Q: This is a photo of my upright piano that was made by Paul G. Mehlin and Sons. According to family history, it is called an inverted grand and has been in the family since the 1920s. It has three pedals and a matching bench. It sounds very good, but probably needs tuning and some restoration.

Anything you can tell me will be appreciated.

A: Paul G. Mehlin emigrated from Germany in 1853. In 1889, he and his sons established their piano company in New York. They introduced their inverted grand models in the 1920s. Mehlin devised a procedure of placing the fundamentals of a grand piano inverted in an upright cabinet. One of the original Mehlin and Sons catalogs says his inverted grand embodies a similar plate, scales and sounding board as horizontal grands. The sound was extraordinary, powerful and had an openness that was sought after by pianists. His were the first and only inverted grands made. Based on your photo, your piano may be Mehlin's model 3, Sheraton made with mahogany and Circassian walnut.

Unless your piano had been tuned and in mint condition, it may need work or even restoration. Contact a professional tuner for an evaluation. Restoration can be extremely costly.

You circa 1920s inverted grand with bench could be worth anywhere from $200 to $400. If it is in perfect condition, its value could be in the thousands.

Q: I have a Noritake set of porcelain dinnerware. It is a service for eight and includes a gravy boat, sugar bowl, cream pitcher and two serving bowls. I have enclosed a drawing of the mark seen on each dish. The dishes are white and decorated with platinum bands and sprigs of pink, blue, green and white flowers on the borders. Also, included with the mark are the words "Savannah — 2031 — Japan." The set was purchased in the 1950s and is in mint condition.

Can you give me a market value of my dinnerware?

A: Noritake china was made in Noritake, a small area near Nagoya, Japan. New York importers, the Morimura brothers, Ichizaemon and Toyo, established their company in 1904. Their vision was to create fine china that would appeal to the Western market. They have used several different marks over the years. Noritake china continues today to be produced and available in china departments in upscale stores.

"Savanna" is the name of the pattern. China sets of dinnerware are not in as much demand as a generation ago. Prices seen in antiques shops and the internet are in the range of $200 to $600 for a service for eight.

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.