Q: This roulette wheel was given to my father in 1965. The tag on it said it came from the Hotel Detroiter. The chrome piece in the middle is imprinted "B.C. Wills & Co. Detroit." Value?
A: B.C. Wills & Co. was owned by George Weinbrenner, who discovered a method of curing celluloid so that "square" dice cubes could be made. Before his discovery, dice were not perfect cubes, which affected the outcome of the game. When Weinbrenner bought the building formerly occupied by B.C. Wills & Co., a tool and die manufacturer, he kept the name B.C. Wills & Co. The company was known for making quality dice. Other gambling equipment, cabinets and furniture were also made. Clay Hathaway bought the gaming supply division in the 1980s and the company went bankrupt shortly after. The Detroiter Hotel was built in 1926 and was later demolished. Your 1930s Wills roulette wheel could bring as much as $2,000. For more information about B.C. Wills & Co., visit http://cctn.ccgtcc.com/wills.pdf.
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I need to ship a set of antique dishes to my son, who is getting married in Denmark. This set is complete for 9 people, and is made by Sarreguemines, the marks would put it in the 1870-1920 perid. The plates are ivory, and the edges are all gently scalloped, and handpainted on the edges with gold. The set includes all the serving pieces, plus the Coffee and Tea servers. The teacups and demitasse cups and their saucers are square in shape, but also have the fluted edges. For insurance purposes, I need to price it. Any idea what it's value might be?
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