Q: Since my wife passed away, I’ve been cleaning out our house and donating much of the “old stuff” to charity, but my wife’s doll collection has me wondering if it should be handled differently.

The first doll is regally dressed, and a Spanish mantilla, la. She is positioned on a stand and measures 10 inches in height.

The black doll resembles a French Creole, with blue eyes and “pigtail braid” and wearing a daring flowing lace gown. She has a tag that reads “La Bamboli di Ariana.” Also on a doll stand and measuring 11 inches in height.

Small cloth doll with printed features looks like it may be from Latin America, and a small tag reads “Hecho en Mexico.” Measures 5 inches tall in sitting position.

Cloth doll representing a black girl wearing a burlap sun-hat. Designed to represent a doll owned by an enslaved black child, the doll probably was purchased at a plantation gift shop. 9 inches tall.

The next two dolls are actually one. Flip the full skirt of the blonde lady dressed in pink and white, and a black lady appears, looking like Aunt Jemima, with red dress, white apron, red scarf and gold earrings. About 10 inches total height.

Appreciate any suggestions.
Best regards, Ken W

A:  The first doll looks like a Spanish Flamenco dancer. She reminds me of a Klumpe doll, a pressed felt doll. I noticed her hard plastic lower arm and the shape of her eyebrows which are uncharacteristic to Klumpe or similar press felt dolls but I can say that she is in the style of a Klumpe. She was more than likely purchased in Spain as a souvenir and would resell for $20 – $25.

The “La Bamboli di Ariana” doll took a bit of research. She is a beautiful doll. She was made in Italy at the company’s plant located in Taormina. The clothing is hand crafted by artisans in the plant. She is made of bisque porcelain with amazing blue glass eyes. These dolls were made in limited editions, with a value of $200-$225.

The “plantation doll” falls into the $10-$15 area and the contemporary little black rag doll has a value of $15-$20. Antique rag dolls were made from a variety of scraps of cloth, old button eyes and if they had hair it was usually made with wool yarn. They were stuffed with straw, hay or excelsior.

Q: I inherited a stack of 50th anniversary plates and have no idea what to do with them or if they are worth the time and effort to put them up for sale. Can you please help me?

A: Ah, the anniversary plates. Someone in your family celebrated a 50th wedding anniversary and instead of beautiful items made of gold (it is the golden anniversary), they were given anniversary plates. There are plates, cups, and a wide assortment of kitsch items for every anniversary milestone. A single plate is nice, but to have a stack of them is a bit much. You cannot eat off of the majority of these decorative plates for several reasons. Older plates may contain lead in the paint or the decoration is not fired, which causes it to come off of the plate quite easily.

Other milestone occasions are often celebrated, such as time with a company. Generally, one does not receive a plate to mark this milestone; usually, a watch or other symbolic item is given.

The value of these plates is less than $5. There are a few exceptions, such as high-quality pieces marked ‘Wedgewood’ or a similar known pottery or glass plates with intricate, hand-painted details.

What is kitsch? Kitsch can be defined as a low-brow style of mass-produced art or design using popular or cultural icons. However, it can also be defined as art, decorative objects or design considered by many people to be ugly. Lacking in style, kitsch items are often comical in one way or another.

‘Kitsch’ is a German word that is generally used to describe objects that are considered tasteless or common while aspiring to high art. The word ‘kitsch’ roughly translates to the English “tacky.” For many people, kitsch decor is overly bold and garish; there are others who find it a fun and attractive style.

If you want to create authentic kitsch-style decor, it’s important to use a wide range of bright colors. While the most popular are yellow, magenta, fuchsia, turquoise, bright green, purple, or any other bright color or strange style.

TV lamps are often seen as kitschy. I agree that some are a bit over the top, but I love them anyway. It is a running joke in my family. Some TV lamps can sell for well over $100, and I have found that the more kitsch the lamp, the bigger the payday. Here are a few for your enjoyment. www.collectorsweekly.com/lamps/tv

Over the holidays, my granddaughter, a true thespian, and I were watching the movie “Moulin Rouge.” Out of the blue she said, “Granny, is the Moulin Rouge a real place and what era is being depicted?” Yes, she spent many hours in her younger years listening to me talk about time periods and items specific to those times.

The Moulin Rouge is a real location, and the cabaret is still thriving with daily shows. Moulin Rouge translates into “Red Mill” and the building still sports a red windmill. It was the birthplace of the can-can dance. The dance was originally performed as a seductive dance by the working ladies to lure in clients and over time transformed into a high stepping, raucous dance revue that spread throughout Europe and inspired the opening of numerous cabarets. The interior of the Moulin Rouge cabaret is still decorated much as it was when it first opened.

It was established in Paris by two gentlemen in October 1889 and embodied The Belle Époque period. The open garden at the Moulin Rouge allowed for people of all walks of life to mingle, enjoy popular entertainers of the day, and participate in evening champagne events. It was a popular spot for artists of the time and Toulouse-Lautrec was a regular. The Moulin Rouge with its neon lights was the first fully electric building in Paris.

he Belle Époque or La Belle Époque is a period of French and European history, usually considered to have begun around 1871-1880 and ended with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Belle Époque literally means “Beautiful Age.” Paris saw a lot of destruction of important landmarks during the Franco-Prussian war and the Paris Commune, a short-lived revolutionary government. Despite this slight setback, Paris hosted two iconic international exhibitions, the World’s Fair of 1889 and 1900. During this period, the Eiffel Tower was built along with several other buildings of great importance.

The Belle Époque

The Belle Époque was an era characterized by optimism, economic prosperity, and technological and scientific progress in both Europe and the United States, but its primary center was Paris. In this prosperous climate, artistic freedom flourished; the middle and lower classes were afforded luxuries previously not available to them. Every aspect of life was touched during The Belle Époque. Fashion brought about mutton sleeves and got rid of the bustle, department stores began popping up, the art scene changed from Realism to Impressionist. La Belle Époque was truly a time to be alive for many Parisians and people around the world.

Cute little figural Candles

Question: These cute little figural candles have been in my family for years. I don’t want to burn them because they are so adorable. One still has a label on the bottom that says “Gurley.” Can you tell me anything about them? Thank you.

Answer: You are right. These Gurley candles are precious and becoming very hard to find in good, unused condition.

The Gurley Novelty Co. began life in 1939 as the W&F Mfg. Co. owned by candlemaker Franklin Gurley. Mr. Gurley worked with The Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. to reuse the paraffin byproduct from oil production to create a number of wax products, including candle figures. The first candles were marketed under the name “Tavern.” In 1949 Mr. Gurley purchased the rights to the Tavern name and changed the company name to the Gurley Novelty Co., where production focused on candle figurines for just about every holiday. Sales were excellent until the 1970s and the company eventually closed.

Turkey Platter

Question: My mom had this platter for years and only used it on Thanksgiving, we had ham for Christmas. I think it is about the ugliest platter I have ever seen, but if it is worth anything I might just keep it. Can you tell me how much it is worth?

Answer: Turkey platters abound and as a matter of fact it is a collecting genre all of its own.

With the British economy struggling after the Revolutionary War, British potteries began targeting the American market by crafting dinnerware that would sell well in the USA. Transferware and flow blue items soon flooded the market depicting patriotic scenes, historical landmarks, and the Westward expansion. Abraham Lincoln declared the fourth Thursday of November to be the nation’s official Thanksgiving Day in 1863. Around 1870, English potters began producing turkey-themed wares for the American market in honor of the newly declared day of Thanksgiving. Even companies such as Wedgwood jumped on the turkey-themed wagon with stunning pieces.