Hopalong Cassidy was a cowboy hero who first appeared in a series of short stories in 1907. He was a hard-drinking ruffian in the stories, but when he was featured in movies in the 1930s, he became a white-haired, clean-living gentleman cowboy.
William Boyd starred as Hoppy in 66 feature films from 1935 to 1948 and then did a 1950s TV series. He owned all the syndication rights and licensed hundreds of products picturing the character. Collectors today search for the children’s toys, games and accessories from the ’50s.
At a recent auction, a chenille bedspread picturing Hoppy brought $110, a 1954 lithographed steel lunchbox by Aladdin Industries brought $140, and a cap gun and holster by Wyandotte brought $193. Posters, books, toys and even wastebaskets sell quickly.
Q. My souvenir from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair is a pinball game. My aunt and her girlfriend went to the fair and bought the game for my brother. He was 18 when he was killed in World War II. Because the game was my brother’s, we have taken good care of it. It has 10 metal balls, a working spring and a glass front. The game’s backing is a blue-and-white board with the fair’s whirling-planet logo and the words “Souvenir of a Century of Progress, Chicago, 1933.” What is it worth today?
A. Souvenirs from the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair are favorites of World’s Fair collectors. A Chicago Fair souvenir pinball game, 12 by 20 inches, was made by the Northwestern Mail Box Co. The game is rare and sells for about $450.
Q. My heavy pottery mug is 5 inches tall and has a large, raised image of an orange-red frog sculpted on the side. The rest of the mug is decorated with green and black leaves. A stamp that appears to be Chinese is on the bottom. I’m told the mug is Sumida ware.
A. The mark on your mug is Japanese. Sumida ware is a type of Japanese pottery usually glazed in orange-red, blue or green and decorated with 3-D figures (like the frog on your mug).
The Sumida wares collected today were made between about 1898 and 1970 at a pottery operated by the Ryosai family. Until 1923, the pottery was located near the Sumida River, not far from Tokyo. After an earthquake in 1923, production was moved to Yokohama. Your mug is worth close to $500.
Q. My mother gave us a small glass vase when we were married 10 years ago. She had received it from her father many years before that. It is 4 inches tall and heavy. The glass is light-charcoal colored with a black base. Engraved in the glass is a swimming mermaid. The vase is marked with several letters and numbers, including “Orrefors, 1934, L 1221.” Can you tell me anything about the vase and what it’s worth?
A. Orrefors is a famous glassworks that has been working since 1726 in the province of Smaland, Sweden. The 1934 refers to the year your vase was made, and the L to designer Vicke Lindstrand (1904- 1983). The 1221 might be a series or shape number.
Lindstrand worked at Orrefors from 1928 until 1940. He was a modernist, and in the 1930s he created thick-walled crystal pieces, like your vase. He liked undulating surfaces and engraved them with a single image. Your vase should sell for $400 to $500.
Q. My round flower vase is glazed a solid green. It has about 20 holes near the top as a decoration. It is 4 inches tall and is marked “Kelloggs.” Was it a promotion piece for the cereal company?
A. No. Stanley Kellogg founded the Kellogg Studio Pottery in 1948. He worked in Petoskey, Mich. It was an area known for ancient fossilized coral. He made many small pieces of pottery to sell to tourists. Your vase has holes to hold flower stems; it is a form of a flower frog. Some of his other flower frogs resembled coral, or “Petoskey Stones.” The Kellogg Studio closed in 1976.
Q. My tombstone-shaped shelf clock belonged to my grandparents. I’m told that they bought it sometime during the 1920s. It is a key- wound clock, and it keeps perfect time. A paper label inside the clock reads “Puritan, Eight-Day Half Hour Strike, Cathedral Gong, The Sessions Clock Company, Forestville, Conn., USA.”
A. William E. Sessions founded his clock company in Connecticut in 1903. The company produced spring-wound clocks in many styles until 1936, when it changed over to electric clocks. The fact that your clock is in excellent condition and keeps perfect time increases its value. Clocks like yours usually sell for up to $200.
Q. I am 72, and I inherited a wooden rocking chair from my mother, who got it from an elderly neighbor. The chair must be close to 100 years old. Its back rail curves to form the chair’s arms. The backrest is made of spindles on each side of a carved center board. The mark on the seat bottom reads “Phoenix Chair Co., Sheboygan, Wisconsin.” Could you tell me if the chair is worth anything?
A. The Phoenix Chair Co. started in Sheboygan in 1875. By 1886, it was one of the largest chair factories in the country. The plant covered 18 acres and employed more than 400 people. Eventually, Phoenix made highchairs, stools, dining and breakfast sets and upholstered furniture using oak, walnut and elm. Your rocker is called a continuous-arm Windsor. It probably dates from the 1920s. It would sell for $150 to $200.
