What’s It Worth?

Q:Please tell me about my china orb. It is marked "To Commemorate the Crowning of Queen Elizabeth the Second, June 2, 1953" and on the bottom "Minton, Made in England, Limited Issue of 600 of which this is No. 117."-- P.S.

Answer: The famous pottery was founded by Thomas Minton in Stoke-On-Trent in 1793. Minton bone china became very popular during the Victorian period after the firm displayed its products at a large exhibition in London in 1851.

Minton won the commission to make The Queen's Vase for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The factory seized the opportunity and made many souvenirs. Minton was bought out by Royal Doulton in 1968.

The china orb would retail for about $70.

Q:My husband inherited this Charles Lindbergh ashtray from his grandmother. The airplane is an ashtray sitting on a round top embossed with a map, with a cigarette and a match holder. The legs are shaped like a propeller. I would like to know more about it, including its value. -- C.P.

Answer: It has nothing to do with Lindbergh, who flew to fame when he made the first solo trans-Atlantic flight from New York to Paris in 1927. This smoke stand portrays a map of the Pacific Ocean.

The map appears to show the early trans-Pacific routes used by the Clipper flying-boat airliners operated by Pan American Airways beginning in 1935, inaugurated by the airline's founder Juan Trippe.

I cannot identify the manufacturer. It may have been used in Pan Am offices or sold as a commemorative item. It is a unique piece of American aviation history and would retail for around $900.

Have a question about an antique or collectible? Send e-mail to with a digital image, or send a complete description with a clear photograph to Jay Moore, Flair Department, Richmond Times-Dispatch, P.O. Box 85333, Richmond, VA 23293. Photographs will not be returned. The large volume of mail may mean a delay in publishing answers.