Dec 17, 2016 6 min read

All the early Christmas trees were freshly cut trees from a nearby forest. By the 19th century in America, the fresh trees were brought into a church or home and decorated. But it was a problem to keep the tree upright and without water it quickly dried out and lost its needles.

In 1876, a man in Philadelphia patented an iron tree stand and by 1919, a cone-shaped tin stand weighted with sand or water was being sold. But the stands were not large enough to hold all the water needed and that is still a problem for stands. The stands had to be heavy to keep the tree from tipping so they were made of cast iron. Many were made with three legs that looked like tree branches. All had large screws that pierced the trunk to hold the tree in place. Collectors search for the iron stands made in unusual shapes, a Santa Claus, village scene or even a group of reindeer. They sell today for $250 to $900.

An unusual tree stand made of concrete shaped to look like a Santa Claus head was sold at a Bertoia auction in 2015. It was made to hold a feather tree and had a small concrete cylinder attached to the back to hold the trunk. No water was needed. The 11-inch high stand, painted white and red as expected, sold for $118.

Q. We have a wooden board that is 8 inches by 9 inches by 1 1/2 inch thick. In the center is a 7 1/2-inch round elaborately carved design that is 1 inch deep. The design looks like some sort of house with a figure on each side surrounded by falling leaves. The bottom and the border have repeating crescent patterns and the inner rim is fluted. We would like to know what this was used for.

A. Your mold probably was made for lebkuchen, a soft ginger honey cake popular in Germany for centuries at Christmas. Lebkuchen dates back to 14th-century Germany. The earliest was made in monasteries, where, long before sugar, bakers kneaded flour and eggs with honey from local beekeepers. That gave lebkuchen its unique flavor and acted as a preservative. The dough was claylike and pressed into wooden molds that were delicately carved with pictures that told the stories of Christmas and the saints, like St. Nicholas. When trade routes opened, spices were added to the dough, making it more like it is today. Lebkuchen is still made around the holidays, and molds and recipes can be found online. Your mold is probably from the 19th century, and if clean, thereno reason why it couldn’t still be used.

Q. I found three cases of unused Coca-Cola Christmas glasses in the attic after my mother died. There are 72 glasses in each case from the Haddon Sundblom Series 1, 2 and 3 in original boxes. The boxes are worn from age. My parents owned a restaurant and purchased these in the 1970s. Is there a market for collectors for these cases of glasses?

A. Haddon Sundblum (1899-1976) was an American artist best known for his paintings of Santa Claus that were used in Coca-Cola ads. His depiction of Santa as a jolly, rotund old gentleman influenced the way Santa Claus is pictured today. Sundblom’s first painting for Coca-Cola was used in a 1931 ad. His last was done in 1964 but Coca-Cola continued to use Sundblom’s images for several years. Coca-Cola collectibles are popular and there is a club for collectors, The Coca-Cola Collectors Club, www.cocacolacollectors.club. The Sundblom Christmas glasses have been reproduced. Glasses from the Sundblom series sell for $2 to $10 each.

Q. I received a set of Avon glasses as a Christmas gift when I was an Avon representative back in the mid-’70s. It includes four water goblets and four wine goblets. The glasses are etched with the “Original Avon Lady with her Parasol.” Have you seen these listed anywhere? Any idea where I could sell them?

A. These goblets are usually listed online as “Victorian Lady with Parasol.” Avon gave them out as Christmas gifts about 1971-1974. The company was founded in 1886 by David H. McConnell, who started out selling books door-to-door. He began selling perfumes to make more money and founded the California Perfume Company, which became Avon in 1939. The original “Avon lady” was Mrs. Persis Foster Eames Albee of Winchester, New Hampshire. She was hired in 1886, and developed and supervised the home-sales method still used today. A set of 12 Avon goblets like yours was offered for sale online for $42. If you decide to sell them online, remember that you must spend the time and money to pay for an ad, then pack and ship them to the buyer. You might try an antiques shop or a mall.

Tip: To date a mesh purse, look at the bottom edge. If it is zigzagged or fringed, it dates from the 1920-1930 period.

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.

• Game, bingo cage, wire, round spinning ball dispenser, handle, ball slide, stand, 73 wooden bingo balls, 1960s, 12 x 14 inches, $75.

• Cookie jar, Shawnee smiley pig, blue scarf, flowers, gold trim and buttons, “Smiley” in gilt script, 1950s, 12 inches, $180.

• Honey extractor, centrifuge, metal, cylindrical, top hand crank, spout, Root Novice, AI Root Company, c. 1905, 27 x 18 inches, $275.

• Christmas ornament, green grapes kugel, brass cap, hanger, cluster, iridescent, Germany, 1800s, 6 inches, $350.

• Display cabinet, flashlights, Niagara Search Lights, wood, glass door and shelves, drawers, push button latch, 1930s, 20 x 36 inches, $555.

• Silver Hanukkah lamp, menorah, eight oil fonts, detachable servant light crown shaped backplate, marked, Bezalel, c. 1910, 5 x 6 inches, $980.

• Pastry cupboard, wood, metal, white paint, two parts, table top, shaped crest, pie cooler, drawers, castors, Hoosier, c. 1910, 68 x 40 inches, $1,300.

• Cast-iron bathtub, copper lined, wood rimmed, plated brass faucet fittings, footed, flower design legs, 1870, 24 x 74 inches, $2,500.

• Stained-glass church window, leaded, yellow, orange and green, metal snowflake caged front, wood frame, 1930s, 94 x 48 inches, pair, $3,970.

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