Questions & answers

A: The medal is worth £5-£10, the Festival of Britain coin £10-£12 and the old pennies virtually nothing unless in mint-condition. Most old coins, British or foreign have no appreciable value unless of gold or silver, or from a low-mint year, or in uncirculated pristine condition.

Q: Can you tell me the value of an 1879 shilling? Mrs L

A: This coin is worth £10-£20 if in excellent condition with little evidence of surface wear. Worn examples are worth just a pound or two.

Q: I have some Beswick farm animals: Hereford bull, Charolais cow and calf, Hereford cow and calf. What are they worth? Mr C

A: Several different versions of the animals you mention were made and you do not provide the model numbers. The Hereford Bull mode 949, six inches high, is worth £150. The smaller version model number 1363A (protruding horns) is worth £100, but version 1363B with flush-horns is worth only £30. The Chamlais cow and calf is worth £175. the Hereford cow and calf £55.

Q: I have a Shelley cup with a large combined saucer/plate, dated 1966. Can you tell me anything about Shelley, is there a book on the firm, and what other Shelley items should 1 collect? Mr G

A: Shelley started in the 1870s and were taken over by the Royal Doulton group in 1971. The item you describe, known as a tennis set, is worth £30-£40. The best book on Shelley is Collecting Shelley Pottery by Robert Prescott-Walker, published by Francis Joseph at £16.95. It is a good introduction to the brand, contains scores of colour pictures of the products, and also gives a price guide. Any Shelley pottery is worth collecting, though the most in-demand items are those from the 1930s, reflecting the Art Deco styling of the period.

Q: I have a pair of small scissors in the shape of a stork, with the blades forming its beak. Is it of any value? Mrs W

A: The stork is one of the most popular forms of novelty sewing scissors, with examples made from the late 19th century right up until quite recently. Most examples are nickel-plated on steel and fetch £10-£15 each. But some older pairs do have real silver handles and can fetch £30-£40.

Q: Can you tell me the value of a plate about 10 inches across which has on it portraits of Lord Roberts, Colonel Baden Powell and General French.

A: This plate is a souvenir of the Boer War (1899-1902) which was fought in South Africa between the British, and Dutch settlers. Roberts, Baden Powell and French were all key military figures in the war, and various souvenir pottery was made to mark the event. This wall plaque is worth about £120 -- Boer War items are quite collectable.

Q: I have two books (Vols 1 and 2) called In Darkest Africa by Henry M Stanley and published by Sampson Low and Co. They have many illustrations. What are they worth?

A: This sounds as if it is the first edition of this book, published in 1890, and written by the same Stanley who found the famous Dr Livingstone. This was a popular book in its day and while copies are not that rare, nice-condition examples are sought-after and the set of two would be worth about £100 if in good order.

Q: I have a novelty cigarette box made of wood. It is opened by pushing on a carved wooden bird which then extracts the cigarette in its beak. Someone I know has offered me £10 for it. Is it worth more? Mrs J

A: Most examples sell for about £25-£30, so perhaps they should increase their offer! These amusing novelties were very popular in the 1930s and you do see them quite often around the antiques fairs. They were mostly imported from Japan but some were made in Austria and Germany, sometimes incorporating musical mechanisms which played a tune (Smoke Gets In Your Eyes?) when the lid was opened.

Q: Can you tell me about a milk jug I have in the shape of a cow. The handle is its tail and the milk pours from its mouth. There is a small removable lid on its back so it can be refilled. It is made of pottery but has no makers name. Mrs D

A: These creamers, as they are known, were popular in the late 19th century, the Victorian period, and original examples can fetch £150-£200 in good condition. However, they have been widely replicated, and modern examples are still available. Reproductions from the past 30 or 40 years are worth much less, fetching just £20-£30.

Q: I still have a doll I had as a child. She is called Gigi on the box, which I have also kept. The doll is about 12 inches tall and is dressed in its original clothing. Is it worth anything? Mrs A

A: Gigi was made by a firm called Faerie Glen, a smaller-scale rival of dolls such as Barbie and Sindy. Made in the early 1970s, Gigi had a friend called Tina and they were both dressed as teenagers of the period. Additional sets of clothing were available, and even interchangeable hair! These dolls are not as collected as their more famous rivals and are worth just £5-£10 each.