The coffee mug with a company name and the tote bag featuring a company logo are modern examples of an old form of advertising the giveaway.
In the last half of the 19th century, there were few newspapers and magazines and, of course, no radio or television, so a gift with a product name was an important kind of ad. Colorful trade cards with pictures and product brand names, miniature liquor jugs with the name of a bar or whiskey and even dishes with ads were popular.
The calendar plate was first made in the United States in 1906. The idea remained popular until about 1929, when most companies decided it was an expensive promotion.
The plate was usually a standard plate with the year at the top and a border or center decorations of flowers, attractive girls or buildings. When a customer ordered the plate for promotion, the name, address and phone number of the company was printed on the front of the plate. Sometimes an added message was included.
Some plates had the company name discreetly shown on the back so the plate could be displayed as a decoration at home. Old plates sell today for $10 to $100.
My antique baby cradle is nearly the size of a modern crib. The sides and ends are solid oak, except for short spindles near the top of each end. The cradle rocks on a platform that can be locked so it stands still. The locks are marked "Betts St. Furniture Co., Pat. Oct. 26, '75." What is it worth?
Betts Street Furniture Co. worked in Cincinnati. The patent year for the rocking mechanism is 1875, so your crib was made around that date. It would sell for about $250.
Although your old crib has solid ends and sides, many old cribs are now considered unsafe for babies because the slats are too far apart.
I inherited a fairly large collection of Candlewick glass from my mother. She had also inherited most of it.
Some pieces still have the silver-and-blue Imperial label. Some of the dishes are decorated with an etched or cut design. All of the pieces are clear glass except one, which is turquoise.
Did Imperial make Candlewick in turquoise? How can I tell if every piece is authentic?
The Imperial Glass Co. of Bellaire, Ohio, introduced Candlewick in 1937. It became the company's best-selling pattern and was made until Imperial closed in 1984.
Most Candlewick is clear glass. Some pieces were also made in several colors, including turquoise.
Because you inherited pieces your mother owned for many years, you don't have to worry that they are recent copies made from Imperial molds.
I bought a pottery teapot at a rural Ohio flea market and hoped you could give me some information if I describe it. It has a rounded handle, a smooth body and a plain, round cover with a plain, round handle.
What I like about it is the beautiful color swirls in the clay. The colors range from light tan and brown to yellow and red.
Your teapot could be a piece of "Juanita Ware," a swirled or marbled pottery made by an Ohio studio potter named Bert Crawford (1891-1972).
Crawford perfected a technique for mixing different types of clay in the same piece of molded pottery a daunting task, because different clays shrink at different rates when they're heated in a kiln.
Crawford and his business partner, Greta Corey, began producing Juanita Ware in 1933 at their own pottery, the Triangle Novelty Co. of Carrollton, Ohio. The pottery moved a few times before it closed in 1949.
Crawford opened another pottery, named Crawford's Pottery, in 1951 in Dalton, Ohio. He continued making marbled tableware, planters and other items for two more decades. Juanita Ware is popular among pottery collectors.
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