Sep 5, 2015 5 min read

Toys are fun to use, but they also are learning tools. What child wouldn’t want a toy tractor that looked exactly like the big one used on the farm? Cars, trucks, trains, airplanes and other toys can be dated by looking up the history of the adult version.

A toy Fordson tractor sold at a Bertoia Auction in 2014 for $185. It is marked with the name of the maker, Arcade. It’s easy to find the history of this toy. Ford made tractors and trucks with the brand name Fordson from 1917 to 1964. Arcade Manufacturing Company worked from 1902, but the first farm toy it made was the Fordson Tractor in 1922.

There were different versions of the tractor, one with W&K tires, and one with steel wheels. But watch out. Many reproductions have been made.

Q. I found a Florence Ceramics Delores figurine in my mother’s attic. It’s a woman in a rose-colored dress, with a bonnet, shawl and gloves. It’s 8 inches high. What is it worth, and what’s the best way to try to sell it?

A. Florence Ward began making figurines in her garage in Pasadena, California, before establishing the Florence Ceramics Co. in the 1940s. She designed all the figurines and other giftware items made by the company. The company was sold to Scripto in 1964 and different products were made. That company went out of business in 1977. The Delores figurine was made in several different colors, including moss green, pink, teal and yellow. Your figurine’s rose-colored dress probably is what is called “pink.” Delores in a yellow dress is rarer than the others. There has been a big drop in the price of figurines like this, and they are worth only $21 to $50 today. Rarities sell for $100 to $250.

Q. I have a toy castle that was my uncle’s in the 1920s. It’s made of wood and metal, and it’s raised on a “mountain” that resembles rocks with a trap door. It has four other pieces – a tower, two different buildings and a 6-inch wall – with painted brickwork, doors and windows. The base is wood, 11 by 14 inches, and has a hinged storage space for pieces. Any information about the maker and value?

A. Christian Hausser and his sons, Otto and Max, founded a toy company in Ludwigsburg, Germany, in 1904. The company is best-known for miniature toy soldiers from many wars, medieval knights, villains, cowboys, Indians, civilian characters, and farm and Noah’s Ark animals. The firm’s Elastolin figures, made from sawdust and glue and then hand-painted, were made until the 1950s. The company also made imaginatively designed military and civilian vehicles and fortresses. Early models, from the late 1920s or early ’30s, are generic. Pieces are wood covered by lithographed paper. The rocky base is composition, another type of sawdust-and-glue mixture. From the 1950s until production stopped in 1983, they made hard-plastic figures, castles and forts. You are missing a few pieces: the entrance arch that connects to the footbridge, a “keep” and another building. A more complete model sold in 2013 for $350, but collectors love toy soldier sets and may pay about $125 to $150 for yours.

Q. I have a Schrader valve with a leather case. It was manufactured by A. Schrader’s Son Inc. in Brooklyn, New York. It has three patent dates, March 28, 1916; Feb. 14, 1922; and Apr 10, 1923. It’s marked “Ford Motor Co. for Model A.” How much is it worth?

A. August Schrader received his first patent for a valve in 1893. Today Schrader valves are still used on most pneumatic (inflatable) tires on bicycles, cars and motorcycles. August Schrader emigrated from Germany and opened a machine shop in Manhattan in 1844. He made valves for life preservers, diving equipment, air pillows, and other inflatable rubber items and held several patents. The company moved to Brooklyn before 1900. After his son George joined the business, it became A. Schrader’s Son. Ford made the Model A from 1927 until 1932. You might find interest in your valve at a classic car show or at the Model A Ford Collectors Club (www.mafca.com). Your valve might appeal to an owner of a Model A Ford, and the leather case might add value.

Tip: Pen marks can be removed from leather with a clear gum eraser, not a pink one.

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

• Coca-Cola calendar, Norman Rockwell, boy at well, bucket, June page, 1932, 12 x 20 1/2 inches, $60.

• Bottle, demijohn, olive color, applied upper rim, two parts, pontil scar, 19th century, 20 inches, $150.

• Strutting Sam, black man dancing, tin lithograph toy, battery-operated, box, 11 x 3 3/4 inches, $240.

• Yellowware, pitcher, 4 incised blue bands, England, c. 1850, 11 inches, $420.

• Photograph, albumen, “Section of the Grizzly Giant tree,” 33-foot diameter, Mariposa Grove, Cal., I.W. Taber, 1860s, 8 x 12 1/4 inches, $430.

• Aluminum, carnival two-figure target, hit on top causes it to flip over, cast, multicolored paint, pivot base, 6 1/2 inches, $435.

• Tea caddy, George III, fruitwood, apple shape, hinged lid, carved stem, foil-lined interior, key escutcheon, c. 1800, 5 inches, $1,020.

• Indian vest, quills, pictorial, Indians on horseback, trade cloth background, 1920-30, extra-large, $1,870.

Write to Kovels, Observer-Reporter, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.