January 2006 Hotlines

Wooden toys by Brio, the Swedish company, are attracting collectors. The smooth, colorful wooden shapes made since the 1930s are sculptural enough to be kept as ornaments on a shelf. Brio was founded in 1907 and is still making popular toys. Early toys were handmade, but by 1945 they were mass-produced. (Toy Shop, November 25)

Hotel silver is a sought-after collectible today both to use and to display. Most pieces are marked with the hotel’s name. The silver-plated ware has uncomplicated traditional designs in convenient sizes. Older pieces should have a dull surface caused by use and cleaning. Reproductions are usually shiny and free of scratches. (Country Living, November)

We bought a cup at the airport gift shop to add to our collection of china picturing presidents. The cup pictured every president from George Washington to George W. Bush. The first time it went in the dishwasher, the pictures began to peel off. The design was a plastic sheet of pictures glued on a white cup, not a glazed, baked decoration. Beware of new dishes from Asia.

Toy Shop magazine says there are bargains to be had in some 1960s Redline Hot Wheels toy cars. Redlines are named for the red line on the tires used from 1967 to 1977. The magazine suggests looking for the 1931 Woody, the custom Cadillac Eldorado, the Mercedes-Benz 280SL, the Continental Mark III, and the ’57 T-Bird. All are available for under $100 in the common colors. (Rare colors go for as much as $850.)

Old sports trophies and loving cups are a new collectible, according to Country Home magazine. They can be used as vases or paperweights or treated like small sculptures. Most are silver-plated; some can be found for as little as $15. But the magazine pictures a 1932 football-shaped championship trophy they say is worth $950. If you want to start your own collection, start at rummage sales and thrift shops.