A WARNING ABOUT CHRISTMAS DISHES

Warning! Think before you put Christmas dishes in the dishwasher. I unpacked my Holt-Howard Santa Claus mugs so I could fill them with candy. One looked dusty, so I put it in my new dishwasher on the anti-bacterial cycle--never thinking about the temperature of the water for that cycle. Imagine my horror when Santa came out of the dishwasher with a white face (his flesh had been skin-tone) and almost no red decoration. We have warned collectors for years to be careful about using the dishwasher for fine crystal, gold-decorated china and glass, hollow-handled silver knives and anything with an overglaze decoration. Most Holt-Howard pieces are made with underglaze decorations and can be washed in a dishwasher. Not my Santas. From now on, I will hand-wash all my 1950s-80s collectibles, including my lady head vases, salt and pepper sets, and tiny ceramic rabbits. Take a close look at our "before" and "after" Santa pictures. One more washing cycle and I think Santa will be all white.

TAYLOR SWIFT'S TAKE ON ANTIQUE SHOPS

A quote we like: "I'm developing a theory that all people who work at antiques stores are friendly and delightful." That's Taylor Swift on Twitter awhile ago. She's the cross-over country singer who keeps winning awards for her work. Wonder what she collects? She was at the Nashville antiques show in November.

COCA-COLA PAINTING

Q: My dad worked for Coca-Cola for many years. He won this oil painting by Haddon H. Sundblom at a convention in Atlanta. On the back it says D'Arcy Advertising Co., St. Louis, Mo. Does the painting have any value?

A: Coca-Cola's advertising agency from 1906 to 1956 was D'Arcy Advertising Co. Haddon Sundblom (1899-1976) was a commercial artist in Chicago who began doing paintings for Coca-Cola ads in the 1920s. The painting looks like the original art for an ad. Sundblom is best-known for his paintings of Santa Claus that appeared in Coca-Cola ads from 1931 to 1964. His images changed the way Santa was portrayed and the rotund Santa was pictured as a friendly, jolly fellow. The original Santa Claus paintings have been exhibited all over the world and are worth several thousand dollars each today. His paintings of other subjects may not be as valuable, but if your painting is really an original oil painting and not a copy on textured canvas, it is very valuable and should be seen by a local expert. An interesting side note: Sundblom didn't drink Coca-Cola. He is quoted as saying "I never could stand the stuff."