KNOW YOUR ANTIQUES\Grape-serving collectibles ripen to maturity.

Byline: Ralph and Terry Kovel

In 1769, the first domestic grapevines were planted in what is now California. By the end of the 19th century, grapes were grown in almost every state. Grapes, when in season, were part of the fruit often served as dessert. They also were made into wine, jam and jelly.

The Victorian homemaker set an elaborate table with special dishes and serving pieces for each course and type of food. The well-stocked Victorian cupboard held fish forks, asparagus servers, pickle forks, berry dishes and more.

To serve grapes in the most elegant manner, it was necessary to have special grape shears and a special bowl.

The silver shears usually had decorative handles, often made of raised leaves and grapes, and a cutting blade with a raised edge. The most unusual bowls, also decorated with leaves, had an "arm" that held a bunch of grapes.

The decorative pieces of silver have come back into style, and collectors are paying high prices for unusual examples.

A pair of grape shears typically sells for about $150, a bowl for about $1,000.

Q: "T. Atwood" is branded into the bottom of my simple wooden chair. Can you tell me about it?

A: Thomas Atwood had a chair factory in Bedford, N.H., after 1819. By the 1830s he was making cabinets and other pieces. He worked for many years making sets of chairs. They often were sold in wholesale quantities.

Q: I've started collecting Little Golden Books that I read as a child. Many of them seem too new to be original. Is there some way I can tell if they are old?

A: The Western Publishing Co. has sold billions of Little Golden Books since it published the first dozen titles in 1942.

Some titles were published for many years. The most valuable is a first edition. Check the book's first two pages. There should be a string of letters. The letter on the far left shows the edition the book. An A on the far left indicates a first edition; B, a second edition; and so on.

The letters sometimes appear on the last page.

Little Golden Books printed after 1991 use Roman numerals to show the printing date. The letter A before the Roman numeral shows a first edition. The letter R means it's a much later edition.

Mint-condition first-edition books of the original dozen sell for $20 to $25. Most others sell from $1 to $10.

Q: I still have a wooden Flexible Flyer sled from when I was a kid in the 1950s. Is it worth anything?

A: Wooden sleds are becoming collectible. The best ones still have their lettering, decals and original paint.

Flexible Flyer sleds were made by the Allen Co. of Philadelphia. Other big names to look for are Ice Plane, Snow Plane and Rocket Plane sleds by the Acme Manufacturing Co. of Emigsville, Pa.

Your sled is worth $25 to $100, depending on condition. Pre-World War II sleds sell for as much as $400.

Q: I have a framed color print of "Count Edmond Batthyany, Yachting" by "Ape." Can you tell me about it? A friend said it is a Vanity Fair print.

A: Prints were an important part of the English magazine Vanity Fair sold from 1869 to 1914. The humorous color lithographs pictured well-known criminals, lawyers, doctors, actors, teachers and many others. There were more than 2,400 different prints published.

"Ape" was the signature of the artist Carlo Pellegrini. Other well-known Vanity Fair artists included Leslie Ward, who was known as "Spy"; James J. Tissot; Thomas Nast; and Max Beerbohm.

Today, the unframed prints sell for $50 or more.

Q: I just bought Beatles collector cards from several series. I paid about $1 a card. Did I get a deal?

A: It depends on the condition of the cards.

There are several sets of Beatles collector cards from the 1960s. In near-mint condition, most of the cards sell for $2 to $3 each.

Q: I have a lady-head vase with no manufacturer's mark. The woman is wearing a hat, her lips are painted bright red and her eyes are downcast. She has a gloved hand raised to her face and is wearing a string of pearls. Does it have any value?

A: The style of the vase you describe was popular with many different makers. Unmarked lady heads sell for $35 to $60. Size, condition and design affect the value.

Current prices: Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Insulator, Chicago Insulating Co., embossed base, $65.

Hawaiian Punch board game, Mattel, 1978: $100.

Heubach figurine, pup with a muzzle, impressed mark, 5 inches: $145.

Loetz bowl, hexagonal, star-shaped rim, amber iridescent shading to gold and violet, bubble-crater exterior, 10-1/2 inches: $230.

Disneyana, Mickey Mouse doll, stuffed velvet, floppy arms and legs, circa 1940, 16 inches: $310.

Jewelry, pin, Catalan horse, glass eye, metal bridle, Bakelite, circa 1938: $370.

Advertising, tip tray, Virginia Dare vine, circa 1915, oval, 13 inches: $425.

Furniture, chest of drawers, blond wood, four long drawers, nickeled metal mounts, designed by Eero Saarinen, 1950s, 29-1/2 inches: $1,200.

Coffee grinder, Enterprise, Eagle, Patent No. 1873, 72 inches: $2,800.

Doll, Kammer & Reinhardt, No. 117, Mein Liebling, brown sleep eyes, lashes, original clothes, 23 inches: $8,035.

CAPTION(S):

PHOTO

Photo This Gorham silver dish was made to hold a bunch of grapes. It sold for more than $6,300 at a recent auction.