KNOW YOUR ANTIQUES\Innovative Lalique glass as popular as ever.

Byline: Ralph and Terry Kovel

Lalique glass has been made in France since the 1890s. It still is popular today.

Rene Lalique, born in 1860, became a jeweler, silversmith, glassmaker and artist. He designed wallpaper, fabrics and jewelry, but is best-known for his innovative glass designs. Glass was molded, pressed or engraved in art nouveau or art deco styles.

Most of the pieces were made of clear or milky-white opalescent glass. Rarer are pieces of red, blue, brown or other colors.

Collectors can tell the age of a piece because of the mark that is engraved, stamped or etched on the bottom. The signature "R. Lalique" was used until his death in 1945. After that, the mark was changed to "Lalique."

Q: I can't believe people collect those old Griswold cast-iron frying pans. What do they do with them?

A: Some people cook with them. Others hang them on a wall to display various sizes of frying pans.

Collectors look for pots, pans, griddles, bowls and whatever cast-iron cooking utensils the Erie, Pa., company made.

Some collectors don't just stop at Griswold cast-iron utensils. They also look for Piquaware, Wagner Ware, G.F. Filley, Ried and others.

Cast-iron cookware fell out of favor in the 1940s, when electric stoves became popular.

Q: I have an earthenware figurine marked "W Gregory" on the bottom. Do you have any information?

A: Waylande Gregory was a student at the Kansas City Art Institute when he began working for the Midland Terra Cotta Co. in Cicero, Kan. In 1928, he joined the Cowan Pottery Studio in Cleveland. He left Cowan in 1932 and started his own studio.

In 1940, he was commissioned to do a work for the New York World's Fair and also design a mural for the Municipal Arts Center in Washington, D.C.

Later, he made figurines, plates, ashtrays and boxes decorated with bold geometric designs.

Q: I found some old sheet music in a piano bench. Does it have any special value?

A: Sheet music collectors think so.

By the mid-1850s, pianos were found in many parlors, and the publication of popular songs increased. Sheet music's popularity continued through World War II.

Some people collect by era, art, composer or type of song. Others buy sheet music for the cover, which they frame and display. Some covers picture long-dead actors, actresses, musicians or singers.

Most sheet music sells for less than $10. Some with outstanding covers are priced higher.

Collectors should be sure that the sheet has not been trimmed. Before 1917, the pages measured 13-1/2 inches by 10-1/2 inches. During World War I, four sizes were made: 13-1/2 by 10-1/2, 10 by 7, 4 by 5, and 12 by 9. Since 1920, most sheets have measured 12 by 9.

Q: My early 1900s table has a paper label that reads "H.C. Niemann & Co., Chicago." There is a small picture of an elephant standing on a table in the center of the round label.

A: H.C. Niemann worked in Chicago from 1890 to 1929. The company address was included on the label after 1909. The company logo referred to its tables' strength.

Niemann also made stands and cupboards and by the 1920s, matching chairs.

Q: I have an American Flyer passenger train set that is 75 years old. The engine number is 3115, and the club car and other cars are from the 3200 series. What's it worth?

A: The No. 3115 engine was first made in 1928; the 3200 series followed. American Flyer turned its attention to making passenger trains, rather than freight trains, in 1928.

Your set, if in working condition, would sell for about $650.

Q: I found an amber-colored glass bottle with the words "Foley's Kidney and Bladder Cure" imprinted on it. Do you have any information?

A: Patent medicines - which did not necessarily work - were popular at the turn of the century. The Foley Co., based in Chicago, made a kidney medicine, a honey-and-tar compound, and a general "cure."

Your bottle is worth about $12.

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.

Southern Pacific Railroad playing cards, 1910: $35.

Political Ping-Pong paddles, Tricky Dick and Mao Tse-tung: $55.

Penknife, Geo, Wostenholm, embossed, corkscrew, key, pipe and cards, two blades, 1900, 3 inches: $100.

Advertising, Cat-Tex soles, Blackie the Cat hand puppet, soft rubber, 1950s: $150.

Radio, Emerson, Model 707, pink, Starburst: $165.

Duncan & Miller decanter, First Love, stopper, 32 ounces: $190.

Howdy Doody flashlight-face ring, brass, three-dimensional plastic image of Howdy's head with light bulb, unused: $224.

Mayonnaise mixer, Christy, beater, clamp-on, cast iron, 11 inches by 6 inches: $395.

Noritake after-dinner coffeepot, Azalea pattern: $420.

Furniture, Empire sewing stand, black lacquer and gilded chinoiserie design, paw feet, turned legs, workbag, fitted tray, 16-1/2 inches by 24-3/4 inches: $1,100.

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PHOTO

Photo This 25-inch-high opalescent vase, made about 1924, is worth more than $5,000.