In present-day houses, tile is usually a humble building material, limited to bathroom or kitchen surfaces for its durability and ease of cleaning. To collectors, they are an art form; especially if they were made by the art potteries of the early 20th century.

Wheatley Pottery, the maker of this flowered tile that sold for $216 at Soulis Auctions, was one of them. Thomas J. Wheatley started his first pottery, T.J. Wheatley & Co., in 1880, but it closed within a few years. After some time working with Weller Pottery in Zanesville, Ohio, which was at one point the largest art pottery in the world, he tried again. Wheatley Pottery opened in 1903 in Cincinnati. In 1927, the Cambridge Tile Manufacturing Company of Covington, Kentucky, bought Wheatley Pottery. They stayed open until the 1980s.

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Q: I have a L&L WMC lamp with two babies and three candle holders. The number 8360 is on the base. What is it worth?

A: Your lamp is made by Loevsky & Loevsky White Metal Castings, which went into business in New Jersey in the 1930s. They made lamps in many earlier styles, art deco, Arts & Crafts, Victorian, etc. Their lamps often had glass shades in a matching period style; for example, a Tiffany-style, stained-glass shade for an art nouveau base; or a frosted or painted glass globe and dangling prisms for a Victorian-style lamp. The number on the base of your lamp is probably a model number. We have not found that specific model, but similar lamps by the same company have sold for about $200 to $300.

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Q: My husband collected a series of gold-plated baseball cards from Danbury Mint a while back. He is downsizing and trying to sell these cards. To date, we have found no one who is interested. We have contacted Danbury Mint to see if we can find a value for the cards he has and they have not been helpful. Could you please offer some guidance as to whom we should contact? We have tried local sporting goods companies and some auction houses.

A: Danbury Mint made gold-plated baseball cards from 1996 to 2003. They released a new collection each year. The cards are made of cardstock with a very thin layer of gold. Sets of 50 cards bound in an album sell for about $30 to $100 at auctions and resale sites like eBay. The website Sportlots.com values most of the individual cards at about $2 each. Items like these that are marketed as “limited edition” or “collector’s edition” usually have relatively low values on the secondary market. Many people buy and save them with the intent to resell, so the collectibles market gets flooded. There is little value to the gold in the cards because such a small amount is used.

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CURRENT PRICES

Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

Fulper Pottery, dispenser, barrel shape, script lettering, “Ice Water,” blue and white, narrow horizontal stripes, No. 3, stamped mark, 12 1/2 inches, $50.

Toy, Modern Farm Set, tin lithograph barn, plastic accessories, fence, animals, tractor, box, Louis Marx, $100.

Firefighting, helmet, white, painted, metal, leather placard, “Asst Chief,” “MFD,” interior label, Cairns & Brother, size 7 1/2, 14 inches, $150.

Royal Copenhagen, tureen, lid, Triton, Konkylie, conch shell shape, brown swirled ridges, asymmetrical handles, undertray, 16 inches, $385.

Waterford, vase, Cliffs of Moher, flared, pedestal base, ring, round foot, 13 x 7 1/2 inches, $420.

Silver-Continental, bowl, art deco, stylized leaves and seeds, pierced, gilt interior, glass insert, hallmarks, Steyl, 9 x 3 1/2 inches, $550.

Cabinet, corner, Provincial, pine, painted, green, multicolor flower cluster, light blue trim, door, interior shelf, toupie feet, European, c. 1900, 30 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches, $560.

Pottery, vase, Santa Clara, blackware, tapered neck, etched figures, signed, Nancy Youngblood, 1980, 2 inches, $755.

Coin operated, trade stimulator, “Drop A Cent In The Slot,” pin field, cigar rewards, oak case, canted sides, early 1900s, 18 1/4 x 17 1/2 inches, $840.

Radio, Emerson, FC-400, Aristocrat, Catalin case, onyx, wrap-around grille, cream and brown, spring-loaded handle, Norman Bel Geddes, 8 x 11 x 5 1/4 inches, $1,020.