It’s Just Stuff

Dear Connie Sue,

This is a CV Beer sign that was in my mother’s grocery store for as long as I can remember. It has been more than 60 years since the beer was sold. The sign measures 16.5 inches by 10.5 inches deep and reads, “The Beer with the Million Dollar Flavor,” then under that, “Terre Haute Brewing Co. Inc.” Can you tell me how old it is and what it might be worth? I’d like to sell it.

Janey, Centerville

Dear Janey,

Terre Haute Brewing Company first used this composite sign in 1951 to promote its Champagne Velvet beer. The sign features a mother dog serving her pups to remind patrons to “please pay when served.”

The same sign is offered by an online seller of brewery-related items for $230. I was surprised at the low price since we are in the midst of microbrew mania, and brewery-hopping is often considered when planning a vacation. I’d ask $450 and market the sign in hipster- heavy neighborhoods where people especially love beer and Irish setters.

Connie Sue,

I am sending photos of a cup and saucer my uncle sent my mom and dad during World War II. This gift was always in their china cabinet. On the back are the words “Made in Germany” stamped in gold and the number “31” in black just below. It has raised gold around the flowers. I would appreciate any information you can give me.

Phyllis, Charleston and Tellico Plains

Phyllis,

Bright and cheery teacups and saucers were popular gifts during the war years. The white iridescent area on the cup is called lusterware. The raised areas of porcelain are decorated with bright gold with pink, yellow and green to show off flowers and leaves.
Most of these gifts produced in Germany after 1914 had a stenciled saying like “Forget Me Not” or “Think of Me.” They sell today for $10 to $45.

Connie Sue,

This doll belongs to my husband. His mother bought it around 1937 or ’38 for him when he was a child. He’s 77 now. It probably came from Sears & Roebuck, but I’m not sure.

It is wearing the original clothes, and its eyes open and close. The head, arms and legs are hard, and the body has a cloth covering. It used to cry, but that doesn’t work anymore.

Jobynia, Dunlap

Jobynia,

It appears your husband didn’t play with the doll very much. She’s in very good condition. Her head, body and hands are made of a combination of sawdust, glue, ground grains and resin called composition. The product was easily molded and painted to produce expressive faces. I especially like her fingers and pudgy knees.

Without a mark on the doll or her clothing, it’s impossible to determine the store or even the maker. Sears & Roebuck, Spiegel and Montgomery Ward stores all sold similar dolls in the 1930s. Today, such dolls sell for $25 to $45.

Lois from around Knoxville reminded me that Andrew Jackson is not a native son as I claimed in my October 2015 column. He was born in South Carolina. As an Ohio-born, 56-year resident of Tennessee, I am again reminded that our place of birth is not a choice over which we have control.