It’s fitting that a mechanical bank called “Calamity,” featuring football players colliding, is rarely found without damage. Surviving examples are rare and expensive.

Football fans might consider it a calamity if their favorite team loses. The calamity bank made by J. & E. Stevens in the early 1900s depicts a different kind of football disaster: Insert a coin and the three players’ heads collide.

Frequent collisions over time often damaged the figures, making it rare for today’s collectors to find an example in good condition. The few that still exist are quite valuable. This one, featuring a college football game with a fullback from Yale and two tacklers from Harvard, sold at RSL Auction Company for $8,027. If anything, the bank’s propensity to damage makes it more realistic.

College football in the early 1900s was dangerous. Players did not wear helmets, had little protective gear and often deliberately injured their opponents. Reportedly, more than a dozen players died in 1905 from injuries during games. Football safety became a national issue; President Theodore Roosevelt met with Ivy League football coaches to discuss it. This led to the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association, a precursor to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Improved regulations and better protective gear made the game safer. Further improvements are still being made.

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Q: Do you have any recommendations on how to determine the value of an autograph I have of John F. Kennedy from 1962?

A: You can consult a local antiques dealer or antiquarian book dealer for assistance. Some coin and stamp dealers also handle autographs. If there aren’t any appropriate dealers in your area, you may want to contact a national auction house that specializes in autographs, like Nate D. Sanders (natedsanders.com); or political and historical memorabilia, like RR Auction (rrauction.com), or Hake’s Auctions (hakes.com); or even rare books, like Swann Auction Galleries (swanngalleries.com) or University Archives (universityarchives.com). A word of caution: John F. Kennedy was known to use an autopen or signing machine for some autographs. Autographs made with an autopen have lower values than ones made by hand. If you do not know if your autograph was done by hand or made with an autopen, there are professional autograph authenticators who can help you find out.

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TIP: To set the time on a clock, push the minute hand clockwise, never counterclockwise. If the clock chimes, be sure to wait until it stops striking before you advance the hands again.

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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.

Advertising, matchbook, Fulper Pottery Co., Makers of Stangl Pottery, blue print, striker, map on reverse, c. 1920, 2 inches, $60.

World’s Fair, jewelry, bracelet, 1933, Chicago, cuff, illustrated panels, A Century Of Progress, copper, 193, 2 1/2 x 2 inches, $65.

Roseville, bushberry, vase, green to brown, twig handles, tapered base, round foot, 9 1/2 inches, $95.

Toy, barn, Red Robin Farm, printed brick walls, hinged double doors, removable roof, shingles, copula, Converse, c. 1950, 17 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 10 inches, $200.

Basket, pack, black ash, bentwood rim, fabric straps, adjustable, marked, Albert J. Nicola, Penobscot, Enfield, Maine, $215.

Box, ballot, hinged two-part lid, allover carved texture, painted, black top, green sides, yellow ends, handle on back, early 1900s, 6 x 10 1/2 x 12 inches, $325.

Advertising, cabinet, spool, J. & P. Coats, four drawers, molded edge, maple, brass pulls, painted panel, on stand, late 1800s, 34 1/2 x 22 x 24 inches, $530.