Kovels Komments

Q: I would like to know what this is. It is a sterling silver circle, 1 1/4 in. in diameter, with an engraved owl in a hole in a tree. It has a hinge and a safety catch so it can be opened. It is marked inside with an arrow through a W. I was told that it could be a child's bracelet or a napkin ring, but these don't seem to be correct. Login for more.

Q: When I was a child, we had a set of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Mose plastic salt and pepper shakers in our china closet. I have no idea what happened to them, but I found a set a few years ago and the rest is history. I now have two sizes of salt and pepper shakers, a 6-piece spice set, a syrup pitcher, and a sugar and creamer. What is the history of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Mose? What other pieces were made by the F & F Mold & Die Works? Login for answer.

We received dozens of emails in response to our story about our friend's woodworm problems. Here are a few of the suggestions.From K.B.: We had bugs in our front door. The local exterminator put the door in a gas fumigation chamber overnight to kill the bugs. It cost $40 ten years go. Also, I worked on a project in Key West. The building owners rented a freezer truck to freeze/kill any possible termites in their furniture before moving to the new building.From M.P.: Some years ago I purchased a butter mold and treen paddle. After a month or so I spotted sawdust. I dampened the items and microwaved them. Never have seen any more sawdust. I know it's hard to get a table in a microwave, but I think it would cure the problem.From K.H.: A quick holiday word to the wise: I have many early American primitive pieces (some 18th-century). A few years ago I set my Christmas tree up on a Sunday afternoon. On Monday morning I was watering underneath the tree when I heard tiny little click-y type noises. Never having dealt with the woodworm issue, I wasn't sure what it was. One of my sons insisted it was the tree "sucking in the water." I decided to call the California Dept. of Agriculture. The person I spoke to informed me, "That sounds like wood-boring beetles, Ma'am, and you should get that tree out of your house ASAP---they can spread out around the house and bore into anything wooden." Needless to say--I did.From L.H.: Seriously, spray every month for two years? Call an exterminator as a last resort? Wouldn't it be a lot easier to call that exterminator first and be done with it? Treating every month for two years seems to be exposing yourself to a lot of bug spray, not to mention the cost of the bug spray every month for two years.Note: The exterminator wanted $140 here.

Lenox Group, Inc., which makes dinnerware, gifts and collectibles, filed for bankruptcy protection last week. "For now, you will still be able to fill in your set of Lenox dishes. But watch for news about what's happening to the company.

To remove coffee or tea stains from cups put some salt on a piece of orange or lemon rind and rub the marks. Then wash the usual way.

Q: I have had this object for a few years and would love to know what it is. Login for answer.

Q: We found six old chairs in a 100-year-old farmhouse that we are restoring. This label is on the bottom of the seat of the chairs. How old are they and what are they worth?A: Your chairs were made by Jacob Kohn (1791–1868) and his son, Josef (1814–84), of Vienna, Austria. They may have started out in the lumber industry in 1850 but were making furniture by 1867. Their chairs were similar to the bentwood chairs Thonet made. In 1914 the company merged with Mundus, a holding company in Vienna, and became Kohn-Mundus. Kohn-Mundus merged with Thonet in 1922. The motto in the mark, "Semper Sursum," means "Always Rising." Your chairs were made in the early 1900s, before 1914. Value about $100 each.

Be careful where you put a fresh pumpkin or gourd on Thanksgiving. Put a plastic liner underneath them. A rotting pumpkin will permanently stain wood or marble.

The celebration of Thanksgiving has always been the fourth Thursday in November. The answer is No. The date was changed to make a longer shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. In 1863 President Lincoln set the date as the last Thursday in November. In 1939 it was moved to the second-to-last Thursday. Then in 1941 it was moved to the fourth Thursday.There are many myths and historical oddities connected with Thanksgiving. Did you know the Mayflower was headed for Virginia but, oops, it ended up in Massachusetts?And Indians were not invited to the celebration. A large group of men just showed up--the 17th-century version of party crashers. There were probably twice as many Indians as Pilgrims, so it seems unlikely the Pilgrims would have asked them to leave. Unfortunately, no one is sure why they came. Perhaps they heard the musket shots and were curious. But they did bring deer to eat. No popcorn, though. It wasn't even grown in New England then. But Indian corn was, and it was probably dried, pounded and cooked into a porridge. They probably ate waterfowl and turkeys, too, all living in the wild. Also available were fish, squash, cabbage, carrots, turnips, spinach and onions. No potatoes--they were still grown only in South America. Although cranberries were growing nearby, no records show they were cooked and eaten until the 1670s.Forget the black clothes, too. Pilgrim women wore green, blue and purple. Men liked red linings in their cloaks. And they didn't have buckles on their shoes and hats. Buckles were not in style till years later. Next time you see a painting of the first Thanksgiving, look carefully. An iron cooking pot was really used; it may even be the one that survives in a museum. But there were no log cabins. They were built by Swedes who came 18 years later.

Q: My husband's grandparents owned these porcelain ewers and gave them to him about 40 years ago. The ewers are 22 1/4 inches tall and are marked with a crown and the word "Dresden." Can you tell me who made them and how old they are? Login for answer.

Q: I have two hollow glass "cones" that have a flower design on all four sides. They are 6 1/2 inches tall. I've been told they may be car vases or wall vases for the home. Login for answer.

"The table in our dining room has white powder on top of some tiny holes," said a friend who called a few days ago. "Last week I wiped the table thinking the white stuff was oatmeal splatter from the kids." My response: "Take the table out to the garage. You have woodworms and they're contagious."In the over 50 years I have been looking at antiques, I have never seen live, active woodworms--just the holes left behind. Woodworms are a major problem. They can live in a table for eight years before they hatch. This particular table was brought over from France two years ago. Any wooden antique you bring into your house could eventually be a source of woodworms.I rushed to my friend's house. With fresh new sawdust on the table, I reasoned there must be fresh new worms nearby. I crawled under the table and found a 1/4-inch white worm inching its way across the floor--a furniture beetle larva. My friend's kids thought this was a great game and found their mother 10 more wiggly worms.There are four kinds of beetles that leave sawdust mounds. All are very destructive. They eat furniture, floors, books, and papier-mache. Their favorite is wicker, including wicker baskets. Look for powdery sawdust on the floor, inside drawers, or (as in our friend's case) sticking to table legs. The cure is difficult. Use a bug spray made to be used for wood-boring insects. Follow instructions, but first check in an inconspicuous spot because sprays may discolor wood. Repeat the treatment monthly for two years. As a last resort, call an exterminator.

Thanks to all of you who have emailed or written that you trust us and would like us to start an online site for buying and selling because you're upset with eBay. No thanks. Our plate is full enough right now. But we are making a list of places to sell online that are similar to eBay. Please send us your suggestions and we will post the complete list soon.

Remember this next week. To remove candle wax that has dripped on your Thanksgiving tablecloth, first harden the wax by putting a plastic sandwich bag filled with ice on it. Next, scrape off as much as possible with a dull knife or a credit card. Put the tablecloth between two pieces of paper from a brown paper bag and iron the "sandwich" on low heat until the remaining wax melts into the paper. Wash the tablecloth with a detergent.

Q: A friend found this handkerchief in a box she bought at an auction. It has a patriotic border and a soldier in old-fashioned dress. The flag behind them has 17 stars on it. How old is it? Login for more.

Q: I have five nursery rhyme prints and can't find any information about them. They are marked "Vernon Grant" in the corner. Who was he?Login for more.

Did you save your newspaper from Wednesday, November 5, 2008? That's the issue announcing Obama's win. The very next day, sellers were offering hundreds of newspapers on eBay for prices ranging from $180 for the New York Times to 75 cents for extra copies of the Cleveland Plain Dealer printed because of high demand. Prices on eBay fell quickly, though. The Times is now selling for as low as 99 cents. Many regional papers are being sold for under $10.Historic papers are often saved, but because newsprint is so acidic it often deteriorates. To preserve old newspapers, store them in archival albums or boxes (available at art supply stores) or frame them with acid-free matting. Use acrylic, not glass, in the frames and keep them away from direct sunlight. You can also deacidify newspapers so they won't crumble or discolor. Treat them with Bookkeeper or Wei T'o solution. Both of these products are sold at art supply stores or online. But be careful. Soaking the paper in a solution may cause wrinkles.

Cleaning up at Grandma's house or rummaging at a house sale? Shake old books to be sure nothing is hidden between the pages. A rare 1911 Canadian $500 bill featuring a picture of Queen Mary, wife of King George V, one of three known to exist, was rescued from a pile of old books headed for a shredder. It set a record when it sold at a Heritage Auction Galleries auction in October for $322,000.

We mentioned Mt. Clemens Pottery in our Mystery Mark last week. It was located in Mt. Clemens, Mich., not Chicago. Thanks to one of our readers for pointing this out.

If you don't find any valuable papers or money in Grandma's books, try slitting the paper dustcover on the back of the paintings and prints hanging on the wall. The elderly will often hide money in places like that. Also look for money taped to the bottom of bureau drawers. Hiding valuables under the mattress seems to have gone out of style.