Celluloid toys were made in many European countries, Japan and the United States from the late 1800s into the 1950s, when plastic became popular. Although celluloid is flammable and dents, cracks and splits easily, it was used to make dolls and other toys because it was inexpensive and could be decorated with bright colors and molded into complicated shapes. One of the most popular celluloid toys in the United States was the “Boopie,” also called a “carnival doll.” She had a pot-belly, large, round eyes and wavy hair, and looked a little like a Kewpie and a little like Betty Boop. These dolls, made in Japan, originally sold for a few cents apiece. They often were given as prizes at amusement parks, carnivals and fairs. Today, a single doll can sell for $10 to $50. Collectors prefer rare, odd-looking dolls – dolls that look like cartoon characters, exotic animals or Santa Claus. These sell for $100 or more if in very good condition. Repairs are difficult if not impossible.

Q: I have a matte-green pitcher with an impressed mark that says “J.S.T. & Co., Keene, N.H.” Who is the maker?

A: The mark on your pitcher is among those used by Hampshire Pottery. The pottery was founded in Keene, N.H., by James Scollay Taft in 1871. Pieces are marked with a printed or impressed mark that includes the founder’s initials or the name “Hampshire Pottery.” In 1916, Taft sold the pottery to George Morton, who had worked at Grueby Pottery in Boston. Hampshire Pottery closed in 1917, reopened a couple of years later and closed permanently in 1923.

Q: Could you tell me when the practice of using metal staples to repair china was discontinued?

A: Most repairers today use modern glues and cements, but – believe it or not – there still are repairers who use metal rivets (they’re not really staples) to repair ceramics. A hole is drilled in each broken part, and a rivet is inserted and then cemented in place to hold the parts together. The practice was in general use in China by the 17th century, but most riveted pieces collectors come across today were repaired in Europe or the United States during the Victorian era. Making rivet repairs takes a lot of skill. While most collectors consider the repairs unsightly and unnecessary, some collect riveted pieces as oddities.

Q: I have a chifforobe made by the Joseph Peters Furniture Co. of St. Louis. What can you tell me about this company?

A: Joseph Peters, an immigrant from Prussia, founded his furniture company in St. Louis in 1855. At first he specialized in making bureaus and cabinets, but the business thrived, and by 1908 the company was operating 50 factories and employed more than 7,000 people. It remained in business at least into the 1930s.

Q: Does anyone remember the game Peter Coddles Goes to Town? It consisted of a printed story with open spaces for new words or phrases to finish a sentence. A player would read the story, and players would add words or phrases to the story from their individual cards. The random sentence combinations were hilarious, and it was a great reading experience for younger kids.

A: Peter Coddle is based on a “literary puzzle” game in the book Jessie; Or, Trying to Be Somebody, published by Gould & Lincoln in 1858. In the story, Peter was supposed to be an 18-year-old, but he usually is pictured on game boxes as an older country bumpkin visiting a big city. Several different Peter Coddle games were made in the late 1800s until at least the 1930s. One of the most popular is Peter Coddle’s Trip to New York, which was made in various versions by, among others, Parker Brothers in 1888, McLoughlin Brothers and J.H. Singer in the 1890s and Milton Bradley in 1925. Most are “fill-in-the-blank” card games like yours, but there also is a board-game version. The title may spell Peter’s last name “Coddle” or “Coddles.” Some makers used several different boxes with completely different pictures of Peter. Occasionally these games show up on the Internet or in a group of games at an auction. Value depends on age, condition and box cover. Most games sell for less than $100. Newer versions sell for $25-$50.

Tip: Check the supports on wall-hung shelves once a year. Eventually a heavy load will cause “creep”: the metal brackets will bend and the shelf will fall.

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 e-mail 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.

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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.

• Porgy & Bess sheet music, I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin, Dorothy Dandridge, Sidney Poitier and Sammy Davis Jr. on cover, 1959, 12 x 9 inches, $40.
• Missouri state highway sign, figural, die-cut enameled steel, white ground, black letters and border, 14 x 14 inches, $110.
• Overshot coverlet, Lover’s Knot design, wool and linen, light green, mauve and dark brown, three panels, Georgia, 19th century, 90 x 71 inches, $300.
• 1901 Dr. Daniels’ Veterinary Medicines advertising calendar, bands top and bottom, scene of fashionable ladies and gentlemen, 20 x 14 inches, $390.
• Weller Pottery pillow vase, Dresden Ware, four stubby legs, turquoise-and-blue scene of Holland on both sides, 10 inches, $510.
• Carnival glass vase, Boggy Bayou pattern, squatty, lime-green opalescent, 6 inches, $625.
• Ash burl bowl, single-reeded edge, circa 1800, 12 x 4 1/4 inches, $950.
• Walnut bed, scalloped headboard, geometrically carved footboard, turned posts and feet, Georgia, circa 1840, 55 1/2 inches, $1,130.
• Martin Brothers double-face stoneware jug, brown glaze, inscribed “A peace that had never been broken, and he trusted and believed, never would be,” 9 inches, $4,955.
• French Bru Jne doll, No. 6, bisque head and shoulders, brown paperweight eyes, pierced ears, closed mouth, human hair, kid body, silk dress, circa 1880, 19 inches, $7,475.

Just published. The new full-color “Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2010,” 42nd edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,500 color photographs and 47,000 up-to-date prices for more than 700 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks, and a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available at your bookstore; online at Kovels.com; by phone at 800-571-1555; or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.

© 2009 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.