Dear Lee,

Everyone laughs when we mention our 20 years of collecting banana stickers, so we were pleased to hear of an English collector with over 30,000 fruit stickers. His labels date back to 1965 and come from all over the world. But we are all going to find our sticker-collecting days may be at an end. The United States government has just approved a safe method of using a laser to tattoo labels on fruit. The label will include the produce name, identifying number, country of origin and more. It will make it easier to trace food if there is a health problem. And we will have no more sticky, damaged plum skins.

Are you worried about buying pieces that are not marked? Experts get bargains because they trust their knowledge, look for quality (not a signature), and are willing to take a risk. Last month an oil painting of a dancing Balinese girl attracted bidders in spite of an indistinct over-painted signature. The winning bidder was confident enough to spend $105,000. Research and some restoration will help determine the artist and then the buyer will know if the gamble was a success.

Wabi-sabi-it sounds like a child’s jump-rope song, but is actually the newest term to pop into the world of collecting and decorating. It is the word for an ancient Japanese philosophy that admires the old, the flawed, the comfortable. At last-the room with a table with peeling paint that is holding a chipped vase has been given a name that will impress your friends. It has wabi-sabi and it should make you so pleased with your well-worn treasures you might even try jumping rope again.