A collector paid ,475 for this 27-inch bronze hot-air-balloon-shape clock at a James Julia auction in Fairfield, Maine. It has a pendulum and a key.

Man has always wanted to fly. Long before airplanes, hot-air balloons were traveling in the air between countries. The first successful flight – in France in 1783 – lasted 15 minutes. The only passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster. A few months later, two men made a flight. By 1785, a manned hot-air balloon flew across the English Channel, and by 1793 a balloon flight reached North America. The unusual-looking aircraft and the adventurous men who flew the balloons delighted the public. Pictures of balloons appeared in prints, on plates, on textiles and on furniture. An unusual clock was made in the form of a bronze hot-air balloon. It has realistic details – a wicker basket, anchor, life preservers and extra ropes. The clock face is inserted into the balloon. The dial has porcelain numbers and the signs of the zodiac. There are collectors who specialize in old hot-air-balloon-related memorabilia. They also collect pictures and decorative items showing helium balloons. Since the records for the highest flights have been set since the 1930s, there are also many 20th-century items to collect.

Q: You often mention Roy Rogers collectibles in your column, but I have never seen any information about Dale Evans memorabilia. I was given a Dale Evans watch about 50 years ago. The clock face pictures Dale and her horse. The watch still works. How much is it worth?

A: When Dale Evans (1912-2001) married Roy Rogers in 1947, she was already his onscreen leading lady. Known as Queen of the Cowgirls, she was pictured on at least nine different character wristwatches made between 1949 and 1962. The earlier ones were made by E. Ingraham Co., and the later ones by Bradley Time Corp., a division of Elgin National. Any working Dale Evans wristwatch in excellent condition sells today for $200 or more. Add at least $100 if you have the original box.

Q: I am trying to learn more about a ceramic soap dish in the shape of two cupped human hands. The dish originally belonged to my mother’s grandmother, and my mother is 78 now. The mark on the bottom is a picture of a buffalo above “Stone China, K.T. & K.” Can you help?

A: Your soap dish was made by Knowles, Taylor & Knowles, a pottery that operated in East Liverpool, Ohio, from 1870 to 1931. By 1901, the company employed 700 people. Knowles, Taylor & Knowles is best-known for its 1890s porcelain called Lotus Ware and for its many ironstone and semiporcelain dinnerware patterns made in the 1900s. The mark on your stoneware soap dish was in use before 1904, so the dish is more than 100 years old. It would sell for about $20.

Q: I inherited several pieces of clear pressed glass in the Egyptian pattern. I have been unable to find any information about it.

A: Head for your library or bookstore or go on the Internet and compare the pattern on your glassware to the pattern called Egyptian or Parthenon. The pattern pictures pyramids, palm trees and the Parthenon (yes, we know the Parthenon is in Greece, but some Egyptian goblets actually say “Ruins of the Parthenon” right in the glass). The pattern dates from the 1870s and was made at several different U.S. factories, including the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. of Sandwich, Mass.

Q: I have a poster-size 2000 calendar with a picture of New York’s World Trade Center in the background. The poster shows a train moving along the Hudson River. The New York City skyline, with the Twin Towers, is behind the train. Should I get the poster framed, and how do I protect it?

A: If you want to display the poster, have it framed by a professional, who can mount it properly and cover it with glass that will protect it from some of the damaging effects of light. Don’t hang it in bright sunlight or near a fireplace.

Q: I have a heavy old floral tapestry that my great-grandmother used to hang in her hallway to block drafts during the winter. I live in a small, one-bedroom bungalow with hardwood floors and wonder if I could use the tapestry as a floor covering in my living room – or would I be committing the ultimate sin?

A: If the tapestry is old, handmade by someone with talent and taste and in excellent shape, it would be extravagant to use it as a rug. Tapestries, unlike hooked rugs or other handmade floor coverings, were not meant to be trampled on. Take the tapestry to an expert, who can tell you something about its quality and history. If it’s a good piece and you like it, hang it in your living room.

Tip: Try the new electrostatic dust cloths to remove dust from waxed and polished furniture.

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