VETCRAFT MARK

Q: We have a very old hammered copper vase. The mark on the bottom is a triangle with a half sun and a fist holding a hammer. Any help would be appreciated.

A: Your copper vase was made by Vetcraft Shops of Toronto, Canada. This was one of several workshops set up by the Department of Soldiers Civil Re-establishment in Canada to provide jobs for disabled veterans of World War I. Vetcraft Shops were in business from about 1919 to 1925. Other workshops made furniture, toys, and the poppies that were given out on Memorial Day.

HANDKERCHIEF WITH FLAGS

Q: My parents found this handkerchief in a trunk in the 1970s. It is silk and has the flags of six countries in the corners. There seems to be the word "Depose" in the lower right near the scales. We would love to know the meaning of it and its worth.

A: The flags (clockwise from the top) represent Great Britain, Belgium, France, Russia, Serbia, and Italy, countries involved in the outbreak of World War I. In 1914 Germany declared war on Belgium, France, and Russia; then Great Britain and Serbia declared war on Germany. Italy declared war on Germany in 1915. The flag pictured was the official flag of Italy from 1914 until 1917. The men pictured are the leaders of those countries, King Peter of Serbia, King George V of Great Britain, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Czar Nicholas II of Russia, King Albert of Belgium, and President Raymond Poincare of France. The woman in the center of the handkerchief holds the scales of justice and has one arm over two girls. The big black bow worn by one of the girls shows that she is from Alsace-Lorraine, part of Germany from 1871 to 1918. Women and girls in Alsace-Lorraine wore bows that were sometimes over a yard wide. Protestants wore black bows, and Catholic girls wore colored bows. "Depose" is French and means that the design is registered. Your handkerchief may have been made to commemorate an event or alliance, or may just have been a patriotic souvenir. It's an interesting handkerchief and a graphic history lesson. It could be worth $50 to someone interested in World War I history.

ANRI BOTTLE STOPPER

Q: I have a carved wooden bottle stopper marked "Anri." The man tips his hat and his head moves when the string is pulled. Can you tell me something about it?

A: Anri made hundreds of different kinds of carved wooden bottle stoppers. The company was founded by Anton Riffeser, who came from a long line of woodcarvers in the Tyrol region of Austria. In 1912 he started a workshop in St. Christina (part of Italy after World War I) and in 1926 started the House of ANRI. The name was formed by combining the first two letters of his first and last names. The company sold bottle stoppers and small figurines made in its workshop or made by local woodcarvers. Since each piece was handmade, no two pieces were exactly alike. Before 1952 much of the work was done by carvers who worked in their homes and sold their work to Anri, but after 1952 machines were used in the production. Thousands of items have been made, including bottle openers, corkscrews, bookends, desk accessories, nutcrackers, smoking accessories, and other items. The company is still run by a member of the Riffeser family. "Mechanical" bottle stoppers with moving parts like yours are popular with collectors. The stoppers were made in three styles, which collectors call the hat tipper, the drinking man, and the kissing couple. Value of your hat tipper, about $40.

HUTSCHENREUTER

Q: I'd like to know some history about the manufacturer of this cookie jar. It's 10 inches tall. I think my grandmother bought it in Germany before World War I. This mark is on the bottom.

A: Lorenz Hutschenreuther started a porcelain factory in Selb, Germany, in 1857. Hutschenreuther bought other porcelain factories, including the Paul Muller Porcelain Factory in 1917. A loose translation of the cartouches: "Entwurf" is "design," Professor Fritz Klee was director of the porcelain technical school, and "Abteilung fur Kunst" means "department of art." Klee designed the lion trademark used by Hutschenreuther in 1919.

The jar you have is called a maskaron jar. The maskaron is a grimacing face at the bottom of the jar. A similar jar with slightly more ornate gilt trim was made by Paul Muller. L. Hutschenreuther combined with C.M. Hutschenreuther in 1969 and the factories became Hutschenreuther AG. In 2000 the company was bought by Rosenthal, which is now part of Waterford Wedgwood. Waterford Wedgwood filed for bankruptcy protection in January 2009, and most of its assets were recently purchased by KPM Capital Partners of New York.

ASBURY PARK PLATE

Asbury Park Plate

Q: Can you tell me the value of my old blue-gray souvenir plate picturing views of Asbury Park, New Jersey? The views show six different town landmarks. There are stars circling the plate's rim and at the top is the title, "Views of Asbury Park, N.J."

A: Many different potteries in England and the United States made American souvenir plates. The plates were immensely popular from the 1890s until World War I and show scenes from famous places like Niagara Falls and from small towns, too. Others picture historical events. The plates are often marked with the maker's name, the importer's name, or both. Rowland & Marsellus, a New York City importing company in business from about 1893 to 1937, sold at least three different Asbury Park plates. If yours was originally sold by Rowland and Marsellus, it should have a diamond-shaped mark on the back with "R&M Co." inside. Rowland & Marsellus imported plates, vases, cups, saucers, and other items from different potteries in the Staffordshire district of England, but the items were marked only with the Rowland & Marsellus mark. No matter which company made or imported your plate, it would sell for about $75 to $100.