Everyone has heard that eating spinach makes you strong. Popeye tore the can open and ate spinach cold from the can whenever he was facing a fight. As children, we all learned that his strength came from the spinach.

Popeye is popular with collectors. Any type of Popeye toy, game or doll sells well.

This Popeye doll is marked King

Popeye was introduced as a character in the Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1929. The character became an immediate favorite. An animated cartoon was made for movie theaters by 1932. Popeye was more famous in the 1950s, when old and new cartoons were shown on television. A full-length movie with live actors was made in 1980.

The Popeye comic strip and toys are still being produced, and the old cartoons are still being shown on television.

All types of Popeye toys were made. A jointed wooden Popeye with flexible arms and legs made in the 1930s now sells for more than $800. There were many different tin windup toys. Popeye with a parrot, pushing a wheelbarrow, flying a plane or just walking sells for $500 or more. The very rare tin toy, Popeye swinging a mallet to ring a carnival game’s bell, brings $3,800.

Twenty years ago, I inherited a federal-style bedroom set. A metal plate inside the armoire is stamped “Huntley Furniture.” How old is the set?

The B.F. Huntley Furniture Co. worked in Winston-Salem, N.C., from about 1900 to 1929. The company made reproductions of American federal-style furniture.

	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.Sheet music, “Hair,” Natoma Productions, colorful psychedelic photo cover, copyright 1968, 9 inches by 12 inches, $12.Hull vase, Magnolia pattern, embossed floral design, shades of yellow and brown, 2 handles, 8 3/4 inches, $65.Green Hornet badge, movie-serial giveaway, celluloid, Philadelphia Badge Co., 1930s, 1 1/4 inches, $220.Davy Crockett Indian Fighter coonskin cap, Fess Parker as Davy on front, 1950s, Welded Plastics, 9 inches by 13 inches, $255.Commander Baking Powder tin, paper label, image of Gen. Robert E. Lee, red ground, 4 7/8 inches by 2 1/2 inches, $330.Van Briggle vase, embossed yucca leaves, dusty-rose glaze, circa 1920, marked, 4 1/2 inches, $400.Sheffield silver-plated meat dome, detachable handle, crest of griffin holding a sword, 1820s, 14 inches by 11 inches by 9 inches, $600.

I bought an antique washbowl set in 1971. The red mark on the bottom of each piece includes a Union Jack with the word “Durability” across it. Under the flag are the words “J.H.W. & Sons, Hanley, England.” There are eight pieces in my set: a large pitcher and bowl; a large, one-handled bowl with a cover; and a small pitcher, bowl, cup and jar. Is this a full set? What were all the pieces used for?

Your set was made by J.H. Weatherby & Sons of the famous Staffordshire district of England sometime between 1892 and 1924. Before the days of indoor plumbing, washbowl sets also called toilet sets were used in bedrooms every morning. Sets varied in size, so yours might be complete. Warm water from the pitcher was poured into the large bowl, which was used as a sink. A bar of soap sat in the small bowl, a toothbrush rested in the small jar, and drinking water was kept in the smaller pitcher. The small cup was for drinking, and the large, one-handled, covered bowl was used to empty the chamber pot.

I inherited a pair of sterling-silver peacocks from my grandparents. They are marked “Gorham Sterling.” The peacocks are at rest, with their tails down, and each one is 9 1/2 inches long. These peacocks don’t seem to be useful for anything. Were they made to be decorative? What are they worth?

Your peacocks date from the late 19th century and were probably made as table decorations for very fancy table settings. One could sit on each side of a silver centerpiece. During the Victorian era, peacocks were used as decorative elements in silver serving pieces, such as castor sets. Gorham, in Providence, R.I., can trace its history back to 1831. We have seen peacocks like yours priced at $800.

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