Bargains and inexpensive collectibles can still be found. Pottery of the 20th century is still available for less than $10. Sometimes a vase is a bargain because it is too small. Sometimes it is an out-of-fashion color.

Often, the maker is unfamiliar and collectors pass it by. One good pottery that has been neglected is Haeger. The company started in 1914 in Dundee, Ill. Early pieces were marked with the name “Haeger” on the crosspiece of the printed letter H. About 1938, the mark was changed to “Royal Haeger.” The company is still making florist wares and lamp bases.

When I was a college student in 1960, I paid $25 for an old bureau covered with a gooey black varnish. My father removed the varnish and refinished the bureau. I recently noticed that there’s a handwritten signature on the back: “S. Washburn, Taunton, Mass.” The dresser is made in a simple style. It has four long drawers topped by two short drawers in a smaller section. Each drawer has a keyhole and two wooden knobs. Do you have any idea when it was made?

Your American country-style dresser probably dates from the early to mid-1800s. The signature does not belong to a famous maker.

Years ago, my husband and I purchased a table lamp in an antiques store in southern California. The shade is a smooth glass dome, 16 inches in diameter. The shade’s edge turns up slightly. The inside of the shade is painted with a landscape scene that’s signed by the artist. We can’t quite make out the signature. It might be W.N. Lacy. Can you help?

W. Macy was an artist who worked at the Pairpoint Corp. in New Bedford, Mass. Pairpoint, like Tiffany and Handel, made art-glass lampshades during the late 1800s and early 1900s. If your lamp’s base is original, it should be marked with the letter P within a diamond, a style number and the words “The Pairpoint Corporation.” If the base is a replacement, your shade is still valuable. Have an expert look at it.

My aunt left me one of her prized possessions. It’s a ball made of ivory that’s intricately carved into figures, flowers and leaves. She called it a puzzle ball. Can you explain it?

Puzzle balls are also called mystery balls. The craft of carving these decorative balls from ivory started in China hundreds of years ago. A puzzle ball is a carved ball inside another carved ball inside another carved ball. The balls were carved from one large piece of ivory, and they have no seams. Most puzzle balls on the market today date from the 1700s to the mid-1900s. The complicated technique of making the balls requires the artist to carve a series of holes, then delicately carve through the holes to form movable balls inside each other. Puzzle balls are very delicate and expensive. They sell for a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on size, age and intricacy of the carving.

Forty years ago, I found a small cologne bottle on an island off the coast of Maine. It is just over 3 inches tall and is made of heavy glass. Embossed on the indented side of the bottle are the words “Hoyt’s Nickel Cologne.” I have found references to Hoyt’s Ten-Cent Cologne, but not to the Nickel brand. Is my bottle a valuable rarity?

E.W. Hoyt & Co. of Lowell, Mass., and Memphis, Tenn., introduced its “German cologne” about 1868. By the beginning of the 20th century, Hoyt was selling the inexpensive scent in several sizes, including a dime bottle and a nickel bottle. By then, it was being marketed as “Hoyt’s Original 1868 Cologne.”” Your bottle would not sell for more than $10 or $20, but it is worth saving. Hoyt’s cologne, a fragrance combining the scents of roses and violets, is still manufactured. Some people, especially in the South, believe Hoyt’s cologne brings good luck to gamblers.

I was given several 50-foot 8mm movie reels from the 1930s. One is Disney’s “Steamboat Willie.” There are also reels featuring Laurel and Hardy, Felix the Cat, Charlie Chaplin and Our Gang. Are these silent reels collectible?

There is a market for your 8mm movies, particularly “Steamboat Willie.” Disney sold several 8mm and 16mm films for home use during the 1930s. Some came boxed in a set of four Disney cartoons. With the original box, a four-film set sells for more than $100. Your other movie reels would sell best to collectors searching for items related to their favorite movie characters.

Tip

There are dozens of kinds of felt, cork, plastic and glass products made to protect tables from heavy lamps, carpets from sofa-leg marks, or walls from bumping mirrors. If you think an object is making a mark or scratch on another piece, the wall or the floor, shop for the correct protector.

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