Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles

Sometimes the hardest information to find is about very recent collectibles. Spiffy Kitchen Collectibles by Brian Alexander (Krause, Iola, WI, $24.99, 256 pages) is about the ordinary kitchen utensils of the 1940s to 1960s. Items by well-known manufacturers like Tupperware, Dazey, Rival, Ekco, Foley, Mouli, and KitchenAid are included, but so are unusual graters, butter curlers, and cookie droppers by nameless companies. An unusual, welcome feature is a tiny chef’s head that gives collector tips like “Red plastic items showing minimal wear bring the best prices.” Read about very inexpensive collectibles that belong in a ’50s collection.