but a $10 donation is encouraged at stockbridgetheatre.showare.com.
Live festival
Enjoy food, live music and arts vendors during the first installment of the 2021 Exeter Arts & Music Fest, happening Saturday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Swasey Parkway. Throughout the day there will be 30 artist vendors, 15 musical acts and eight food vendors. TEAM (Town.Exeter.Arts.Music) has expanded the festival to feature an event each month, June 19, July 17, and Aug. 21, with a final event on Sept. 18 to coincide with its annual Fall Equinox Festival. Food at the May event will include Cafe El Camino, Memories Ice Cream, Sweet Crunch Bakeshop and Vernon Family Farm. Musical acts on the main stage will be Qwill at 11 a.m., Bitter Pill at 12:30 p.m., Red Tail Hawk at 2 p.m., Groove Lounge at 3:30 p.m. and Cold Engines at 4:30 p.m. There is a $10 suggested donation per person and $20 per family (pre-event cashless donations are recommended via TeamExeter.org).
Go fly a kite
On Saturday, May 22, from 1 to 3 p.m., head to the Word Barn (66 Newfields Road, Exeter) for an afternoon of kite-flying, food and live music to support the Beyond the Rainbow Fund, which helps Exeter Hospital cancer patients in need. You can bring your own kite or buy one at the event for $10. The Reconstructed will perform, and there will be a food truck there to serve those who don’t want to pack a picnic. The event is free for kids 10 and under, but registration is required at thewordbarn.com.
Get messy
Get ready for water play and messy art when the Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; children’s-museum.org, 742-2002) opens its new outdoor Play Patio exhibit on Thursday, May 20, with features like sensory tables, a water circuit wall, an oversized paint wall and a chalk spinner. The outdoor space is meant to allow kids to get wet and get messy with hands-on activities. There’s the Evaporation Zone, a three-sided wall for brush painting with water, a giant Color Caster sculpture with colorful lenses shading the ground, two sensory tables with materials that will change over time, starting with kinetic sand and tools for molding and creating designs in one, and water beads with hidden sea creatures in the other. For musical fun, Tube Tones is a series of connected PVC tubes that let you pound out a musical beat in the manner of the Blue Man Group. Access to the Play Patio is included with museum admission, which is $11 for adults and children over 1, $9 for seniors 65+, and free for museum members and children under 1. Current hours are Wednesdays and Sundays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 3:30 p.m.
Books for the family
The Nashua Public Library (2 Court Street, 589-4610) is hosting a Pop-Up Book Sale Saturday, May 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the library plaza. The book sale will include mainly fiction for all ages, and most items will be $1 or $2. The rain date is Saturday, June 5.
New camp for theater-loving kids
The Community Players of Concord and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central New Hampshire have announced that they are offering a new theater camp at the Christa McAuliffe School in Concord. The camp is for any kids in grades K through 5, with or without theater experience. There will be five two-week sessions, and campers can register for one or more: Acting and Intro to Theatre, Improv Theatre, Musical Theatre, Acting (Part 2) and Improv (Bigger and Better!). Each session will be led by camp counselors from the Boys & Girls Club who are skilled in theater, and Community Players volunteers will offer help with everything from acting and singing to set design. There will be opportunities for outdoor recreation and other non-theater fun each day as well. The fee is $320 per session, with financial assistance available. Space is extremely limited. Registration is online at centralnhclubs.org or contact Cady Hickman at 268-9568 or [email protected].
I have this necklace that is marked 925. I am wondering if it is real silver or not and what the value might be. Meg
Dear Meg,
Your necklace is real sterling silver; that is what the 925 stands for. The piece is 92.5 percent real silver and then other metals. The tough part here is to figure out the age of your necklace and a maker without any other markings to help us. So to give it a value it could be done by the weight of it (for silver value), or judging it by size and the quality of it.
Sterling silver jewelry is common to find, old or new, and some being very unique and signed can bring really high value in today’s market. Whether it’s from long ago or today, it’s all about the craftsmanship.
Your necklace looks to be in great condition so I would think it should be in the $60 to $100 range in today’s retail market.
Dear Donna, I found this small horse charm and it says “Black Horse Ale NY.” It’s only 1 1/2” x 1” and is made of plastic. Can you give me any information and a possible value?
Lynne
Dear Lynne, I did some research on your horse charm and found out it was an advertising charm for Black Horse Ale. The story is a very interesting one but a long one as well; if you’ve got the time I would encourage you to do some research online to read the story of Black Horse Ale and see how one tiny plastic charm has such a history.
The interesting thing to me about this charm, and other small collectibles, is how did such a tiny piece even survive to today?
The value on it is in the $25 range but the history is priceless. I know that collecting charms from gum machines, cereals, Cracker Jack and premiums is still happening today. What’s amazing is how many old ones are still out there and the stories that go behind them.
The tipi set up at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum. Courtesy photo.
Virtual field trips
Watch on-stage performances of Pete the Cat, Dog Man the Musical, We the People: America Rocks and other kid-friendly shows as part of the Theaterworks USA Virtual Field Trip series, available through the Capitol Center for the Arts’ website (ccanh.com). The series was created for schools, home-schooled children and families. Non-school groups can purchase tickets through theaterworksusa.uscreen.io, where there is a full list of productions that are available for in-home rentals. Most shows are $20 per household, and once purchased they are available to view for 48 hours.
Free fun for military families
The Children’s Museum of New Hampshire (6 Washington St. in Dover; children’s-museum.org, 742-2002) kicks off its Military Appreciation Summer on Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 15, allowing all current and retired military personnel and their immediate family members free admission. From this Saturday through Sunday, Sept. 5, military members with an ID will receive free admission, plus free admission for dependent children and spouse — up to five family members. The museum’s current hours are Wednesdays and Sundays from 9 to 11:30 a.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 1 to 3:30 p.m., and reservations are required. Admission is $9 per person ages 3 and up.
Explore Native cultures
The Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner (18 Highlawn Road, 456-2600, indianmuseum.org) is now open for the season, offering self-guided tours Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The museum features exhibits that explore Native cultures and encourage respect for nature, including historical and contemporary crafts and customs. Two new exhibits are a scenic mural in the Northeast Region and an 1800s Cree man’s outfit from the Plains Region. Outside, the Medicine Woods Trail features native plants that were commonly used for food, medicine and shelter, the Janeway Arboretum includes 85 species of trees, and there are 20 new birdhouses throughout the property. The cost of admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors and students, $7 for kids ages 6 through 12, free for kids under 6 and Native Americans, and $26 for families of two adults and children under 18.
Featured photo: The tipi set up at Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum. Courtesy photo.
