"What is it?" a reader asks.

Q I purchased this item at a local flea market and not even the person I bought it from knew what it was. Even though everyone in my immediate family has examined it, no one has a clue. Can you solve this mystery for us? – Donna, Tucson

A You have a pie bird that was used to vent and support the crust and act as a ventilator for pies, especially fruit and berry ones. According to “300 Years of Kitchen Collectibles” by Linda Campbell Franklin (Krause, $29.95), pie birds have been in use since the early 18th century. They were especially popular during the 1890s when dozens of “pie chimneys” were manufactured in both ceramic and glass.

In recent years, pie birds have become collectible, especially ones depicting hens and roosters, pigs, birds, cats, frogs, Dutch girls, bears, and licensed characters such as Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse. As with most collectibles, prices are determined by several factors including condition, rarity and desirability. Typical prices are Donald Duck, circa 1940, $150; white china bird, British origin and from the 1920s, $65; a chef on a pedestal, $35; and a “mammy,” probably from the 1940s, $175.

It was necessary to vent pies, especially ones such as the humongous pie on wheels that was made in January 1770 for Sir Henry Grey in London. This special pie included the following ingredients: 2 bushels of flour, 20 lbs. butter, 4 geese, 2 turkeys, 2 rabbits, 4 wild ducks, 2 woodcocks, 6 snipes and 4 partridges in addition to 7 blackbirds and six pigeons. The pie weighed 168 pounds and required two men to carry it to the table. Although it is not reported that pie birds were used, some type of ventilation had to have been necessary to make certain it cooked through and through.

Some sources that might be helpful are Piebirds Unlimited, a quarterly publication for collectors, P.O. Box 192, Acworth, GA 30101; and dealer Deborah Vanden Heuvel, Global Galleria, 209 Riverwalk Circle, Cary, NC 27511. Also experts Lillian Cole, 14 Harmony School Road, Flemington, NJ 08822 and Linda Fields, 158 Bagsby Hill Lane, Dover, TN 37058.

Two full page ads placed by British largest clothing retailer Marks and Spencer in two British daily newspapers in London on Friday offering their apologies for charging extra for large size bras.

LONDON – The Battle of the Bust is over, and consumers have triumphed.

Britain’s largest clothing retailer, Marks & Spencer, has backed down on its incendiary policy of charging a 2 pound ($3) surcharge for bras that are DD or larger in the face of a spreading consumer revolt.

Think women don’t care about this issue? Then think again — that’s what M&S executives had to do after some 14,000 women gave their name to a Facebook campaign aimed at eliminating the big boob penalty.

“We always try to do the right thing by our customers and we thought we had, but it’s clear we’ve got it wrong this time,” said M&S chairman Stuart Rose. “From Saturday, no matter whether it’s large or small bras you need, the price will be the same.”

To get the message out, the company paid for an eye-catching full-page advertisement in several national newspapers Friday. It showed a full-figured woman in lacy green lingerie. In the ad, the company apologized for its mistake and offered a 25 percent reduction in all bras of all sizes for the next two weeks.

“We are just overwhelmed,” said Becky Mount, a co-founder of the Busts 4 Justice group that brought retailing icon M&S to its knees with a canny Internet and media-oriented campaign. “We’ve won, and we never thought it would happen so quickly.”

The group, which grew exponentially in the last few days, had vowed to challenge Rose and other M&S executives at the company’s annual meeting this summer. Mount said this threat, and growing media support for their crusade, made the company’s leaders realize they were losing the public relations battle.

“They didn’t want a lot of big-breasted women storming their meeting,” said Mount, 19. “I think they realized they were dealing with a much bigger force than they thought originally, and that we weren’t going to go away.”

She said the group’s members would be happy to shop at M&S now that the surcharge has been dropped.

The new policy brings M&S into line with other major retailers in Britain, who decline to pass the higher cost of designing and manufacturing large-size bras on to the consumer.

British lingerie specialists ranging from the pricey Agent Provocateur to the saucy Ann Summers line do not charge more for DD bras, despite the extra work that goes into producing them. In the United States, bra prices on the popular Victoria’s Secret Web site do not change as sizes get larger.

But policies change store by store and brand by brand.

At the upscale Rigby & Peller shops in London, which specialize in personalized fittings, the company’s own bras are priced the same regardless of the size, said buyer Nicky Clayton. But some outside brands the store sells do contain a markup for larger sizes.

“Some brands like the Italian company Prima Donna charge us more, so we pass that on,” she said. “But for Rigby and Peller bras the prices are exactly the same because we’ve got total control and can maintain pricing across all the sizes.”

She said M&S probably ran into trouble because its lingerie price policy differed from the strategy used for other items.

“If they charged more for larger sizes of all their items, like garments and outerwear, it would have been fine,” she said. “It was just that they took this policy only on the lingerie sector, that made it a problem.”

This postcard was sent by a visitor to the St. Louis World's Fair of 1904.

Postcards are among America’s favorite collectibles. Since this is National Postcard Week, it seems a perfect time to discuss their collectibility and salute one of the area’s best clubs for enthusiasts, the Tucson Post Card Exchange.

According to Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles by Ralph and Terry Kovel, the first legally permitted postcards originated in Austria in 1869. The first “penny” postcards were mailed in the United States in 1872. Most of the picture postcards are from the early years of the last century.

The price of postage fluctuated, so it is often possible to determine when a card was mailed both by the postal mark and the amount of the stamp. For example, the rates are 1872 (1 cent), 1917 (2 cents), 1919 (1 cent), 1925 (2 cents), 1928 (1 cent), 1952 (2 cents), 1958 (3 cents), 1963 (4 cents), 1968 (5 cents), 1971 (6 cents), 1973 (8 cents), 1975 (7 cents), 1976 (9 cents), 1978 (10 cents), March 1981 (12 cents), November 1981 (13 cents), 1985 (14 cents), 1988 (15 cents), 1991 (19 cents), 1995 (20 cents), 2001 (21 cents), 2002 (23 cents), 2006 (24 cents), and 2007 (26 cents).

Postcards can vary in price depending on rarity, condition and desirability. A quick check of eBay revealed dozens of interesting cards being offered for sale including a Halloween card depicting a black cat from the 1920s, $35; a real photo image of Phoenix from 1910, $45; a Santa in blue robes promoting a laundry soap, circa 1915, $65; a view of the Titanic, $275; and a series featuring seven movie stars from the 1930s (Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Mae West and George Brent), $65 for the set.

The value of postcards has continued to increase, especially for older, more desirable cards. In special demand are holiday cards, designs by important illustrators such as Hank Feilig and Harrison Cady, cards relating to politics and labor, and images of small town America.

One of the premier clubs is the Tucson Postcard Exchange Club. Members meet the first Sunday of each month at 2:30 p.m. at the Pima County Medical Society Building, 5199 E. Farness. The meetings are open to the public. Membership dues are $15 per year.

For additional information, contact club president Jack Mount at jdmount@cox.net

Shop’s focus on local products delights clientele

More than 180 people took part in the start of the first Meet Me at Maynards weekly Southern Arizona Roadrunners social run. The Monday run started at Maynards Market at the Historic Depot, 400 N. Toole Ave.

Defying a depressed economy and a closed Fourth Avenue underpass just a few feet away, Maynards Market appears to be growing.

The 2-month-old market in the Historic Depot, 400 E. Toole Ave., is a local business with local products for people who live and work downtown – and also for people from all over who add a market stop while dining next door at Maynards Kitchen.

“People are really yearning for something to happen downtown,” said Shana Oseran, who with her husband, Richard, owns Maynards Market and Kitchen, along with Hotel Congress across the street.

“What’s happening is we’re willing to take a chance and offer what people want.”

Maynards has already developed a loyal customer base that makes suggestions on what the market should carry, such as bottled Coca-Cola from Mexico; Orangina, a carbonated citrus drink; and Sanpellegrino mineral water.

“I sell the heck out of this,” market manager Mark Black said about Orangina. “A lot of these drinks have cult followings.”

But about half of its merchandise is made in and around Tucson and elsewhere in Arizona.

“I think over time we’re going to move closer to 100 percent local,” Black said.

Black recruited 30 local vendors to supply goods from candles, artisan breads and organic spices to scone mix, recycled vinyl accessories and fresh farmer’s cheese and butter. The store carries nearly 900 items.

Monroe Racz, who lives a block away at One North Fifth Apartments, manages to do all her food shopping at Maynards.

“It’s filled my dream of not having to use my car,” Racz said. “The store makes my shopping more convenient.”

“The market is really focusing on local products and having amenities that need to be available for people who live downtown,” Shana Oseran said. “To tell you the truth, we throw everything up in the air and see what’s selling. Believe me, it’s the local products.”

So far, the restaurant is subsidizing the market, but sales figures grow every week. Richard Oseran is pleased with the results, considering that a prime customer base is on the other side of the Fourth Avenue underpass, which is closed for construction.

Many market patrons are restaurant diners, largely because they must order their lunch at the market counter. Dinner has table service.

“Some people had to get used to the idea of not having table service at lunch,” Richard Oseran said. “The reason (for it) was to have people moving through the whole area.”

This week, runners and walkers discovered Maynards en masse.

The Southern Arizona Roadrunners staged its first “Meet Me at Maynards” Monday, drawing about 200 people to run or walk through downtown along the blue painted line known as the Presidio Trail. Before and after, participants wandered through the market, dined at the neighboring Maynards Kitchen and socialized on the track-side patio.

“The first social run was a blast,” said Randy Accetta, a former Roadrunners president and co-developer of the Maynards event. “The market is a great idea. The Maynards location was splendid: plenty of room on the patio, great drinks, discounted food – couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The Roadrunners plan to meet at the market at 6 p.m. every Monday, at least through the end of May, Accetta said.

Maynards Market and Kitchen is among a string of relatively new downtown businesses that bring an enthusiastic spirit to downtown, said Chris Early, owner of Chris’ Cafe and chair of the Downtown Tucson Partnership’s Merchants Council.

“It’s another one of those new businesses coming downtown with fresh ideas and a willingness to be open when events are going on in the evenings,” Early said.

The market fills about half of the former waiting room space at the train depot. The Oserans decided to craft shelves from pallet wood to give the space a rustic feel.

The merchandise includes an eclectic mix of breakfast items, snack stuff, detergents, decorative items, and enough components to assemble a dinner.

Lisette Sacks, creative director at a downtown advertising firm, assembles her lunch three days a week with Maynards Market merchandise.

The bar manager at the Hotel Congress selects the beer and wines, which include handcrafted beers, ales and stouts from New Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, north San Diego County, Ukiah in northern California and overseas.

Some of the beer and wine is served at the Maynards restaurant bar, and an asterisk on the dinner menu denotes ingredients available in the market.

Monica Cota provides candles hand-poured at her Rustic Candle Co. shop, 324 N. Fourth Ave. She said sales have increased 20 percent since her product has been available at Maynards.

“I’m just thrilled with the response we have had in there,” Cota said. “(Maynards) have kept reordering.”

Tucsonan Bobbie Lee (left) and her daughter, Rebecca Lee of San Francisco, shop at Maynards Market, 400 E. Toole Ave., on Wednesday. The market and restaurant are in the former Central Bistro restaurant inside the train depot.

Maynards Market and Kitchen manager Mark Black checks a list of products.

The community table at Maynards Market and Kitchen, which seats 18, was made with ponderosa pine salvaged from the 2003 Aspen fire on Mount Lemmon.

Maynards sells products from about 30 local vendors, including candles from the Rustic Candle Co. on Fourth Avenue.

Locally made salsa is for sale at Maynards Market.

This is the first Meet Me at Maynard's weekly SAR social run. The run started at Maynard's Market at the Historic Train Depot 400 N. Toole. Ave. About 180 people participated.

Runners and walkers who took part in the Monday evening event were served iced tea, lemonade or a margarita on Maynards' track-side patio.

———

Online chat

Have any further questions about Maynards or just want to chat about other downtown issues?

Go to the comment section of this story from 2 to 3 p.m. Friday. Downtown reporter Teya Vitu who will be on hand to answer your questions.

———

If you go

What: Maynards’ weekly Southern Arizona Roadrunners social run

Where: Historic Train Depot, 400 N. Toole Ave.

When: 6 p.m., Mondays. Come early to check in for the free informal, non-competitive walk

Information: 991-0733 or www.azroadrunners.org.

———

If you go

What: New Belgium Urban Assault Ride

When: noon Sunday

Where: 400 N. Toole Ave.

Details: The New Belgium Urban Assault Ride, the largest bicycle scavenger hunt series in the world, kicks off its 10-city 2009 tour in Tucson. This event calls for street savvy and bike smarts, and promotes cycling, health and sustainability.

Info: Call 303-408-0747

———

Local vendors at Maynards Market

• Desert Oasis Soap Co. (bar soap and lip salves)

• Rainbow Valley Nursery (fresh farmer’s cheese and butter)

• Tucson Tamale Co. (tamales and fresh salsa)

• Caffe Lucé (fresh roasted coffee)

• Red Rock Ranch and Farms (lavender products)

• Poblano Hot Sauce Inc. (hot sauces)

• Adobe Rose Inn (scone mix)

• Vy & Elle (recycled vinyl accessories)

• Grandma Koyotes BBQ Sauce (Kansas City-style barbecue sauce with bacon bits)

• Bakehouse Bread (artisan breads)

• Mano Y Metate (mole blends)

• Rustic Candle Co. (handcrafted candles)

• Katey Coleville (hand-printed baby clothes)

• Bookmans (books and magazines)

• Five Star Jerky (homemade jerky)

• Livity (raw organic fudge)

• Jack & the Bean Soup (bean soup mixes)

• Medicine of the People (lip balm and salve)

• Retro Trek (luggage tags and stickers)

• Villa Feliz (flowers and plants)

• TM Design (custom metal fabrication)

• Desert Spice & Chili (organic herbs and spices)

• The Vail Connection (gourds and antique fabrics)

• Terra Verde Farms (spicy condiments)

• Lil’ Sassy’s Salsa (salsas)

• RPMS (preserves, condiments)

• Mama Llamas (empañadas)

• Miracle Munchies (gluten-free baking mixes and cookies)

• Azmira Holistic Animal Care (dog and cat food)

• Naknek Family Fisheries (frozen Alaskan salmon and halibut)

WWII-era cookbooks are popular.

With an economic downturn, a war on two fronts and Americans tightening their belts, it’s not a surprise that family vegetable gardens are making a comeback.

The trend has even reached the White House. Several weeks ago, ground for a vegetable garden was broken on the South Lawn, the first vegetable plot since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden during the early 1940s. With the popularity of growing home vegetables, the demand for “back-to-basics” cookbooks also has increased. Especially popular with collectors are cookbooks from the 1930s and ’40s that feature lean recipes and sugar-free desserts.

Examples include “Prudence Penny’s Coupon Cookery,” which was published in 1943 by Murray and Gee. “Prudence Penny” was a West Coast home radio show that ran for around two decades, showcasing a fictional home economist who served up household hints and recipes, all accommodating wartime shortages and rationing. In addition to network radio, columns by Penny were published in several regional newspapers, including both the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and San Francisco Examiner. The “Prudence Penny” recipe collection could be purchased for about $10 until just recently when its value began to climb. It currently sells in the $25-$50 range, depending on condition.

Other popular cookbooks from the war-era are “The Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book,” 1942-46, $50-$100; “The Settlement Cookbook,” 1942, $25-$50; “The Good Housekeeping Cook Book,” 1944, $65-$100; “The Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer, 1943, $75-$125; and “The New American Cook Book” by Lily Haxworth Wallace, 1941-44, $65-$110.

As with most collectibles, values vary from region to region and depend on several factors, including scarcity, demand and condition. Cookbooks with original dust jackets always sell at a premium.

A cookbook signed by the author can dramatically increase the value of a collection. Handwritten recipes in a book by the original owner not only establishes provenance, it often makes the collection more desirable to collectors.

One of the better price guides is Antique Trader Collectible Cookbooks by Patricia Edwards and Peter Peckham. Published by Krause, the guide is fully illustrated and features values for nearly 1,000 cookbooks. Edwards and Peckham are the creators of oldcookbooks.com, one of the largest online bookstores specializing in vintage, hard-to-find and rare cookbooks.

Historic newspapers are popular collectibles.

With the possible sight of The Tucson Citizen in our rearview mirror, several people have asked if the final issues of newspapers are worth saving.

Strolling through the newspaper cemetery is startling. Some of America’s most historic papers have folded in recent years and even more are barely alive and on life support. Gone are such proud old publications as the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the San Francisco Herald, The Miami News, the Chicago Daily News, the New Orleans States-Item, The Baltimore Evening Sun, The Kansas City Star, the St. Louis-Globe Democrat, the Houston Post, The Albuquerque Tribune, and the New York Herald Tribune. In recent weeks, we’ve witnessed the demise of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and the Rocky Mountain News and heard the death rattle of the San Francisco Chronicle and Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Are any of the final editions of these papers worth more than just a dollar or two and is a newspaper with historic headlines worth collecting? To find out the answer, I monitored online auctions and contacted several collectors and experts. Some final issues, such as the last edition of the Rocky Mountain News, are almost certain to increase in value because of their content and the overall historic value of the publication. I saw several issues sell on eBay in the $15-$20 range.

According to one collector, most older editions of newspapers, even when packed away for decades, rarely sell for more than $25. There are, of course, exceptions. For example, the farewell issue of The Washington Daily News from 1972 routinely sells for $40. Other popular papers that are highly collectible include Leslie’s Illustrated account of the Chicago Fire, Oct. 28, 1871, $250; Chicago Tribune from April 5, 1882, with story of Jesse James murder, $650; Columbian Centinel’s War of 1812 issue, $65; the New York Herald’s Lincoln election issue, $150; and Lincoln’s assassination from almost any New York or Washington paper, $150 and up.

Other historic events that are highly collectible include the Civil War, presidential elections and deaths, the sinking of the Titanic, the stock market collapse in 1929, and the death of Elvis Presley in 1977.

Papers should be placed flat and stored in a dark, dry place. Cedar chests are ideal. Never keep older paper items in plastic of any kind.

For additional information, I recommend two experts: Timothy Hughes, Timothy Hughes Rare and Early Newspapers, P.O. Box 3636, Williamsport, PA 17701, and Steve Goldman, P.O. Box 359, Parkton, MD 21120. Another excellent source is the Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001, and 888-639-7386.

BUY OF THE WEEK

It’s wicker season and this vintage planter is $45 at Marche Noir Interiors, 2229 N. Country Club Road.

Upgraded inventory replaces shabby chic items

The merchandise offered at Antiques, Etc. reflects the diverse tastes of sisters and co-owners Karen Grimm (left) and Ellen Haskell.

After more than a decade, Antiques, Etc., formerly Tumbling Tumbleweed, has renamed and redefined itself.

The shop, which has been at 2319 N. Country Club Road since 1998, is a difficult business to categorize. In some ways, the inventory is reminiscent of a flea market in Paris. In other ways, a quaint art gallery, a whimsical collection of nostalgia or a treasure-laden Southern attic.

Opened by sisters Ellen Haskell and Karen Grimm, the shop reflects the diverse tastes of these women.

Grimm smiles and then laughs as she tries to explain the things that she is most attracted to in the world of antiques and collectibles.

“I specialize in French furniture but not just any kind of French furniture. It must reflect an over-the-top style with lots of rococo,” she says. For those who are uncertain about what rococo is, think early Liberace.

Both sisters explain that the shop was started as a diversion for their mother to keep her occupied. The plan worked out well until she retired recently due to failing health.

The 5,000-plus-square-foot building, originally Janos Square Structure when it was constructed in 1948, is filled with an inventory Grimm describes as “good and high end.”

Gone are most of the shabby chic items that filled the store during the last decade.

“After mother retired and we began upgrading our inventory, we made a conscious decision to buy only the best items we could find,” Grimm says. She is drawn to exceptional paintings, pottery, Spanish and Mexican colonial pieces, and traditional devotional art.

“Many of the items we sell are to out-of-state buyers,” she says. “If I find an exceptional painting, a rare piece of art pottery, or even a pickle caster, I know just who to contact,” she says.

Like many dealers, both sisters are concerned about reproductions and knockoffs.

“We never sell reproductions, but it is getting more and more difficult to spot many of them, especially items such as Roseville pottery,” Grimm notes. She points out that Chinese companies now own many of the original Roseville molds and workers there have become so good at duplicating the old colors and glazes that it has become a major problem.

As Grimm moves about the shop, she picks up a recent copy of Veranda Magazine.

“If I have a guide, it is this magazine since it reflects the cutting-edge style that we are trying to achieve in our shop,” she says.

The recent name change came about because of a simple reason.

“We didn’t want to be the last shop listed in the business pages of the phone book,” Grimm says with a smile. After considering “A Tumbleweed Antiques,” it was discarded in favor of “Antiques, Etc.”

“The original store had more Western Americana that we presently do and the old name simply didn’t reflect what we are now doing,” Grimm explains.

The store's inventory includes (from top): vintage tack, traditional devotional art, a pair of earthenware King Charles' spaniels and classic opera shoes.

———

IF YOU GO

What: Antiques, Etc.

Where: 2319 N. Country Club Road

When: Open 10:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays

Info: 322-6269

This column would be almost impossible to write without a good library of reference books. These are the ones that I have found especially helpful. Most are available at www.amazon.com.

Lehner’s Encyclopedia of U.S. Marks on Pottery, Porcelain & Clay

By Lois Lehner (Collector Books, $24.95)

Want to find out more about a teacup marked Monmouth Pottery Company or learn more about Coors porcelain? If so, this is the book for you because it includes almost every mark found on American pottery, porcelain and clay pieces. The research is first rate and the format user-friendly.

Collecting Toys

Edited by Karen O’Brien (Krause, $24.99)

More than 18,000 toys are featured, from banks and erector sets to soldiers and vehicles. The up-to-date pricing covers three condition grades. This is one of the more respected guides for pre-World War II toys.

The Blue Book of Dolls and Values

By Jan Foulke (Hobby House Press, $55.88)

There is not a more trusted guide to dolls than this one. Now in its 16th edition, it covers both antique and modern dolls with up-to-date prices and manufacturer’s information. Fully illustrated in color, this reference is comprehensive and essential.

‘The Official Price Guide to Collecting Books’

By Marie Tedford and Pat Goudey (House of Collectibles, $18)

Although there are dozens of price guides for books, this is the one I’ve found the most useful. Revised and updated on a regular basis, the books are listed by author, making it user-friendly. In addition to values, there are practical tips on buying, selling, and preserving books, as well as a complete glossary of book-collecting terms.

Comics Values Annual

By Alex G. Malloy (Krause, $19.99)

This book features current prices and expanded listings for more than 94,000 comics issued from the Golden Age through the present. Black-and-white comics, titles from independent and underground publishers, Golden Age favorites, and extensive listings for perennial powerhouses Marvel and DC Comics are all covered.

Official Price Guide to Disney Collectibles

By Ted Hake (House of Collectibles, $29.95)

Every time I get a question about a Mickey Mouse watch or a Donald Duck figurine, I grab this excellent book, which lists more than 28,000 items in some 125 sections.

Warman’s Political Collectibles

By Enoch L. Nappen (Krause, $24.99)

Almost everyone has a small collection of political buttons. If you’re curious about how much they might be worth, this handy guide features color photographs of more than 1,100 political items from Lincoln to Bush, including pins, posters and signs, medals, bumper stickers, clothing, magazines and much more.

The Official Stamp Collector’s Bible

By Stephen R. Datz (House of Collectibles, $22)

This is the ultimate compendium for all things philatelic. It is jammed with practical advice on every aspect of collecting and trading. Novices will learn such valuable information as how dealers price stamps and the best way to develop Internet auction strategies.

The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards

Edited by Don Fluckinger (Krause, $39.99)

This comprehensive guide stands alone in depth of coverage, ease of use and accurate information in the buying, selling and trading of baseball cards. Referencing more than 15,000 sets issued between the mid-1800s and 2008, more than 1 million cards and collectibles are listed in its 1,848 pages.

Warman’s Antiques & Collectibles 2009 Price Guide

By Ellen T. Schroy and edited by Tracy L. Schmidt (Krause, $24.99)

More than 2,000 color images and an easy-to-use friendly color-coded format make this one of the better general guides for both antiques and collectibles. In addition to current values, the guide contains must-have information such as history, fakes, reproduction alerts and manufacturers’ marks.

The Standard Catalogue of American Records: 1950-1975

By Tim Neely (Krause, $34.99)

The 150,000 listings include updated prices for pop, rock, country, soul, rhythm & blues, and virtually all other genres of music released in America from 1950-75. No other book comes close to providing the sheer volume of information that is found in this landmark Goldmine reference.

The U.S. Coin Digest: The Complete Guide to Current Market Values

Edited by David C. Harper (Krause, $14.99)

This affordable guide covers thousands of coins and features hundreds of high-quality color images, prices for 11 grades of condition, current values, and U.S. error coins, and everything you need to know to keep your coin up to date.

CLARIFICATION

Karen Grim, one of the owners of Tumbling Tumbleweed, 2319 N. Country Club Road, spoke to me this week about one of my recent columns. She said her shop does, indeed, sell large iron crosses but only ones that have been recycled from cemeteries in France. According to Grim, crosses are often replaced after about a century and many of these are then shipped to the U.S., where they are brokered and resold through a company in San Francisco. Grim points out that crosses sold by Tumbling Tumbleweed are legally acquired and fully documented as salvage.

This angel marks the grave of a Tucson infant who lived just one day.

During the 1980s, I lived in a small mountain community in Colorado. As a a member of the local historical society, I was soon involved with historic walking tours of the quaint cemetery that was just outside town.

After my first season, I documented the cemetery with my camera and published a self-conducted tour for the tourists who visited the area. The cemetery, which was founded shortly after the first gold strike in the district in 1859, was an eclectic cross-section of graves that included merchants, miners, community leaders, a scoundrel or two, at least one madam, and even an empty grave that honored a passenger who was aboard the Titanic when it sank in 1912.

In addition to victims of mining accidents, the graveyard was the final resting place for people who succumbed to typhoid fever, pneumonia, and lead poisoning contracted from a revolver.

Especially sad were the small markers on the graves of infants and young children. It was often said that the high country of Colorado during the Victorian era was not an easy place for women, children,and horses, which brings me to my point. Even after burial, the country cemetery isn’t necessarily a restful place as you might imagine. As I conducted more and more walking tours, I began noticing that monuments and iron fencing were vanishing throughout the site. The rickety gate was no deterrent to thieves. I began to wonder what kind of people would loot a cemetery.

Fast forward 10 years. Shortly after moving to Tucson, I walked into an antique shop near Country Club and Grant Road and I immediately saw three large iron crosses and several marble lambs and angels. As I looked closer, I realized that the crosses and statuary were pieces of cemetery art. When a clerk was asked about the items, she got extremely agitated and I was ordered out of the shop.

Since last autumn, I have received several letters asking about marble statuary. One reader claimed she had found a small carved lamb in “an abandoned cemetery” in Utah and had brought it back to Tucson because she had a perfect place for it in her cacti garden. Another letter writer revealed that while he or she was “salvaging an angel,” the statue broke off at the base. I was asked who in Tucson could repair the damage.

The time has come for a come-to-Jesus chat. Although this seems like a given, perhaps it should be repeated in print: It is never right to steal from a cemetery. Even though a cemetery might appear to be abandoned, it isn’t. Despite weeds and neglect, burial sites remain sacred ground. People who heist statues, Victorian fencing, urns and other items are thieves. If you have taken such an item, return it. It isn’t yours to keep. When a grave marker is taken, especially in older rural graveyards, it often becomes impossible for friends and family members to locate the burial spots.

You can also discourage this practice. The next time you see an angel, a lamb or an obvious piece of cemetery art at a flea market or in a shop, ask about it. Let the seller know that you disapprove of cemetery thievery. Perhaps, by working together we can reverse this vile trend.

BUY OF THE WEEK

What is spring without a saucy straw hat? This wonderful vintage hat is $22 at the Paris Flea Market, 2855 E. Grant Road.

Send questions to Larry Cox at contactlarrycox@aol.com. They may or may not be answered, depending on how much longer the Tucson Citizen is in business.

Buy of the Week

(Editor’s note: This column was written before Gannett announced that it would not close the Citizen on March 21 as planned.)

This is the second installment of a list of sources that have been requested most often by our readers.

PAINTINGS AND ART WORK

Wayne Kielsmeier, owner of The Covington Art Gallery is one of the more knowledgeable dealers in the region when it comes to American and European paintings and other artwork. His contact info is 298-7878, 6530 E. Tanque Verde Road, No. 140, and covingtongallery@comcast.net.

POSTCARDS

The Tucson Post Card Exchange is one of the region’s premier organizations for postcard collectors. Joan Gentry is one of the club’s organizers. You can reach her at 297-0980 and 820 Via Lucitas, Tucson 85718.

RADIO AND TELEVISION REPAIR

If your Zenith is on the fritz or your Victrola needs a new spring, Dave Vaughn is your man. The owner of Dave’s Antiques, 449 W. 29th St., 790-2618, Vaughn buys, sells and repairs vintage radios and television sets. He is one of the few sources in town for steel needles for older phonographs.

SHABBY CHIC

The Grey House is housed in a small cottage that is filled to the rafters with antiques and vintage home accessories. Several months ago, the shop moved to a new location at 2301 N. Country Club Road, 325-0400.

SILVER

One of my favorite Tucson shops is Darlene Morris Antiques, 2940 N. Swan Road, 322-9050. In addition to specializing in estate silver, porcelain and Victorian-era “smallies,” she also appraises. She is one of the region’s better dealers.

SILVER MATCHING SERVICE

For those trying to complete a retired pattern of flatware, the Silver Queen is a godsend. The company, which has hundreds of retired patterns in its impressive inventory, is at 1350 W. Bay Drive, Largo, FL 33770. The toll-free number is 800-262-3134.

STOVES AND REFRIGERATORS

One of the more impressive inventories of vintage stoves and refrigerators in the American West is at Antique Vintage Appliances, 5020 E. Speedway Blvd., 326-8849. Appliances that have not been restored are available as well as ones that are ready for service. If you’re looking for a stove to accent a 1940s kitchen, this is the place.

THIMBLES

The Cactus Thimblers is one of the area’s newer clubs for collectors. The contact person is Merry Lewis, merrysl@aol.com.

TOYS

Bernie Resnick is a former dealer who is one of the nation’s recognized authorities when it comes to older toys. His expertise and his collection are impressive. Contact him at 885-6307 and bernresn@aol.com.

Some final words . . .

In October 2002, I was hired to write two weekly columns for the Tucson Citizen. “Treasures and Trends,” a column name that I incidentally hated, was driven by antique and collectible questions from our readers. “Shelf Life” featured my reviews of new books. No contract was ever signed. In fact, my agreement with Michael Chihak, the paper’s editor and publisher, was verbal and sealed with a handshake.

My columns would continue for only as long as my editors were pleased with my work and it remained fun for me. Although I can’t speak for my editors, I can honestly say that the last eight years have been one of the most fun, productive periods of my life, ironic since I considered myself retired when I moved to Arizona in 1996.

During the years I have written this column, I have answered more than 1,000 questions, found approximately 500 “best buys” in shops and malls, and worked with some of the finest newspaper people on the planet.

I was able to answer every single question submitted to me except for one. A reader, the daughter of a former Tucson dentist, inherited a collection of 300 pairs of false teeth from her dad. She contacted me to see if I could find a collector or club so she could dispose of them. Even though my column is ending, I still have her letter from 2004 on my desk and I will continue to search – just in case.

Goodbye and thank you for your interest in this column. My final hope is that you found our weekly visits both informative and fun.

Still going strong, giving to worthy causes

Tucson's first lady of fashion, Cele Peterson, turns 100 years old Saturday.

Back in the early 1930s, when Cele Peterson opened her first clothing store in Tucson, she made a buying trip to New York. She brought along a friend to help her drive across the country.

Actually, two friends.

“I grew up in Bisbee,” Peterson says. “I never learned to swim. I never learned to ride a bicycle. But I did learn how to ride a horse and how to shoot a gun. I had a little gun on me because, after all, we were driving to New York.”

Since it was illegal to carry a firearm in New York and she didn’t dare leave it in the hotel, Peterson had to think. “I put it in my muff and thought, ‘Nobody knows I’ve got it,’” she recalls.

“We were at this one showroom and this guy said to me, ‘You’re from the wild West.’ And I said, ‘Sure.’ He said, ‘Do you carry a gun?’ I said, ‘Of course. Who doesn’t?’ And I opened my muff.

“Well I want you to know I got the best service from that company from then on out.”

On Saturday, Tucson’s grande dame of fashion and style turns 100 years old. She’s sharp as a tack, with barbed opinions, and still puts in time at her business. Her childhood memories sound like they sprang from the pages of a Western novel.

Such as the time her brother decided their mom should get that garden she always wanted, even with the rock-hard caliche below the surface and the steep slope behind their home on Quality Hill in Bisbee. The property was bordered by a junior high school on one side and neighbors on the other.

Somehow her brother swiped a piece of dynamite.

“We buried the dynamite kind of into the ground to make my mother a garden and set it off,” she laughs. “Can you imagine? We could have blown up the school. We could have blown up all the houses around us.” Instead it shook the houses and made a nice hole.

Peterson and her older brother weren’t quite as lucky when they lured their younger brother into an abandoned mine full of scorpions and snakes and closed the old door on him. The problem was they couldn’t get the door open again. As sundown approached, her brother ran for her parents. They had to get a welder to cut the door open.

“Well I’m telling you, we got a real whipping for that,” she says.

No doubt about it, Peterson has lived a life of legend. Through field glasses she watched puffs of rifle smoke from the Mexican Revolution across the border in Naco. She put a dead rattler in a candy box on Valentine’s Day and gave it to her chemistry teacher, who promptly fainted when he opened the box.

Today the mischievous girl might have ended up in reform school. Instead she became a pioneer businesswoman and one of the most important philanthropists this city has yet created.

Sitting at the desk in her clothing store at the Crossroads Festival shopping center at Swan and Grant roads, Peterson recalled the events that led up to her move to Tucson.

Born Cecilia Fruitman in Pensacola, Fla., her family moved first to Tennessee, later to California and then to Bisbee when she was around 3 years old. The move to Bisbee was prompted not by mining jobs but by the climate, which was deemed helpful to her mother, who suffered from consumption.

After graduating from high school in Bisbee, Peterson attended the University of Arizona for a year. She was 15 at the time – a source of great worry to her mother because college age boys, not knowing her real age, were asking her out. After that she headed east to study at an all girls school. She hated it and quickly enrolled instead at nearby George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where she met her future husband, Tom Peterson.

“Everyone I knew worked on the (congressional) hill,” she said. “I wanted to work on the hill too. I asked how I could get a job and I was told to go see my congressman, Senator (Carl) Hayden. I went to Senator Hayden and I said, ‘I want to work up on the hill, too.’ He said, ‘What do you do?’ and I said, ‘I don’t know if I do anything in particular.’ He asked me, ‘Can you speak Spanish,’ and I said ‘I grew up in a community with Spanish. I can try.’”

Hayden arranged for her to work for the Library of Congress translating documents related to Arizona’s history. The job took her to Mexico City at one point for research, but with photostat machines tied up in Veracruz she mostly twiddled her thumbs.

But she did meet remarkable people through that job, one of them a manager for Ford Motor Co. He had an amazing house with every room decorated like a different country.

“I made the remark, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have money enough to do all these things.’ And he looked at me and laughed and said, ‘Let me tell you something Miss Cele. Everybody wishes they had money enough. This year we don’t have money enough to paint the yacht.’ So that’s become a byword with us here. ‘Sorry, we don’t have money enough to paint the yacht.’”

Nobody had the money to paint the yacht when Peterson came to Tucson to open her first business at the height of the Great Depression. Her parents owned a clothing store in Bisbee so “I knew a little bit about fashion.” In 1931, with a pair of women from Tucson, she opened her first store downtown called The Coed Shop. That name stuck until she changed it to Cele Peterson’s a few years later.

“‘Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,’” she said of the risky decision. “I never thought that I was getting into something that I couldn’t handle.”

Peterson hit upon an idea that set her business apart – to market not what people could afford to buy but what they wanted to buy. She sized up her market and her customers and set about making a name for herself.

One of her customers was her friend Ruth Mary Ronstadt, mother of singer Linda Ronstadt. Linda is Peterson’s goddaughter.

“One of my earliest memories is going with my mother to Cele Peterson’s dress shop, probably around 1950,” Linda Ronstadt says. “She would bring my mother a dressing gown and a cup of coffee, seat her in a comfortable chair and bring out a selection of lovely clothes, many of them probably purchased for the store with my mother in mind. Cele knew her clients well. She knew what social functions they would attend and what their budgets would allow.

“They trusted her to dress them not only beautifully, but appropriately. It was a point of pride for her customers to look their best and she knew how to make them so.

“She also was a talented designer. She designed clothes that were both stylish and practical for this hot climate and slightly more relaxed atmosphere,” Ronstadt said. “She called it her Station Wagon line and I can remember items my mother wore year after year. She always looked wonderful in them.”

In 1934 Peterson married Texas-born Thomas Peterson, an insurance man who died in 1989. Tom kept an eye on the financial details of her business, leaving her to make the creative side work. Together they had five children: Katya, Quinta, Tom Jr., Eva and Frank.

The business grew and expanded with the town. From the original little shop on Stone between Congress and Pennington (and later downtown locations), Peterson moved the business with the times to El Con Mall, Casas Adobes Shopping Center and Foothills Mall before settling at her current Crossroads Festival digs. Her customers ranged from the rich and famous to ordinary folks from Tucson. Any who made a purchase left her shop in style.

Her business took her around the world on buying trips and fashion shows. But Tucson was always home. She cares deeply about this town and isn’t always thrilled with how it’s taking shape.

“I think we have a big battle in Tucson today,” she says. “I think we’re battling between keeping it a unique community as opposed to a metropolis. We’re not trying to be a Phoenix, and yet the developers are trying to make us into a Phoenix,” she said. “People are more friendly here. People are more open. People are giving in this community instead of just taking. Maybe it’s because it’s smaller.”

Peterson is a classic example of Tucson’s generous personality. Sister Kathleen Clark remarked to her at one point that she saw numerous abused children, and wouldn’t it be great to have a place where they could live in safety and love. Peterson offered a house she owned at Speedway and Fourth Avenue, and Casa de los Niños was born.

“Sister Kathleen was such a terrific person,” Peterson said. “She’d go anywhere that she heard children were abused and would pick up that child and bring it in.”

Casa was one of many charities and causes Peterson has lent her name and resources to.

“I’ve had a great career because the Lord blessed me. He gave me an obligation to give. How could you turn anyone down who’s asked you for a favor? It was simple.”

As she tickles the 100-year mark, Peterson is still an elegant presence in Tucson.

“Fashion is a way of life,” she says. “It doesn’t have to be in clothes. It’s in trends, in houses. It’s in your eyeglasses. It’s in whatever you do. Plants are fashion. Shoes are fashion. Your teeth are fashion. I think of this woman with her gold teeth. I could never take my eyes off of her. Exercise is fashion. And I still say life is what we want it to be.”

Happy birthday, Cele!

Peterson at about age 18 in a portrait she had taken for her mother.

Peterson at about 4 years old, growing up in Bisbee.

Peterson in her home in 1968.

Peterson looks through clothing at her store in about 1981

Cele Peterson and her husband, Tom, walk downtown shortly after she opened her first store in the early 1930s.

For my last two collectibles columns for the Tucson Citizen, I share the names and contact information for sources most often requested by our readers.

ACOUSTICAL INSTRUMENTS

Paul Blumentritt, the owner of The Folk Shop, 2525 N. Campbell Ave., is one of the region’s experts. He also buys, sells and appraises. His phone number is 881-7147.

ANTIQUE MALLS

The three I like most are American Antique Mall, 3130 E. Grant Road; Copper Country Antique Mall, 5055 E. Speedway Blvd.; and 22nd Street Antique Mall, 5302 E. 22nd St.

APPRAISERS

Diane Maier of Maier Appraisal Services received her certification from New York University and is a member of the Appraisers Association of America. She specializes in personal property, general antiques and collectibles and residential contents. Her contact information is 480-275-2104, dmaier308@aol.com.

AUTOGRAPHS

Brett Sadovnick, owner of Tucson Coin & Autographs, 6470 N. Oracle Road, is one of the few dealers in the Old Pueblo who specializes in autographs. He can be reached at 219-4427, tucsoncoin@theriver.com.

BOOKS

Tucson has several excellent books shops. A personal favorite is the Book Stop, 214 N. Fourth Ave., 326-6661. Owners Claire Fellows and Tina Bailey are friendly and experts of used and rare out-of-print books. A Web site I use frequently is www.abe.com.

CHINA-MATCHING SERVICE

Missing a piece of your Royal Doulton dinnerware? You can track down elusive pieces of retired china patterns at Replacements, P.O. Box 26029, Greenboro, NC 27428. The company’s toll free telephone number is 800-737-5223.

CLOCK REPAIR

Viki Watson is the go-to person for clock repair in the Old Pueblo. Her shop, Ye Olde Clock Shoppe, 6342 N. Oracle Road, 544-4014, is one of the best in town.

CLOTHES – VINTAGE

Got a closet of old clothes from the 1960s or ’70s? You can turn them into cash at How Sweet It Was, 419 N. Fourth Ave. The shop is consistently one of the better vintage clothing stores in our region.

COINS

Rob Weiss, the owner of Old Pueblo Coin Exchange, 4420 E. Speedway Blvd., has built a solid reputation for his competency and good business practices. His telephone number is 881-7200.

COWBOY MEMORABILIA

I continue to find treasures at Country Emporium, a wonderful shop that features vintage saddles, branding irons, wagon wheels and other assorted gems that are marketed by owners Paul and September Walker. The address and telephone number are 3431 N. Dodge Blvd. and 327-7765.

FURNITURE DEALER

I highly recommend two businesses: Tom’s Fine Furniture and Collectibles, 5454 E. Pima St., 795-5210; and Annabell’s Attic, 6178 E. Speedway Blvd., 571-8400.

GEMS AND ESTATE JEWELRY

Janet Lawwill has a regional reputation for her expertise in costume and fine estate jewelry. Her contact information is 907-2839 and jewel2@sparklz.com.

GLASS REPAIR

John Wakefield does expert repair of china and crystal pieces. He also does leaded, etched and beveled glass work at his shop, Artistry in Glass, 3423 E. Grant Road, 320-0104 and www.artistry-in-glass.com.

INDIAN ART

Two excellent shops: Michael D. Higgins & Son, 4429 N. Campbell Ave., 577-8330 and mdhiggins@ earthlink.com; and Morning Star Traders, 2020 E. Speedway Blvd., 881-2112 and Morningstar@the river.com.

INDIAN RUG REPAIR

Penelope Starr is an expert when it comes to the restoration and repair of Navajo rugs. Her contact information is 319-2464 and penelopestarr@msn.com.

MEXICAN PRIMITIVES

Spanish Cross Home Furnishings is authentic and interesting. This small shop is one of the more intriguing locally owned businesses specializing in Mexican primitives. Hard to find but worth the trouble, it is at 2929 E. Broadway, 322-5383.

MILITARY COLLECTIBLES

Jeff Albiniak owns Mystiques, which specializes in military collectibles of all kinds. He can be contacted at 514-2195, CWBUFFSTER@aol.com.

ORIENTALIA

A real treasure trove, Eastern Living has a sensational inventory that offers some of the most exceptional pieces of Asian furniture and collectibles in the Southwest. Located in the Lost Barrio at 242 S. Park Ave., the telephone number is 299-3889. Despite a little damage from a recent fire, the store is still in business.

PHOTOGRAPHY

People come from all over the world to see and purchase the incredible vintage images that are offered by the Terry Etherton Gallery, 135 S. Sixth Ave., 624-7370 and www.ethertongallery.com. This gallery has some of the most outstanding examples of early Southwest images in the region.

PIANO REPAIR & TUNING

AAA piano company is excellent, especially in the tuning and repair of older pianos. The work is professional and the cost, reasonable. Call 884-5222. For reproducing pianos, one of the more competent technicians in Arizona is Peter Knoblock in Tempe, 480-820-7093.

Next week: My final column for the Tucson Citizen will highlight more of the best of the best.

The first Zenith Trans-Oceanic Radio was manufactured in 1942.

Q: After the end of World War II, my dad had three brothers who were still serving in the military in Europe and Asia. He purchased a Zenith Trans-Oceanic Radio in 1947 so he could monitor shortwave broadcasts from around the world. It is the 8G005Y and is still in working condition. Even though I do not want to sell it, I am curious about its history. – Stan, Tucson.

A: The first Zenith Trans-Oceanic radio was manufactured in 1942 as the Model 7G605 and marketed as the Trans-Oceanic Clipper. It was the brainchild of Eugene F. McDonald, the company’s founder, but production ended after only three or four months because of a commitment to the war effort. Those first units were priced at the rather stiff price of $75 each and only about 35,000 were sold.

After the war, Zenith once again began producing the Trans-Oceanic radio. It was priced at $125 and was in production from 1946-49. It was replaced in 1949 by a new stream-lined model that was $50 cheaper and featured updated technology that made it easier to use. That model was eventually withdrawn and replaced by the H500 “Super Trans-Oceanic” during the spring of 1951. After a series of “new and updated” models and designs, the last Zenith Trans-Oceanics rolled off the production line in 1981.

This radio was popular, despite its high cost, for two main reasons: They were durable; and as shortwave receivers, the radios were almost unequalled.

Prices vary. I found several Zenith Trans-Oceanics on eBay in the $75-$200 range. A serious collector claims that because only 35,000 Model 7G605s made it to the marketplace, they are extremely rare and are worth five or six times what the values of later models that were sold between 1946 and 1949.

For repair of older radios, I recommend Dave Vaughn of Dave’s Antiques, 449 W. 29th St., 790-2186.

One of my favorite references is Collector’s Guide to Antique Radios by John Slusser (Collector Books, $19.95).

Q: I have a pair of candlesticks made by the Gonder Pottery Co. What can you tell me about this company and how much are mine worth? – Yolanda, Tucson

A: The Gonder Pottery Co. was established in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1941 by Lewton Gonder. Production ceased in 1957. Your candlesticks are worth about $40 if they are the starfish design, less if not.

Q: I have a Fort Worth newspaper “Extra” that was issued to announce the end of World War I. I have been offered $100 for it. Should I sell? – Steve, Tucson.

A: Take the money and run. Your paper is worth about $20, complete and in excellent condition.

Editor’s note: Due to the imminent closure of the Tucson Citizen, this column will no longer accept antique or collectible questions from readers.

BUY OF THE WEEK

This handsome Victorian compote is $59 at Tom’s Fine Furniture, 5454 E. Pima St.

Cry Baby Couture Cosmetics & Boutique, 2510 E. Sixth St., will debut its new line of clothing, accessories and cosmetics in a runway fashions show from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Cry Baby is a mother-and-daughter business created after University of Arizona student Gabrielle Miller won the Chanel and Seventeen magazine Colour of the Year contest in 2004.

Reservations are encouraged for a seat along the runway and can be made via e-mail to info@crybabycosmetics.com or by calling 323-6868.

This lime green grill from the 1970s is hot.

Q: My mom graduated from the University of Arizona in 1971. She rented her first house that same year and furnished it with things that are fairly representative of that decade. In addition to an orange push-button desk phone, she has given me an astrological tapestry, a Jimmy Carter for President poster, an 8-track tape player and tapes, a smiley-face clock, an assortment of kitchen stuff and 125 issues of Rolling Stone magazine. I’m not quite sure what to do with these collectibles and hope you will give me some ideas. – Stacey, Tucson

A: If you think things from the 1960s and ’70s have little or no value, you should spend an afternoon strolling through our area antique malls. After the “kids” of the 1970s became adults, many became nostalgic and began collecting items they remembered from their youth. This increased interest triggered price increases. For example, Life magazines from the era routinely sold for about 26 cents a copy until recently. They now pop up in shops and at garage sales selling for at least a $1 or $2 each. Editions with covers that feature such icons as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and the Beatles sell for much more.

Typical prices in Tucson include a Holly Hobbie doll, $15; a peace symbol tie from 1971, $25; a “smiley face” mug, $15; a canister set featuring a mushroom design, $30; an owl clock, $20; a polyester leisure suit in electric blue, $45; and a large “Nixon’s the One” poster from the 1972 campaign, $45. As with most collections, values are determined by condition and desirability.

One of the better price guides for this era is The Collectible 70s: A Price Guide to the Polyester Decade by Michael Jay Goldberg (Krause, $25.95). This excellent reference includes hundreds of listings in more than 20 categories such as Counterculture, Kitchenwares, Fashion, TV Collectibles, and Bicentennial. You can purchase this guide at amazon.com or from the publisher, Krause, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990, and www.krause.com.

Q: I have a small collection of clothing from the 1940s and ’50s. Where can I sell them locally? – Carole, Tucson

A: I highly recommend How Sweet It Was, a nifty glad rags shop at 419 N. Fourth Ave. The Web site and telephone number are www.howsweetitwas.com and 623-9854.

Q: I have inherited a set of sterling silver flatware in the Joan of Arc pattern. When was it made and what are some typical prices for individual settings? – Alexis, Tucson

A: The Joan of Arc pattern was crafted by International in 1940. According to Warman’s Sterling Silver Flatware: Value and Identification Guide by Mark F. Moran, a salad fork is worth about $38; a soup spoon, $34; a steak knife, $45; a serving spoon, $80; and sugar tongs, $45.

Editor’s note: Due to the imminent closure of the Tucson Citizen, this column will no longer accept antique or collectible questions from readers.

FIND OF THE WEEK

This set of Pyrex refrigerator storage containers from the 1970s is $45 for eight pieces and available at Copper Country Antique Mall, 5055 E. Speedway Blvd.