What’s a weasel? It’s an animal, of course, but in some parts of Montana you might put weasels on your ice cream—because some Montanans call M&Ms “weasels.” And in the 1700s, when the nursery rhyme “Pop Goes the Weasel” was composed, everyone knew the “weasel” of the title referred to a yarn winder. In the past, when women would spin and weave at home, they used special tools. After the wool was spun, it was wound by hand on a niddy-noddy or with the help of a yarn winder. The winder looked like a post on a footed platform. Attached to the post’s side was a wheel of four or five arms. If the wheel turned once, it had wound a set amount of wool, usually a yard. Each time the wheel turned, a wooden counter would move a notch until it hit a final peg and made a loud pop. As the nursery rhyme said, “Pop goes the weasel.” Today, a weasel (wool winder) can cost anywhere from $30 to $500.

Q: A tag on the inside of my piano says, “Clarendon Piano Co., Serial No. 87434.” Any information on age?

A: Because you know the maker and serial number of your piano, you can find its approximate age by checking the well-known “Pierce Piano Atlas.” The 12th edition of the atlas was published in 2009. It lists piano makers alphabetically, with dates and serial numbers if available. Clarendon Piano Co. of Rockford, Ill., was in business from 1903 until 1930, when it was taken over by Haddorff Piano Co. Haddorff continued to make pianos using the Clarendon name until 1960. The serial number on your piano indicates that the piano was made in 1919.

Q: My doll is at least 100 years old. On her back are the words, “109-15, Dep, Germany, Handwerck.” She is 29 inches tall and has her original hair. What can you tell me about this doll?

A: Your doll was made by the Heinrich Handwerck Doll Co., founded in Gotha, Germany, in 1876. The “109-15” is the mold number of the doll. “Dep” indicates that a trademark was registered at the local district court. A doll like yours in excellent condition could sell for close to $1,000.

Q: My brother had a stringed instrument that looks like a zither but is called a Pianolin. It says “Patent pending. Sold by our Advertisers only, Price $35, The Pianolin Co., New Troy, Mich.” It has no date on it. Can you tell me anything about it? My brother died several years ago, and I don’t know anything about the instrument.

A: The Pianolin was invented in about 1930 by Henry C. Marx. The name is a combination of “piano” and “violin.” The instrument has two sets of strings, one that’s played with a bow and a smaller set that’s strummed. The pianolike “keyboard” indicates the melody notes. Marx, a concert violinist and music teacher, sold musical instruments door to door before founding the Marxochime Colony in New Troy in 1927. He and his son, Charles, invented several unusual instruments, including the Pianolin, Pianoette, Banjolin, Hawaii-Phone, Mandolin-Uke, Marx Piano Harp, Violin Uke and a guitar with only one string. Pianolas can be found marked either “Pianolin Co.” or “Marxochime Colony” and with the location New Tory, Mich., or Mount Pleasant, Iowa. There are very few people who buy these unusual instruments, so prices are low, under $100.

Q: I have four teaspoons from the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. Each spoon pictures a building on the fairgrounds. The four I have are the General Exhibits Group, the Administration Building, East View of Administration Building and Fort Dearborn. Are these of any value?

A: The 1933 Chicago World’s Fair was called the Century of Progress International Exposition. It celebrated the centennial of the city of Chicago and the advances in technology made during that century. The motto of the fair was “Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Adapts.” It opened in May 1933 and closed the following November. It was so successful that it reopened in May 1934 and closed at the end of October that year. World’s Fair souvenirs from all fairs are collected. Souvenir spoons sell for $30-$40 each.

Q: You recently wrote about a Harry Roseland print used as a premium for Knox gelatin in the early 1900s. I must have the original, though, because mine is painted on canvas and dated 1901. What do you think?

A: You do not have the original by American painter Harry Roseland (1866-1950). The original is said to have belonged to Charles B. Knox (1855-1908), who founded the Knox Gelatine Co. in Johnstown, N.Y., in 1891. What you have is one of a limited number of prints distributed to Knox customers as premiums. They were printed on a canvaslike material, not on paper. The prints are valuable. They sell for $200-$400 if they’re in good shape.

Tip: Don’t store foods or beverages in crystal bowls or bottles for long periods of time. Acidic juice, vinegar and alcoholic beverages will leach out the lead in the glass. It is unhealthy to drink the liquid.

Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or email addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.

CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

• Pepsi and Pete blotter, cardboard, ad for Pepsi-Cola, featuring cop characters, 1930s, 4 x 6 inches, $20.
• Cinderella paper dolls, two Cinderella outfits, Goody 2 Shoes and Fairy Godmother, die-cut cardboard, Raphael Tuck & Sons, 1894, 4 x 9 inches, $40.
• Artcraft bifocal eyeglasses with case, 12K gold-filled, metal plaque in case reads “G.C. Burghardt Optometrist, 401 East 14 E. St, Bronx, near Willis Ave.,” early 1900s, $100.
• Fenton cake plate and stand, pastel pink milk glass, Spanish Lace pattern, 12 1/2 x 5 inches, $125.
• Black Mammy cookie jar, yellow dress and bandanna, marked “N.S. Co.” for National Silver Co. of New York, 9 1/4 inches, $160.
• 1933 Pennsylvania license plate pair, metal, deep blue, mustard letters and number 6978, 9 3/4 x 6 inches, $165.
• Disney U.S. Treasury war bond, Disney characters around the border, Walt Disney copyright, 1945, 8 x 10 inches, $250.
• Silver-plated humidor, two pug figurals on lid, double compartment, Eastlake-style relief design on sides, Rockford Silver Plate Co., marked, 5 1/2 x 6 1/4 x 6 inches, $255.
• Heywood Brothers & Wakefield farm chair, oak, spindles, 1870s, 36 inches, $400.
• Friendship quilt, appliqued floral bouquets & wreaths, red, green, blue and yellow, cotton, signed and dated, 1850, 87 x 81 inches, $4,780.

Pre-publication offer. The best book to own if you want to buy or sell or collect – and if you order now, you’ll receive a copy with the author’s autograph. The new Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2012, 44th edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,500 color photographs and 40,000 up-to-date prices for more than 775 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks, a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available online at Kovelsonlinestore.com; by phone at 800-303-1996; at your bookstore or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

© 2011 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.