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Q In the 1930s or '40s, my grandmother spent more than a year making a superb golden bedspread with a very intricate pattern. She called it a "heart anger" design. Can you give information on the history of "heart anger" spreads and where we can sell?

Q I have a number of old tablecloths that are Belgium damask, banquet size, with 12 napkins each. All are in good condition. Two were never used. How do I research the value and sell?

A The first query really had me going. First, I thought "heart anger" might be a quilt or crochet pattern. While researching, it dawned: Grandma's spread may be Hardanger embroidery, a Nordic specialty traditionally done with white silk thread on white cloth. The work is sculptural, geometric in form, uses decorative stitches and incorporates holes for a lacy look.

An embroidery specialist can tell you if the spread is indeed Hardanger. I'll proceed on the assumption it is. Hardanger work dates from the 1700s and was most popular in Norway.

Marsha Manchester of MiLady's Vintage Linens (www. vintage-linens.com) in Gardiner, Maine, has bought and sold vintage and antique household linens and lace bridal veils, hankies and fans for 39 years. She's the author of two books on old linens (see FYI). But she has never seen a Hardanger bedspread. Dresser scarves and household linens, yes.

As silk threads age, they acquire a golden hue. "Don't handle the spread," she advises, as long threads used in the technique snag and pull easily.

Because the spread is handmade and one of a kind, a casual collector could assume that it is rare and valuable. But smart collectors know that collecting has its wild cards, and this is one where the rarity factor may work against it. Experienced sellers can tell you that customers ask for known forms (cloths, dresser scarves, hankies, etc.) in unused condition, executed with superior embroidery or laces. Oddballs have to find a specific buyer. If the spread is crochet, those are a dime a dozen and are unsellable at retail. If it's embroidery, Manchester suggests a high-end consignment shop that sells couture and fine linens, or a good auction with experience in fine linens. Either should be in a metropolitan area, because that's where good vintage linens sell best.

Timing for the second question is excellent, as Manchester observes "a trend away from froufrou Victorian table linens and laces." Shelter magazines feed the need for "plainer, faster, simpler." Increasingly, customers ask for oversize damask banquet cloths and napkins.

"Banquet starts at 12 feet and is always for 12 people," she said. Banquet-size napkins are at least 24 inches square. But today, many buyers, who already have banquet cloths, seek larger cloths and 36-inch-square napkins, called "lapkins."

To sell, she suggests the method described above. As for retail, "at present, we are selling freshly washed, lightly starched and pressed cloths for $1 an inch up to 100-inch lengths." Larger cloths bring correspondingly more. When selling, expect about half or less of retail value.

FYI: Manchester's books are "Vintage White Linens: A to Z" and "Antique Linens: From the Kitchen to the Boudoir." Each is $40 from Schiffer.