Q: Enclosed is a photo of a porcelain juice set that belonged to my grandmother close to 40 years ago. The set includes a pitcher and six matching glasses. Each piece is marked with an artist's palette and a brush. Below that is the letter "L" in a circle. The pitcher and glasses are trimmed in gold and the decorations are pastel flowers in relief and are the same on the front and back. I remember this set throughout my childhood and, therefore, I am pretty certain it is more than 60 years old, and it is in perfect condition.

I hope you can provide me information about the maker, origin and value of my set.

A: Lenox, Inc. made your cider/lemonade set, and they used the mark you described from 1906 to around 1930 on their Belleek wares. American Belleek was made by several companies and designed to compete with the popular Irish Belleek. They have been located in Trenton, N.J., since 1889. The company was founded as the Ceramic Art Company by Jonathan Coxon Senior and Walter Scott. By 1906, the name was changed to Lenox, Inc. Dinnerware sets have been ordered by several United States presidents, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

Your circa 1930 lemonade set would probably be worth $400 to $600.

Q: This is a photocopy of the mark seen on the back of a small oval dish that I inherited from my grandmother. The dish is decorated with a man and woman in 17th-century costumes. They are standing in a garden setting. There is a filigree band on the border and gold around the scalloped edge. I have searched on line and unfortunately, I can't find any information about my dish or the possible value.

Any assistance you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

A: Sabin Industries, Inc. made your oval platter. The company was established in McKeesport, Pa., in 1946. They purchased blank pieces of china from other companies and used their own artists to decorate them, usually with transfer print designs. They often decorated their wares with French inspired scenes of couples wearing formal attire in garden settings. The mark on your platter shows the decoration is 22-karat gold. Sabin produced "Crest-0-Gold" series, and a variety of other tableware, ovenware, kitchenware and decorative pieces. In 1967 Chase Enterprises purchased Sabin along with Mt. Clemens Pottery and McCoy Pottery.

Your platter was made around 1950 and would probably be worth $20 to $30.

Cider set is an example of American Belleek.

Sabin Industries purchased blanks from other companies.

Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P. O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters. To find out more about Anne McCollam and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.