RINKER ON COLLECTIBLES — Column #1469

Copyright © Harry Rinker, LLC 2014 

Questions and Answers

QUESTION:  I own a kerosene oil lamp that measures approximately 7 3/4 inches in height.  It has a white milk glass, domed-top cylindrical base and a shade that looks like a bulbous body vase with an extended neck.  The base and shade have an applied floral transfer.  The mechanism to adjust the wick is marked “Made in Hong Kong.”  What is the value of my lamp? – RD, Kutztown, PA, Email Question

ANSWER:  The fact that the mechanism to adjust the wick is marked “Made in Hong Kong,” does not necessarily mean the rest of the lamp was made there.  It is possible the mechanism is a replacement.

When dating objects for authenticity, the authenticator relies on a wealth of authenticating vocabularies among which are form, shape, composition, method of manufacture, and pattern.  The shape, method of manufacture, and pattern of your kerosene lamp strongly suggest a late 1960s or early 1970s reproduction.  The lack of wear and evidence of use appears to confirm this.

Following World War II, Japan was a major source for inexpensive reproductions (exact copies), copycats (stylistic copies), and fantasy forms (design styles that never existed historically) of antiques and pre-1945 collectibles.  Japan also was an inexpensive off-shore manufacturing center for new products.  For example, the first Barbie dolls were manufactured in Japan.  Hong Kong became a manufacturing source for Barbie in 1970.  In 1972, Hong Kong replaced Japan as the major Asian manufacturer of electronics, toys, and watches.

Collectors and others in the antiques and collectibles trade associate “Made in Hong Kong’” with the late 1960s and 1970s.  Assuming your kerosene lamp was made in its entirety in Hong Kong, a date of origin in the late 1960s or early 1970s makes sense.  I checked my reproduction references to see if I could find an example.  I did not.  My collection of merchant/trading stamp redemption catalogs remains in storage.  My gut tells me I would find the lamp in one or more of them.

General collecting interest in antique and collectible kerosene lamps has diminished.  Young people do not identify with them.  There still are a few diehard collectors, but their number is decreasing.  The decorating value of your copycat kerosene lamp is between $20.00 and $25.00.

QUESTION:  In going through the items located in the basement workshop of my deceased husband, I found a can containing several dozen bent coins.  When I took them to my local credit union, the teller refused to accept them.  In fact, he advised me to “throw them out.”   Is the teller’s advice accurate? – R, Reading, PA

ANSWER:  Money is money – a penny is a penny, a nickel is a nickel, a dime is a dime, and so forth.  Before deciding to trash the lot, consider the following.

First, separate the coins into piles of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and dollar.  Do a second sort of the dimes, quarters, half-dollars, and dollars.  Put all the dated 1964 or earlier silver coinage in a bag.  These coins have melt value.  Add up their face value.  While the value of silver has dropped considerably since 2012-13, it is valued between eight and ten times face in 2015.  A coin dealer seeking melt coinage will buy them.

Second, the United States Mint differentiates between uncurrent and mutilated coins.  An uncurrent coin is one that is heavily worn or reduced in weight by abrasion or some other means.  Love token coins are an example of the latter.  While these coins are recognizable and able to be counted by machine, banks and credit unions will not replace them.

A mutilated coin is one that is bent, broken, corroded, melted together, or not whole and NOT machine countable.  Again, banks and credit unions will not replace these coins.  The United States Mint will.  However, the US Mint will not redeem altered coins, counterfeit coins and slugs, foreign coins, fused coins that are unrecognizable, lumps of coins that contain lead, solder, or other substances, and precious coins.

The minimum redemption unit is 1 pound for each coin type.  In April 2015, the United States Mint was paying $19.84 per pound for mutilated clad coins (dimes, quarters, and halves) and $1.45 per pound for mutilated copper pennies.

Mutilated coins need to be sent to:  United States Mint; ATTN: Mutilated Coin Redemption Section, PO Box 400 or 151 N. Independence Mall East; Philadelphia, PA  19106.  Also, include your name, address, telephone number, and SSN or TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number).

As long as you have over a pound of each type of coin, you are in good shape.  If you do not, you have two choices.  First, secure enough good coins and bend them in half until you create a pound of each type.  Second, use a hammer and try to straighten out the coins so that they are machine countable or able to be put into standard coin rolls.

Why your husband bent the coins initially is yours to discover.

QUESTION:  I have a copy of Major General Courtney Whitney’s “Douglas MacArthur: His Rendezvous with History,” copyrighted 1956 and published by Alfred A. Knopf.  The book is signed by MacArthur and his wife, each on a separate page.  MacArthur’s signature is below a personal endorsement.  There is no dust jacket.  What is the value of my book? – E, Coopersburg, PA

ANSWER:  MacArthur, a West Point graduate and career military officer, retired from the U.S. Army in 1937, only to be recalled in 1941.  MacArthur was involved in the fighting in the Pacific, accepting the surrender of Japan on September 2, 1945.  He served as military commander of the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951.  Following the invasion of South Korea by the North, MacArthur headed the United National Command until removed by President Truman on April 11, 1951.  Although MacArthur was mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 1948 and again in 1952, he chose to support other candidates.

Whitney, known as an ultraconservative, served under MacArthur in the Philippines. He was extremely loyal to MacArthur, a position clearly reflected in his writings.

The lack of a dust jacket impacts value, especially when the book is autographed.  The good news is that you can buy an unsigned copy with a dust jacket in very good or better condition for less than 10 dollars on www.abebooks.com.  I recommend doing this.

An eBay seller is offering a copy with a dust jacket and signed by MacArthur and Whitney for a “Buy It Now” price of $415.00.  The price is high.  I found MacArthur signed copies on www.abebooks.com for as low as $75.00.  The average asking price for an autographed copy is between $140.00 and $170.00.  All signed copies of the book being offered for sale included the dust jacket.

MacArthur’s wife’s signature adds little additional value, especially since it is on a separate page.  The difficulty with “signed” books is that only one page can be displayed.

QUESTION:   I have a Lionel 6-8665 Bangor & Aroostook “Jeremiah O’Brien” Spirit of 1976 GP-9 diesel engine and caboose in its period box.  What is its value? – C, Shamokin, PA

ANSWER:  Many companies, Lionel included, took advantage of the 1976 American Bicentennial to issue commemorative items.  Most individuals who purchased them had no intention of using them.  Instead, they put them aside as “speculative” investments, planning to sell them at some future point.

Graham’s Trains (www.grahamstrains.com) has an example for sale at $125.00, reduced from the original list price of $160.00.  Tom’s Collectible Trains (www.tomscollectibletrains.com) notes the 2013 Greenburg Price Guide lists the set at $170.00 in mint condition.  Tom has a “factory fresh” set for $109.95.

There are several examples for sale on eBay.  A “used” version in the period boxes realized $119.99 plus $22.75 shipping and handling on January 29, 2015.  Another eBay seller with a “C9” (near mint) example is offering it for sale at a “Buy It Now” $225.00 price.  Thus far, it has not sold.

Taking a conservative approach, your set is worth between $80.00 and $100.00.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Selected letters will be answered in this column.  Harry cannot provide personal answers.  Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned.  Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5955 Mill Point Court SE, Kentwood, MI 49512.  You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker@aol.com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered.

You can listen and participate in WHATCHA GOT?, Harry’s antiques and collectibles radio call-in show, on Sunday mornings between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Eastern Time.  If you cannot find it on a station in your area, WHATCHA GOT? streams live on the Internet at www.gcnlive.com.

SELL, KEEP OR TOSS?: HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY (House of Collectibles, an imprint of Random House Information Group, $17.99), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via www.harryrinker.com.