Papier-mache furniture still sells — if top quality

Cardboard chairs were introduced by Frank Gehry in the 1970s, but he was not the first to make paper furniture.

During the 18 th century, furniture was made of papiermache — a mixture of paper, glue and other materials.

The mixture was shaped, hardened and lacquered. The finished product was strong enough to make chairs, tables, shelves and even beds. The piece was covered with lacquer, then painted with colorful designs and gilt highlights.

By the 1860s, the demand for papier-mache furniture had declined.

Collectors today like the elaborate serving trays often priced at $2,000 or higher. They also like small boxes and usable furniture such as flip-top tables, game tables and chairs.

The furniture must be in good condition. Warped or damaged parts, chipped lacquer or decorations that are not hand-painted lower the value.

Q: I am a middle-school teacher and have begun a project on family heirlooms. The students are researching something that has been in the family for generations. I am doing the same thing, but I am already stymied. I have a No. 1080 coffee grinder made by Sun Manufacturing Co. of Columbus, but I haven’t been able to find any information on the company.

A: Sun Manufacturing moved from Greenfield, Ohio, to Columbus in 1904 and made coffee mills until about 1920. The owner, Edward L. McClain, obtained patents for some Sun mills. Your No. 1080 mill, nicknamed “the Challenge,” was made at the Columbus factory in at least two styles between about 1906 and 1916. Sun mills are popular with collectors.

Q: My mother has 23 frosted drinking glasses decorated with drawings of Dick Tracy comic characters. Eleven of the glasses are 3 inches tall and show only the character’s face and name. The other 12 are 5 inches tall, each with a full-body drawing. There are eight characters: Tracy, B.O. Plenty, Shaky, Vitamin Flintheart, Breathless Mahoney, Snowflake, Gravel Gertie and Tess Trueheart. What can you tell me about the glasses?

A: You have a great set of glasses dating from the 1940s. Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy comic — the first realistic police strip — made its debut in 1931.

Your glasses could sell separately for about $50. Together they should sell for a premium.

Current prices

Prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States.

• License plate, Puerto Rico, 1965-66, yellow on black, $20.
• George V sterling-silver sauce ladle, King’s pattern, hallmarked Sheffield, James Dixon & Sons., circa 1912, $95.
• Webb glass punch set, hand-and-star design, signed, bowl 9 inches by 12 inches, six matching cups, $150.
• Shawnee pottery creamer, Puss ’n’ Boots, yellow, green and burgundy, gold rim, 4 3 /4 inches, $300.
• 1939 Rose Bowl pennant, USC, brown background, gold lettering, 19 inches by 39 inches, $315.
• Mattel Barbie doll, bubble cut, brunette, Career Girl outfit, stand, 1961, 11 1 /2 inches, $385.
• Hartland baseball statue of Harmon Killebrew, plastic, original string tag, $550.
• Buddy L Telephone Linemen Maintenance set, No. 5679, metal and plastic, $660.
• Advertising sign, Buster Brown Bread by Golden Sheaf Bakery, embossed tin, image of Buster and Tige, 19 inches by 27 inches, $1,650.
• Steiff “60 PB” monkey, string-jointed, horizontal rod between shoulders, bent arms, voice box, button in ear, imitating smoking, circa 1903, 32 inches, $6,610.

Ralph and Terry Kovel, authorities on collectibles, write for King Features Syndicate. Write to them in care of The Dispatch, King Features Syndicate, 888 7 th Ave., New York, N.Y. 10019. The volume of mail makes personal answers impossible. They cannot guarantee the return of any photograph but will try if a self-addressed stamped envelope is included. Visit the Kovels online at www.kovels.com.