Q:I would like information about my hand-carved Chinese chest. A relative who traveled while in the Navy handed it down to me. It is marked by a San Francisco firm.—J.B.

Q:I would like to know the history of my rosewood sofa. It is a solid piece but needs to be reupholstered. It has old feather-stuffed pillows.—P.C.

Q:My antique piece of furniture once belonged to my grandparents. My chest of drawers is made of light and dark woods and has a large marble top. It is in good condition. What is the value?—R.E. Answer: This Victorian Renaissance-revival chest of drawers was manufactured around 1875. It probably was part of a bedroom suite that at least consisted of a bed, chest of drawers and washstand.

Q:I have been researching a glass bowl that has been handed down through the family. It has a bumblebee mark. I believe it is about 70 or 80 years old.—V.A. Answer: It is a pressed-glass bowl made by the John B. Higbee Glass Co. in Bridgeville, Pa., about 1915. Higbee was an offshoot of the Bryce Brothers glass factory that began about 1850. Higbee went out of business in 1918.

Q:I would like to know the history of the secretary I inherited from my grandparents. It is a tall piece with glass doors and a drop-down writing lid.

Q:My 15-piece tea set is marked on the bottom of each item with the words “Hand Painted” in blue letters with a sunburst below and the word “Nippon.“ In addition, there is a hand-painted mark in gold: “Ella, Sept. 1917.“ The set is hand-painted with flowers. I would like to know the value and the history of Nippon.—C.R. Answer: The word Nippon means Japan. It was used to mark porcelain and other products from about 1865 until 1921, when the United States began enforcing the McKinley Tariff Act requiring imports to be marked in English.