Homeopathic medicine is an idea that developed around 200 years ago. One of the famous 19th-century homeopathic companies was Dr. Munyon’s. His medicine was sold in drugstores from a decorated metal cabinet picturing the stern doctor. The quote beneath his picture reads, “I would rather preserve the health of the nation than be its ruler.” It was easy for a shopper to choose the right medicine. The back of the cabinet had small drawers, each labeled with a health problem. Cold remedies were kept in drawer 5; general debility was cured from drawer 7. The medicine was in tubes or in small cardboard packages that held glass bottles filled with liquid or pills. Munyon’s medicines were sold internationally. The London office had an infamous manager – Hawley Harvey Crippen, who had practiced medicine in Cleveland and New York City. He moved to London in 1897 and in 1910 murdered his actress wife. He was convicted and hanged, and his story is found in history books today. One of the Munyon’s metal cabinets sold at Morphy Auctions this year for $1,000.

Dr. Munyon started an international company that sold homeopathic home remedies. This metal store cabinet, 14-by-12-by-12 inches, holding the retail packages of medicine, sold at Morphy Auctions for ,000.

Q: We own an unusual high-back wing chair that has been in my husband’s family for at least three generations. It is upholstered and has a wood frame, but part of the frame is a semicircular hood that extends from the wings and back over the top of the chair. I can’t find any manufacturer’s name on it. Can you tell us why it has a hood?

A: Your chair is called a “porter’s chair.” It was designed with wings and a hood to form a protective enclosure so a porter or watchman could sit near a door but be protected from drafts. This type of chair was introduced in the 16th century in England. Although most homes now have central heating and few drafts, the style is still made.

Q: I recently obtained a beautiful set of hand-painted Limoges fish dishes. The set includes a large, oblong platter, 10 plates and a sauceboat and underplate. The dishes are marked “Higgins & Seiter.” Can you date the set and estimate its value?

A: Your dishes are probably more than 100 years old. Higgins & Seiter, a New York retail store, was in business at the turn of the 20th century. It imported dishes from Japan, Germany and Limoges, France, and sold them to their American customers. Another clue to the age of your dishes is that fish sets were most popular during the Victorian era, when dining in well-off households could be an elaborate event featuring many courses. The fish course was served after appetizers and soup and before the meat course. Complete sets included a platter and 12 plates. We don’t often see sets with a sauceboat or gravy boat. It increases the value of your set even if you have only 10 plates. Your set could sell for $2,500 or more.

Q: I have a pocket watch with the name A.H. Furstnow inscribed as the maker. I can only find a Furstnow who was a saddlemaker. Any information you can give me will be appreciated.

A: A.H. Furstnow and his brother Herman made pocket watches in Fond du Lac, Wis., about 100 years ago. Their father, Charles, was a saddlemaker. The name A.H. Furstnow was a private label on some Longines railroad watches.

Q: My daughter collects old teapots. Please help us identify one she bought at a flea market on the Jersey shore. It’s marked in brown with a man holding a sign that reads “Woods, Burslem, England.” Above that mark are the words “Enoch 1754, Hyde, Ralph 1750.”

A: Your daughter’s teapot was made in the early 1930s by Wood & Sons Ltd. of Burslem, Staffordshire, England. The names Enoch and Ralph in the mark refer to two famous 18th-century Staffordshire potters whose last name was Wood. They were cousins. The “Hyde” in the mark is the pattern name. Her teapot is worth $100 to $150.

Q: I paid $1.50 for a cobalt-blue shot glass that appears to be a 1905 Shriners souvenir. It’s 2 inches tall and shaped like a barrel. The front is embossed with the word “Syria” within a curved sword, the word “Pittsburgh” and a crescent moon surrounding “1905.” The back is embossed with four names: Brown, Nagle, Willock and McComb.

A: From about 1876 to 1918, the Shriners’ Syria Temple in Pittsburgh ordered glass souvenirs for members attending the fraternal order’s annual conventions. Some souvenirs were made by the U.S. Glass Co. of Pittsburgh and others by Westmoreland Glass Co. of Grapeville, Pa. The souvenirs dating after 1903 were probably all made by Westmoreland. The 1905 shot glass (some collectors call it a toothpick holder or, simply, a toothpick) commemorates the convention in Niagara Falls. We know the 1905 originals were made by Westmoreland because Westmoreland owned the original molds. Originals are cobalt blue or amethyst and have gold highlights. But many reproductions of this glass have been made. An original shot glass could sell for more than $100. Repros are worth a few dollars at the most.