Colored and decorated eggs have been part of religious celebrations since the time of the ancient Romans.

It is said an egg with red spots was laid by a hen belonging to Marcus Aurelius’ mother. The odd egg was considered a sign of future importance for Marcus. Romans began exchanging colored eggs on important days.

Other stories go back to the first Easter, when Mary Magdalene’s eggs were miraculously transformed and colored.

The egg continues to represent new life and good fortune. Colored eggs for Easter were an important part of the celebration in many countries by the 17th century. The eggs were either emptied or hard-boiled, then decorated.

In the 18th century, eggs were colored by boiling them with onion skins, beets or nuts. Egg plates, egg cups, egg stands and plain plates and bowls are all used to serve cooked eggs. Boiled eggs are often served whole in an egg stand or an egg cup. Silver egg stands have been used since the 15th century.

By the 20th century, some eggs were made into deviled eggs, to be served on a special plate with egg-shaped indentations. The earliest deviled-egg recipe we have found was in a 1915 cookbook. The egg was cut in half and the yolk was mixed with mustard, pepper, vinegar and olive oil, then put back into the whites. During the 1930s, deviled eggs became a popular snack to be served with drinks. Hundreds of different deviled-egg plates of glass or china were made and can be found by collectors today. New ones are again appearing on the market. The plates are inexpensive collectibles, usually priced under $20.

Since 1989, I have been restoring Hoosier cabinets and other kitchen cupboards of the 1930s era. So I was very excited when I found a child-size cupboard at a Midwest auction. I have never seen one like it. On the back, it’s marked “Juvenile Hoosier, Spring Green.” I paid $290 for it, which is more than I’ve spent for some regular-size cupboards. Should I attempt to restore the metal part, or will that lower the value? Is the piece worth more than I paid for it?

The Hoosier Manufacturing Co., founded in Albany, Ind., in 1898, manufactured kitchen cabinets until 1942. During those years, the term “Hoosier cabinet” came to be used as a generic term. Several other companies, most of them in Indiana, made similar kitchen cupboards. Hoosier, and probably the other firms as well, made some small-scale cabinets for children. They were marketed in the fall, for Christmas sales. Child-size Hoosier cabinets are rare, but whether you could sell yours for more than you paid depends on where, when and how you sell it. You can probably enhance its value by cleaning up the metal surface using commercial metal cleaners and polishes.

I have an antique seder plate, used for the Jewish celebration of Passover. It is marked “Manufactured by Ridgways, England.” The words form a circle surrounding a number: Reg. No. 699855. Can you tell me when my plate was made?

The English Registry number on your plate dates the design to 1923. That means it was not made before that year, but it could have been manufactured any year after 1923.

I noticed an auction gallery near me selling “fish gigs.” They look like long forks. What are they?

A fisherman uses a fish-gig to harpoon fish at sea. A fish-gig consists of a staff, usually steel, leading to a set of three to six barbed prongs. A line is fastened to the pronged end, and a piece of lead is fixed to the other end. The lead gives additional force to the weapon when it’s thrown, pushing the prongs upward after the fish is hit.

I received a Revlon doll as a gift in the 1950s. She’s still in her original box and is wearing her original clothes. Does my doll have any value?

The Ideal Toy Co. made Revlon dolls from about 1950 to 1958. Ideal had introduced a Toni doll in 1948. It was such a success that Revlon, which made Toni permanents, gave Ideal permission to manufacture Revlon dolls. The Little Miss Revlon doll was 10 1/2 inches tall. The Miss Revlon doll was made in sizes ranging from 15 to 26 inches. Any Ideal Revlon doll in original condition, with its original box, sells for more than $200.

When my wife’s aunt and uncle died, we cleaned out their garage and found a small, round brass padlock with a flat key. It measures just over 2 inches in diameter, and it still works. I have never seen a lock like it. I wondered if it has any value. It is embossed “Miller’s 6-Lever” on the front.

The D.K. Miller Lock Co. was in business in Philadelphia by 1870. Your type of lock, a six-lever push-key padlock, was manufactured well into the 20th century. Similar padlocks with keys, in good condition, sell for about $30.

Tip

Jewelry clips became popular in the 1930s because fur coats were in style and a pin could not go through the heavy coat lapel. The clips were easier to fasten.

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