Q: My wife inherited a crystal tray given in the 1960s by the French ambassador's wife. It has five doves surrounded by leaves or ferns, and measures 17 3/4 by 12 1/16 inches. It weighs 10 pounds and is marked "Lalique France." Value? What is the best way to sell? It has a very small chip on one corner.
— Ron, Providence Forge, Va.
A: Expert Nicholas Dawes, author of "Lalique Glass" (Crown, $29.95) and a frequent appraiser of Lalique and Majolica on PBS' "Antiques Roadshow," told us the tray has a name: "Perdrix," or partridges in French. So the birds on the heavy glass tray are partridges, not doves.
Designed by Marc Lalique in the late 1940s, the tray was produced for about 40 years and then discontinued.
At this point, certain Lalique perfume bottles are especially hot. According to www.artfact.com, Rago Arts in New Jersey recently sold an ornate Lalique perfume bottle for $25,200. A mid-20th-century molded-glass clock brought $9,375 at Freeman's. More pedestrian Rene Lalique glass sold for as little as $281 to 300, or did not sell.
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All other Lalique is considered commercial rather than artistic. While collected, it generates nowhere near the interest and market value of early works.
On the plus side, Dawes added that the current market for Lalique is "quite strong," and early postwar pieces such as the tray are becoming more sought after, especially as collectors hold on to the finest and prices escalate.
He has seen several such trays at auction where those in perfect condition bring under $600. Sadly, the chip, however small, reduces auction value to about $200. Another sale option is eBay. Post it with a reserve you can handle. Remember that both methods involve selling costs.
Q: Best way to sell a special Star Wars Trilogy Edition "Empire Strikes Back" cube?
— Mack, Richmond, Va.
A: Made by Applause, the Rubik's-type cube sold at Taco Bell in 1996 is still too new and plentiful to interest serious collectors. The six-unit cube posts on eBay as new old stock for about $3.99.
Q: How do I sell or donate my original copy of the New York Times for April 15, 1861, reporting the fall of Fort Sumter?
— Frank, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A: Log on to www.rarenews papers.com for Pennsylvania dealer Timothy Hughes' great site on early and rare newspapers. You'll find several Sumter-related papers retailing for $42 to $48.
Old newspapers aren't the draw one would think. With so many preserved electronically, actual old newspapers have become a curiosity. Depending on condition, post the paper on eBay or offer the paper to a local high school or museum.
Q: I saw a sawtooth spoon holder in the Sandwich, Mass., glass museum that's exactly like one I have from my grandparents. Value? Any other info?
— Audrey, Tucson
A: Smart collectors know that sawtooth, a pressed-glass pattern, was made over a long time by several companies.
If the holder is old flint glass, it may be Sandwich. A glass person needs to see the piece.
An 1860s Boston and Sandwich Glass Co. heavy flint glass spoon holder retails for around $130. Nonflint is under $100. Non-Sandwich spoon holders sell for less.
3/4 AUCTION ACTION
Collectors snapped to attention when a professionally restored carousel horse by noted carver Charles Looff came to auction in a recent Mosby and Co. Maryland auction. Called a "jumper" because all four feet are raised, the elaborately carved horse brought $8,525. Made circa 1910, the horse is "outside row," where more elaborate animals stood. Mounted on a custom wheeled platform, the steed has a 77 1/2-inch-tall pole, stands 50 inches tall and is 63 inches long, not including the real horsehair tail.