MICHAEL JACKSON'S RHINESTONE GLOVE SELLS TO CASINO

Michael Jackson's famous white glove auctioned for $420,000 (price, premium, and tax) on November 21. The left-hand leather and rhinestone-studded glove is from his 1983 moonwalk dance at Motown's 25th anniversary TV special. It was bought by the owners of Ponte 16, a gambling casino in Macau. They plan to open a shrine to Jackson in the casino's lobby. Nine other Jackson items from the auction, including the Zombie shirt Jackson wore in the "Thriller" video, will be enshrined at the casino. The auction, by Julien's Auctions of Los Angeles, brought in more than $2 million.

BEER BOTTLE SETS AUCTION RECORD

A bottle of Lowenbrau beer that survived the fire and wreck of the Hindenburg zeppelin in May 1937 auctioned in England on November 14 for $16,000. It may be the most expensive beer bottle ever auctioned. The previous beer bottle record we're aware of is for a limited edition Carlsberg lager bottle. The Lowenbrau bottle, still full, has a scorched label with the brand's logo. The bottle was found by the local fire chief after the crash in Lakehurst, New Jersey. He buried six bottles and a pitcher at the site and came back later to recover his "treasure." He gave all but one of the bottles to friends. One bottle was donated to the Lowenbrau brewery collection in 1977. The others are missing.

EBAY SEARCH GLITCH

EBay users faced a big problem all day long last Saturday. The auction site's "search" function wasn't working, so shoppers looking for particular items either faced a blank page or a message that said they should "try again" later. EBay had fixed the problem by Sunday and is planning to compensate sellers.

MONKEY BARTENDER

Q: I have a windup toy monkey bartender that was in my uncle's bar when I was a kid. It stands 7 1/2 inches high. Any idea of its value?

A: The monkey bartender was made by Nomura, one of the largest toy manufacturers in Japan after World War II. The company made tin toys in the 1950s and '60s and die-cast toys in the 1970s. It is known for its robots and space toys, which include Robby the Robot, made in 1957. The company, originally called Toys Nomura, was later known as Nomura Toy. A diamond-shape logo with the initials T.N inside can be found on many of the original boxes for Nomura's tin toys. Your monkey bartender is not in very good shape. The monkey originally had plush fur, which seems to have completely worn off of yours. A monkey bartender in good condition with the original box is worth about $60.

BUTCHER PLANE

Q: I have a wooden block plane I think is from the 1840s-1890s. It is marked "W. Butcher." I would like to know something about the maker and the age of this plane.

A: The William Butcher Co. and its successors were in business in Sheffield, England, from about 1821 until the 1900s. The company operated under the name William Butcher Co. from 1821 until about 1828, so your plane was probably made during that period. The number in the mark may be the model number. William Butcher (1791-1870) and his brother, Samuel, were cutlers who made a variety of steel-edge tools, including chisels, files, hammers, hoes, planes, and saws. Samuel was the New York agent for the firm. William and Samuel also made Bowie knives in the 1850s and '60s. Butcher opened a steel works in Pennsylvania in 1867 and made steel castings there. Samuel died in 1869 and William died in 1870. Your plane would probably sell for less than $15.

REMOVING CRANBERRY SAUCE STAINS AFTER THANKSGIVING DINNER

Keep an eye out for stains on your vintage linens at Thanksgiving dinner. Here are three suggestions for removing cranberry sauce stains. Immediately scoop up the spilled sauce and wash the linens as soon as possible with detergent and very hot water. (If you're using a modern tablecloth, read the directions about hot water.) Another solution is to scoop, rinse with cold water, pre-treat the stain with a commercial stain removal product, then wash. Here's one more suggestion--a very old one: Scoop, rinse with cold water, then soak the stain in a mixture of a tablespoon of white vinegar, a half-teaspoon of liquid laundry detergent, and a quart of cold water. Rinse. If the fabric is still pink, wipe the stain with rubbing alcohol and rinse again. If all else fails, wash your tablecloth using bleach (if bleach is safe for your tablecloth).

MOON ROCK IN RIJKSMUSEUMN IS PETRIFIED WOOD

Watch out for fakes. Even museums are fooled. The famous Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has a "moon rock" that isn't from the moon. The U.S. ambassador had given the rock to the Dutch prime minister when the Apollo 11 astronauts visited the Netherlands in 1969. The former ambassador says he got it from the U.S. State Department and thought it was authentic. When the museum was given the rock in 1988, officials there called NASA and were told that the rock could be real. Now we know it's just a piece of petrified wood. It will stay on display as a "curiosity."

ROOKWOOD POTTERY FACTORY

The Rookwood Pottery factory in Cincinnati, fully restored, will host the art pottery auctions that have previously been held at Cincinnati Art Galleries. The art gallery will focus on paintings from now on, so the pottery offered to run the twice-yearly art pottery auctions.

GOT AN OLD WASHING MACHINE?

Maytag just traded a brand new washer and dryer for a 52-year-old pink washer and dryer owned by Jane Thompson of Sand Springs, Oklahoma. The latch broke on Jane's dryer, so it needed its first repair. The old machines will go in the Maytag museum. Jane says she wants her pink machines back if the new ones don't work as well as the old ones.

STAFFORDSHIRE WESLEY FIGURE

Q: I have a Staffordshire statue of Charles Wesley standing in a pulpit. It belonged to my grandmother. Is it valuable?

A: The figure in your Staffordshire piece is probably John Wesley (1703-1791), not his brother, Charles (1707-1788). Both men were ordained in the Church of England. John is considered by many to be the founder of the Methodist church, although the church was not actually formed until after his death. Charles is best-known for the thousands of hymns he wrote. Several potters made different figurines of John Wesley in the late 1800s. There are even different versions of your figurine. The pulpit may be a different shape, the cherubim in a different place, and the hands on the clock in a different position. Value of your figurine: $300-$400.

LISBON SILVER MARK

Q: I bought a silver tray at a house. This is one of the marks on it. Can you tell me anything about it?

A: This eagle mark is a standard mark used by the city of Lisbon, Portugal, from 1938 until 1985. The number "916" indicates the fineness of the silver, the standard for sterling silver in Portugal at that time. Silver is alloyed with another metal, usually copper, to give it strength; the number indicates the percentage of silver (916 parts per 1,000). The standard is different in different countries. This mark was used on large pieces of silver. Smaller pieces were marked with the head of a rooster and the fineness number.

GLASS CARE TIPS

Never put hot glass in cold water or cold glass in hot water. The temperature change can crack the glass. A friend once molded Jell-O in a cut glass bowl, kept in the refrigerator, served it, then put the bowl into hot water in the sink. Her stomach sunk when she heard the bowl crack.

HAUNTED FURNITURE STORIES NEEDED

A national magazine has asked us to find some examples of haunted furniture--perhaps a clock that chimes at unexpected times or a sofa that creaks? Tell us your story, what's happening, and why you think your piece of furniture is haunted. Also include a description and history of the piece. Send all the information, along with your name, state, email address and phone number to Terry at feedback@kovels.com. We will send everything on to the national women's lifestyle magazine. Your story may be included in an article.

BRINGING BACK BROOCHES

Brooches (pins) are back in style. Madeleine Albright may have started it when she became U.S. Secretary of State in 1997 and became known for wearing large brooches. Some of her pins are patriotic (like her c.1940 Trifari American eagle and Uncle Sam top hat shown here) and others had special significance related to her diplomatic missions. Secretary Albright's brooches are so well-known that the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City has mounted an exhibit of 200 of her pins. The exhibit runs until January 31, 2010.

The oversized "boyfriend" jacket with classic tailoring and wide shoulders is perfect for a large, showy brooch. Antique brooches are being copied today.

LOOK CAREFULLY AT ANTIQUES YOU BOUGHT LONG AGO

An Arizona family owned a half-inch jeweled miniature portrait one member of the family purchased in 1951. It appeared valuable because of its jewels and the quality of the painting, so last summer the family had it appraised. It turned out to be an 18th-century portrait of Russian Czar Peter the Great. It sold at Sotheby's for $1.3 million.