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»Diamond-studded "lost Hot Wheel" surfaces and fetches $60,000 at auction
Called "the lost Hot Wheel" model because it never made it to die-cast form, an 18-karat gold and enamel Hot Wheel car with working wheels and hood, covered with more than 2,700 round brilliant and baguette diamonds (plus ruby taillights), sold for $60,000 recently in a Bonhams Los Angeles sale. A custom presentation case with a rotating mirrored base and flashing lights holds the model. The case opens to reveal an LED display of the car's production. Forty diamonds signify each year of Hot Wheels history.
» COLLECTOR QUIZ
Q: Which suggestions are true for cookbook collectors?
a. Store your collectible cookbooks out of the kitchen.
b. Buy doubles. Use one and keep the best-condition version for your collection.
c. Ditch the dust jacket.
d. Focus on a subcategory of cooking, such as canapes.
A: All but (c.) are true. A dust jacket on a collectible cookbook adds value.
Source: "Antique Trader Collectible Cookbooks Price Guide" by Patricia Edwards and Peter Peckham (Krause Publications, $21.99).

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German pedigree boosts mugs' value

The Smart Collector By Danielle Arnet
Tribune Media Services
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 11.16.2008
Q Your comments on five very old mugs? I was told that because they are German, they are not worth much. Is this true?
— Rita, Milford, Maine
A Spotting the mug shown in a photo as a beer mug, we asked Andre Ammelounx of the Stein Auction Company in Illinois to take a look.
Without info on size and given the mediocre photo sent, it was hard for him to judge. But the mark on the bottom, "Simmons and Hammond, Portland, ME 420 Germany," indicates that the mugs were German-made for export to a specific merchant in Portland.
Ammelounx pegged the set as circa 1900-1930. Marking a merchant's name at the bottom was common in the early 1900s, so they are no doubt early rather than later.
Brewery collectors pay more for steins or mugs that advertise a specific brewery, said Ammelounx.
Ammelounx figures the mugs might bring $100 to $150 each at auction. I'd post them on eBay as both advertising and breweriana collectibles. Five matching mugs are an appealing lot!
As for price being lower because they are German — nonsense! The reverse is true.
FYI: The Stein Auction Company is at AAPO136@aol.com or P.O. Box 136, Palatine, IL 60078.
QIn the early 1900s, my grandmother bought a leaded glass gas lamp that my father converted to electricity in the 1960s. I've looked it over for a name but cannot find anything. Any hints?
—Richard, Miami Beach, Fla.
Q Friends in Nevada asked me to see if I could find out if their lamp is Arts & Crafts. Value? I could not find a mark.
— Betty, Williamsburg, Va.
A Both of the lamps in question date from the first half of the 20th century.
Unfortunately, no photo or image was sent for the first. Since the reader wants to know how to find a mark, let's start there.
Most mass-produced lamps of the time were not made with maker's marks. Better factory lamps often had a name engraved or stamped on the shade rim inside bottom. Of course, the lamp bottom, including the inside, is the place to start the search. Sometimes the mark is quite small, so use a magnifier or loupe. Also check where lamp parts screw together or any two pieces join. Some lamps had paper labels that are, by now, long gone.
The second lamp is a typical Depression-era desk or table lamp. It is too late and far too ornate to be Arts & Crafts. The lamp falls into the middle range of fixtures from the period. Value, depending on how and where sold plus size and condition, is $250 to $400.
● Send e-mail to smartcollector@comcast.net or write Danielle Arnet, c/o Tribune Media Services, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Please include an address in your query. Photos cannot be returned.
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