Q: My cousin gave me this egg beater when his 84-year-old mother died. It’s stainless steel with red wood handles and is 11 1/2 inches high. It’s marked “Ekco, USA,” the letters “A” and “J” in a diamond, and “High Speed Super Center Drive Beater.” It also has Pat. No. 2049727. Is it worth keeping?

A: Ekco started out as the Edward Katzinger Co., which was founded in Chicago in 1888. The company made baking pans for commercial bakeries. In 1929 it bought the A & J Manufacturing Co. of Binghamton, New York, a manufacturer of kitchen tools. Ekco acquired several other companies and by the 1990s, it was the largest maker of kitchen tools and metal bakeware in the U.S. The patent number was filed in 1934 for a gear hub assigned to the Katzinger Corporation. Ekco became part of World Kitchens in 1999. Ecko kitchen products are still being made, but hand-operated egg beaters are no longer made. Egg beaters like yours sell online for About $10.