Q: We are cleaning out my grandmother’s house and have come across several items that we think might be old and possibly worth some money. 1} The decorative spoon with a handle that looks like a long fish or sea serpent, you can see scales on it. It measures 5 1/8” long.

2} The gnome sitting inside of an apple has an extra piece on the back, possibly for putting ivy or flowers in. The back has lettering that reads, “Gilner Calif.” It doesn’t have any chips, cracks, or breaks on it.

3} Two framed wooden pictures. The label on the back of one says, “This picture was designed & manufactured by Richard Graefe Ltd, Estd 1837 at their studio and works: Priory Rd. High Wycombe. Bucks.” They each measure 9” x 11.”

4} A very strange metal contraption with four funnels on the underside. There are no labels, tags or names on this thing. It is very heavy and made of metal. Thank you so much for your help. I am very curious about the last item.

A: OK, let’s jump into this. Your spoon is absolutely stunning. The body of your spoon appears to be brass, most of this type of spoon are either brass or sterling silver. The enameling style is referred to as Champlevé. The enameling is done by hand, placing the different colors of powder paste in the cells according a pattern created by the designer or enamel artist. The bowl of your spoon is most commonly called a nut spoon; yes, in the Victorian era there was a spoon or fork for every food. I agree with you on the handle design looking like a sea serpent, but my reference books indicate it is a dolphin. To sum all of these bits of information, you have a circa 1890s Champlevé enamel nut spoon. This style was usually made in France; since it is unmarked, I am going to stick with my assessment of the item being of unknown origin. When I enlarged the photograph you sent me, I could see a couple of small places where the enamel has popped out. This lowers the value to $75-$80 USD.

I adore your 1950s vintage Gilner pixie in an apple shaped wall pocket. Several decades ago, I owned almost 300 pixies and elves. Now I am down to about 20 of my favorites. The Gilner Pottery Co. was a family affair, owned and operated by Beryl Gilner. They produced various ceramic goods out of their Culver City, CA, plant from 1934 to 1958. Gilner Pottery did not meet its end due to a factory fire, like many potteries did. The Free Trade Act of 1956, signed by the U.S. with Japan, flooded the market with cheaper knockoffs, making it challenging for Gilner to compete.

Best known for their pixie figurines, they were also responsible for a large line of TV lamps, and a wide catalog of animals and other collectibles. Your precious 1950 Gilner Pottery pixie wall pocket would easily sell for $75.

Your two wood marquetry art pieces are beautiful. They look to be in very good condition with all pieces intact. Richard Graefe was a British artist who worked predominately with wood designs. There isn’t much information on Mr. Graefe. We know that he was a 20th-century artist. The majority of his pieces are in known collections, which makes me wonder if your grandmother was one of the “known collectors.” His plant was in Wycombe, Britain, and many of his pieces are in the Wycombe Museum. I was able to find a couple of old auction prices, and going back 15 years his marquetry art was selling for $200-$250 each.