Q: I have two cups and saucers and a cream jug and sugar bowl which have on the base 'Allertons England' and a crown.

I am in my 80s and I had it from my mother, who said she had it from her mother. Could this be true and is it worth anything? Mrs S

A: The mark on the teaware was used by Allertons from 1891 until 1914, so your mother's recollection could be correct. If you are in your 80s, you were born about 1920-25 so your mother would have been born around 1895 and her mother about 1870. So when Allertons made these items, your grandmother would have been aged about 20-30. This teaware, part of a larger set, has a pink lustre finish, popular at the time, and is worth around £40.

Q: I have a small two-handled vase with a floral pattern and on the bottom it says Noritake, Made in Japan. Is it of any value? Mr B

A: Noritake was a Japanese company founded about 1906, which made various wares for export to Europe and America, especially during the 1920s and 1930s when the vase you describe was probably made. The value of Noritake items varies depending on size and pattern and your vase has a value of about £30.

Q: I have a clothes brush which is very unusual because the handle is in the shape of a duck, and the stand for it is in the shape of the duck's body. It it quite old but seems to be made from plastic. Is it of any value?

A: The duck clothes brush was popular in the late 1950s and 1960s, part of a wave of novelty products celebrating an era of post-war optimism, and making use of the fast-growing plastics industry. This item has a value of about £15.

Q: I recently paid £10 at a car boot sale for an old wooden puppet of a witch. It was made by a company called Pelham and is still in its original box. How old is it and was it a good buy? Miss A

A: Certainly was -- it is worth about £35-£40! Pelham made scores of different puppets from the 1950s onwards. The one you describe was from a series made in the 1970s which included a clown and a minstrel. Pelham puppets vary in price from around £25 to as much as £200 depending on model. Some are harder to find than others, and some are more visually appealing than others. Generally people characters are more collected than animals, and thus tend to fetch higher prices among collectors.

Q: I enclose photo of a very tall coffee pot, which is black with white raised decoration. It is made by Portmeirion and looks as if it might be from the 1970s. Is it worth anything? Mrs F

A: This item actually dates from the 1960s and is part of a range called Totem, designed by Susan Williams-Ellis and launched in 1963. The raised symbols of the design were meant to hint at primitive beliefs and magic, and the range was a sensation when it entered the shops in the "Swinging Sixties", appealing to youthful buyers. It was available in several colours, including blue and brown, and while examples are not hard to find these days, as much was produced, it is increasingly collected. Currently, the coffee pot is worth about £30.