What comes to mind when you think of Victorian antiques? Silver-plated tableware, delicate porcelain dinner services, early photographs and daguerreotypes, and souvenirs commemorating Queen Victoria herself? How about taxidermy? Decorating with preserved animals became fashionable in England by the 1850s and caught on in America in the following decades.

This taxidermy bird diorama was made about 1870. It sold for $3,410, more than twice its high estimate. If you are interested in buying or selling antique taxidermy, check your Department of Wildlife or Fish and Game for regulations. Some species are illegal to buy or sell.

Birds were especially popular in taxidermy. Bird feathers, and sometimes entire birds, appeared on stylish hats from about 1860 to 1920. Taxidermy was seen as an art and a science. Displaying preserved animals in the home was considered a way to show both interest in nature and mastery over it. However, not everyone approved of the trend. Opposition to hunting and killing birds in mass quantities led to the creation of the Massachusetts Audubon Society 1896. The name came from an earlier society founded by a student of wildlife illustrator John James Audubon’s widow. Similar groups appeared in other states and the National Audubon Society was formed in 1905. It is still operating today.

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Q: Years ago, I was given a 3-cent postage machine with a hand crank that was used in drug stores during the war years. It gives three stamps for a dime and was distributed by H.M. Branson Distributing Company, 2nd Street, Louisville, Kentucky. I’d like to know what it’s worth.

A: The first class postage rate was 3 cents from July 6, 1932, until Aug. 1, 1958. It was also the rate during World War I, from Nov. 2, 1917, to July 1, 1919. We found advertisements listing the H.M. Branson Distributing Company as a distributor of Rock-Ola phonographs and Bally pinball machines in the late 1940s to the late 1960s. Any coin-operated machine sells. Vintage postage machines sell for about $100. If rare, they sell for more.

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Q: I have six never-used Smith & Wesson belt buckles. They’re made from various metals, including brass and silver. I’d like to sell them. Are they worth anything?

A: Horace Smith and Daniel Wesson formed a partnership in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1852. Facing financial difficulties, they sold the company and opened Smith & Wesson in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1856. The company became one of the leading manufacturers of handguns in the world. Over 100 different Smith & Wesson buckles have been made in various metals since the 1970s. Prices vary widely depending on material, rarity and authenticity. Originally the buckles came in a cardboard box with papers showing authenticity. Later the boxes were made with clear plastic lids. A common buckle in its original box, with papers, sells for about $35. Gold- or silver-plated buckles and special commemorative buckles sell for more, some for over $100. Many buckles listed online are fakes made in China and sell for $10 or less. You can find more information on the Smith & Wesson Collectors Club website, theswca.org.

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Q: I’d like some information about the company that made an old desk we have. It’s 27 inches high and has a flat top, one drawer, and a shelf below. It has a paper label that says “William Leavens & Co., Manufacturers, Boston, Mass.”

A: Members of the Leavens family were in the furniture business in Boston beginning in 1874, when George M. Leavens and Thomas Trefry went into business as Leavens & Trefry. The company became G.M. Leavens & Son in 1885. In 1898 it became William Leavens & Company. The company made Mission style furniture, which they called “cottage furniture,” reproduction Colonial furniture and other styles. The customer chose the finish. The company was sold to another Boston furniture company in 1948.