Q:I inherited a set of Nippon china and would like to know more about it. There are four cups, six small plates, three large plates and a creamer. It is decorated with women and a landscape. Each piece is marked. - A.W. Answer: It is geisha girl porcelain manufactured in Japan around the turn of the 20th century. It is so named because the hand-painted design features three or more geisha girls with a backdrop of Japanese scenery.

Q:My family owns a 1904 map of the United States, including territories. It is made of cloth, possibly linen. Does it have any value?—K.C. Answer: According to a museum property specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey Museum in Reston, this map printed on cloth probably was used at a U.S. Government General Land Office or at a school.

Q:I own a 7-foot tall mahogany secretary with carved claw feet that I believe is 70 or 80 years old. It is in good condition. There are no labels or marks. Please tell me what it is worth and what I can expect to sell it for. - C.M. Answer: This Colonial-Revival secretary bookcase was manufactured during the midto late 1930s or later. It is a good-quality reproduction that appears to be made of cherry. I believe that it was made by the Monitor Furniture Co.

Q:I inherited a mahjong set from my mother. I remember that the family would use the game, but I do not remember how to play. I have visited antiques shops and have not seen one like it. The playing pieces are made of ivory and bamboo. I would like to know its age and value.—S.S. Answer: The Chinese game mahjong has an interesting history, much of it myth. Some reports date the game back to 500 B.C., however, it likely dates from between 1850 and 1875. It basically is a card game using solid tiles.

WHAT’S IT WORTH
Q:What can you tell me about a lamp I inherited from my grandmother? It is electric and the shade and the base have colored glass panels mounted in a metal framework. It is in excellent condition. There are no marks. I was told that it is worth $3,000.—C.D. Answer: This nice slag glass lamp was manufactured during the late 1920s or early’30s. It appears to be in great condition with the original painted finish on the shade and matching base.

WHAT’S IT WORTH
Q:A few years ago, a friend gave me an old wheelbarrow. It is marked “WATCO, Made Especially for Watkins Cottrell Co., Richmond, VA.“ I would like any information you can provide about this company.—N.W. Answer: According to experts, the wheelbarrow was invented and first used in Greece around 400 B.C. These one-wheeled vehicles also were used by the Romans, in the Byzantine Empire, China and later in Europe.

Q:What can you tell me about my large metal vase that was purchased at an auction? The auction was from the estate of the archbishop of St. Paul, Minn.—Richmond. Answer: It is a large cloisonné vase made in Asia around the turn of the 20th century. Cloisonné is a very early technique of applying enamel to metal to produce vessels and other articles. It mostly was popular in China and Japan.

Q:I own a large set of china that was inherited from my husband’s side of the family. Each of the 87 pieces is marked “Haviland & Co., Limoges” and “Haviland, France.“ What can you tell me about it?—P.P. Answer: The Haviland brothers owned a porcelain import business in New York. While traveling in France in the 1840s, one stayed behind to work the business. They ended up owning several china factories in Limoges.

As a child, Wilbert Davis had a passion for collecting old things such as colored glass bottles and other items he found in the woods and in abandoned houses around his home. He continued that passion for collecting antiques in later life, visiting thrift stores, flea markets and antiques malls to find treasures that struck his fancy.

Q:This item belongs to my grandparents and has been in the family for a very long time. We believe that it as antique barometer. It is marked “By Appmt. To H.R.H. The Prince of Wales . . . 12, Donegall Place, Belfast.“ We would like to know its age and value. It is in good condition.—J.E. Answer: It is a barograph or recording barometer. It records current barometric pressure, a factor in predicting future weather. Experts credit the French for inventing the instrument in the 1840s. Mercury barometers were used much earlier.

Q:Please tell me about the prayer table I inherited from my grandmother years ago. I would like to know what type of wood it is and its value. It has been refinished.—C.K. Answer: It is an American Empire-revival library table manufactured around the turn of the 20th century. It probably is made of oak solids and veneers and originally finished with mahogany stain/varnish.

The 47th Benefit Antiques & Fine Arts Show, sponsored by the Richmond Academy of Medicine Alliance Foundation, is open today through Sunday at the Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 W. Broad St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and tomorrow and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 per person and are valid for show admission each day.

Q:I inherited an antique loveseat from my grandmother that has turned legs and casters. Please tell me about it, including its value.—T.D. Answer: It is an Eastlake-style sofa manufactured around 1880. It probably was part of a suite that included several side chairs and an armchair. It appears to be made of oak and originally was stained to duplicate walnut.

Max Reese was a member of the American Society of Appraisers. Max Reese first came to Richmond from Philadelphia when he was 19 to try to sell merchandise from his family’s furniture business. It was the early 1930s, and the Great Depression would continue for years. College would remain out of reach. With a little help from his father—including $50 in a bank account—Mr. Reese soon returned from Philadelphia with a truckload of antiques and began building a business.

Q:Can you tell me how to dispose of a bunch of silverplate? The items, ranging from casseroles to a water pitcher, were received as wedding gifts years ago and never used. Most were made by the Rogers and Leonard silverplate companies. Our adult children have no interest.—M.H. Answer: Silverplated serving ware and weighted sterling pieces were extremely popular as wedding gifts from the 1940s through the late 1960s. They are a pain to clean and usually end up in the closet.