Question: I have a hand-held mirror passed to me, and I want to understand its value. One piece of it is broken, but you will see it in the photo. I also sent a photo of the letter attached. Thank you.
The following is an excerpt from the letter attached to the mirror. "This mirror was exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair many years ago. It was evaluated by Russian experts at Northwestern University. It was exhibited at the Russian exhibition and was valued at US$2,500 for insurance purposes. Ivory has a spot in the upper left corner. The crack is at about 1 o'clock, but it is a clean crack. The picture shows the cracks on the back of the frame and the surroundings. These are mainly cracks on the edge of the ivory. The frame should be carved from a single piece of ivory, it is said It is the czar’s personal hand mirror. I believe you will find the coat of arms behind it is real." — S., Internet
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Answer: According to your photos, the beautiful and gorgeous hand frame does not seem to be ivory. If it is ivory, it will arouse great interest from collectors. The logo on the back of the mirror is a quasi logo, which looks a lot like a typical Russian logo, but it's not real. In order to give you a better opinion, I need clear close-up photos. When you can get the mirror, take it outside in normal daylight and carefully photograph the details including the back. Then I will finish telling the story.
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Q: Friends of Freedom Public Library Company received about 500 comic books printed between 1988 and 2004. They are "alternative comic books", including "Beavis and Butthead", "Stimpy & Pal", "Groo", "The Wanderer", "Hate", etc. Each comic book is enclosed in a plastic envelope and protected by white cardboard. We hope to exchange this gift for cash. Please tell us the best way. — DP, Internet
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A: Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas is one of the major companies in the neighborhood. They have a department that deals with comic books. Before contacting them, make a complete list of photos digitally. After they have reviewed the series, they will provide you with an estimate of the price that the series will sell through their cataloged comic book auction before the auction. The website is www.ha.com. Good luck and let us know how things are going.
John Sikorski has more than 35 years of experience and is an antiques consultant, consultant and broker in Ocala. Send your questions to Sikorski's Attic, c/o The Ocala Star-Banner, 2121 SW 19th Ave. Road, Ocala, FL 34471-7752, or send an email to absantique@aol.com.