Q: My late husband played with this toy 80 years ago. The brass engine was heated by the three-wick alcohol burner, which can be placed underneath the engine. The attachments ran by a pulley or belt that ran off the engine. The pulley is all that's missing from the set. The engine has the name "Weeden" on the side. The attachments are marked "Pat Off," but there's no date or number. Is this set rare or valuable?

A: Weeden Manufacturing Co. was founded by William Nye Weeden (1841-1891) in 1883. Weeden made more than 100 different steam engines from the 1880s to the 1940s. The first one, Weeden's Upright Steam Engine No. 1, was advertised as a premium to subscribers of the "The Youth's Companion," a children's magazine, in 1884. Weeden held several patents for steam engines and also made other toys and mechanical banks. Your steam engine is No. 14, Weeden's most popular steam engine. It was made from the 1890s until the 1940s. Early versions of No. 14 have the Weeden logo embossed on the end cap. Your steam engine, with the name on the side, was made in the 1920s. It came in a set with accessories, including a saw, emery wheel, and stamp wheel. The company was sold to National Playthings in 1942 and its last steam engines were made in 1952. The molds, parts, and patents were sold to Security Signals but were eventually destroyed. The value of your steam engine and accessories is over $300, depending on their condition.