Q: This is a picture of a Kewpie doll bank. I am in my 80s and have had it in my china hutch for many years. She stands 12 and a half inches tall, is unmarked and is in perfect condition.

Do I have something of any value or is my Kewpie just another pretty memento?

A: Kewpies were the creation of artist and illustrator Rose O'Neill and were first seen as illustrations in the Ladies' Home Journal in 1912. Everyone fell in love with the perky pixies, and O'Neill quickly saw a great opportunity. It wasn't long before a plethora of Kewpie-related items that included banks, dolls, figures, dishes and paper dolls were manufactured. You have a chalk ware bank that might have been given away as a prize at a fair or carnival. Chalk ware was made of inexpensive plaster from Paris, usually hollow, and was decorated in bright colors. Along with Kewpie figures, they made dolls and banks in the image of Popeye, Snow White and Betty Boop. Most pieces were not marked by the manufacturer. Chalk ware pieces were easily broken and did not last. It is unusual to find one in very good condition. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, chalk ware prizes gave way to stuffed animals.

Your Kewpie bank was made around the 1930s and would probably be worth $50 to $75.

Q: I inherited a huge set of dinnerware. It is a service for 12, plus extra cups, saucers, fruit dishes and plates. It also contains two sets of salt and pepper shakers, carafe and warmer, bone dishes, two relish trays, gravy boat with a tray, large and small platters, and vegetable dishes. I have enclosed the mark that is on the set. The dishes are decorated with dark gray wheat stalks with yellow dots and silver bands against a white background.

Can you give me an approximate date this set was made, when it was made and where?

A: Taylor, Smith and Taylor Company was founded in Chester, West Virginia, in 1900. John Gilkes was their art director in the 1950s and 1960s. He designed the pattern of your dishes, "Silver Wheat," in the early 1950s. Gilkes introduced his new designs that can be recognized by the modern, uncluttered and elegant lines. "Taylorton" was a line of affordable china that was introduced around 1959. Taylor, Smith and Taylor was bought out by Anchor Hocking in 1972 and closed in 1982.

Your dinnerware was made around 1960. The set would probably be worth $400 to $500.

"Kewpie dolls were the inspiration of Rose O'Neill."

"Taylor, Smith and Taylor were located in Chester, West Virginia."

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