Q I have an extensive collection of black-and-white, color and promotional "Star Trek" cards collected since the early 1970s. Some are rare. I realize that "Trek" isn't as popular as it once was.
— Irwin, Sunrise, Fla.
A Timing is everything, Irwin. And your timing is impeccable, because Oct. 5-7 Christie's will hold a blowout sale titled "40 Years of 'Star Trek': The Collection." More than 1,000 lots of "Star Trek" material from the archives of CBS Paramount Television Studios will sell. Already the PR machinery is grinding overtime. For info, visit www.christies.com/ special_sites/startrek/ overview.asp online.
Between the sale and the 40th anniversary of "Star Trek," your cards will benefit from enhanced interest. Any smart collector will tell you that selling while news of the upcoming auction is hot is the way to go. Call it your lucky link.
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You asked for referral on prices. "Star Trek Collectibles" by Ursula Augustin (Schiffer, $19.95) is one. Completed sales on eBay are another. Pop-culture auctioneer and "Antiques Roadshow" expert Gary Sohmers, wexrex@aol.com, buys and sells such memorabilia. Mastro Auctions, bmarren@ mastroauctions.com, which holds Americana auctions, is another selling contact, and if interested, they'll tell you what your collection can bring.
Keeping those cards together enhances value, so try to sell or consign the entire collection as one. Otherwise, the most desirable go first and the rest remain. Book value is whatever the market will bring, often $500 or more for complete sets of a series. Skymotion cards, the thickness of a plastic credit card, have multiple holograms and sell for around $100 each.
Q A man in the poster business told me my 34-by-37.5-inch "Star Wars" poster, "The Empire Strikes Back," is worth $400. Is it? Also, a friend has a vintage "Star Wars" collection with 96 original figures. He's had them for 30 years. Any help?
— Adeline, Tucson
A "Star Wars" movie posters have the happy circumstance of fitting in three collecting genres: posters, movie memorabilia and "Star Wars."
Film posters were printed in quantity, and that means that collectors are very selective about what they consider the best.
The bible to all things "Star Wars" is "Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book: 3rd Edition" by Geoffrey T. Carlton (Collector Books, $29.95). I suggest you check there and also completed sales on eBay. Note that most "Empire" posters sell at $10-$20. Rare posters, usually foreign, bring more than $50 but certainly much less than $400.
I could not find reference anywhere to a poster with the dimensions supplied. I suggest a check with Sohmers (see previous question).
The figures are another matter. Mint, in box is most desirable. You say your friend played with his when he was 6. So they are out of the box, the box is gone, and the figures may be worn, bent, faded and have many other problems. Unless they are in better condition than I imagine, online is probably the way to sell.
Q My 81-year-old mother has a large collection of Avon Mrs. Albee Manager's Awards. She has the original boxes, too. I've checked the Avon collectors book, but I can't find someone who values them.
— Susan, Tucson
A If you've checked Bud Hastin's "Avon Collector's Encyclopedia: 17th Ed." (Collector Books, $29.95), you know that dealer awards and rep gifts generally have more value than other Avon products. Made in limited numbers and date linked, these awards and gifts range from convention plates — 2,060 made, $35 today, or seven made for board members, $100 today — to the Mrs. Albee awards, named for Avon's first sales lady.
So you know book value, but you cannot find a buyer. Unfortunately, the current market in Avon collectibles is near-dead. You need to reach a pool of motivated buyers, and they operate online. I suggest an online auction.
Q I can't find value for my set of four beautiful 100 percent linen hankies, handmade in Czechoslovakia. They came into the family in 1940, and I have no one to leave them to. They are still in their original box.
— Marilyn, Wagoner, Okla.
A While fine vintage handkerchiefs are collected, they bring so little that you might think about giving them to a young person who will admire them as a relic.
Don't sell the younger generations short; many teens and young career women haven't experienced fine handiwork and are touchingly appreciative of old craft and the novelty of fabric hankies. It's a win-win situation — a young person becomes a possible collector through exposure, and the hankies find an appreciative owner.
Linens and accessories dealers buy at half retail or less, depending on salability of the item. Only the finest lace hankies bring serious money, and collectors are extremely selective. Your choice.
» AUCTION ACTION
The black cocktail dress worn so memorably by Marilyn Monroe in MGM's 1961 film "The Misfits" brought $66,000 at Christie's because it is iconic. The dress and matching jacket sold with a black-and-white photo of the actress wearing the dress in wardrobe tests done before filming.
» COLLECTOR QUIZ
Q: One often hears or reads about "paste" gems. What exactly is paste?
A: Paste comes from the Italian word for dough (pasta) and refers to the cheapest form of glass fakes. Glass fake gems are produced in two degrees — the best is flint glass, made with a high lead content, then faceted and finished like gems. Crown glass is the same material used in bottle and window glass.
• Source: "Gemstones: Understanding, Identifying, Buying" by Keith Wallis (Antique Collectors' Club, $25).
