Q: I have been given six postcards by a relative. The cards seem to be hand-embroidered in beautiful colours showing butterflies and flowers and with various greetings on them. How old are they and what are they worth? Mrs S

A. These cards are fairly common because they were made literally by the million during the First World War and were popular with troops sending them home from the trenches. Although they look hand embroidered they are in fact machine made, and examples crop up at most antiques and collectors fairs very often. Typical prices range from about £5 to £10 each for the more common examples, usually the greetings card type, but some examples do feature particular regiments and the coats of arms they had, and these are much more collectable by military enthusiasts and can fetch as much as £40 to £50 each.

Q: An uncle has a pocket watch which has Mickey Mouse on the face, with the fingers acting as Mickey's hands. It is made by Ingersoll. Does it have any value? Mr B

A. In very good condition his watch is worth about £120. It was made by Ingersoll in the 1950s at a time when Mickey was at the height of popularity, and though when it was new the watch cost very little, not all that many examples have survived as it was aimed at the children's market, most of those sold were quickly damaged or eventually discarded.

Q: Can you tell me the value of a brass and steel miner's lamp? It has a brass plaque on the upper part saying Thomas and Williams' and is about 10in tall. Mr T

A. There are many different miners' lamps, all of the same basic design, but with different plaques relating to different mines. Typically, an example is worth about £80 to £100, though there are rarer examples from perhaps obscure collieries that will fetch more among serious collectors. There are also quite a lot of replica miners' lamps around, some of them made as recently as the 1970s to 1990s period, so if you are tempted to buy one at an antiques fair, it is well to check its authenticity.

Q: I have heard that Dinky toys can be valuable. I have a Dinky Jaguar XK120 still in its original box. What is it worth? Mr C

A. Some of the rarer Dinky toy cars can be quite valuable, sometimes running to a few hundred pounds each if in pristine condition, but the vast majority of course have had some signs of wear, and even the slightest scuff or scratch can seriously devalue them, with most well-used examples being worth only £5 to £10. Also, collectors really do prefer them to be in their original boxes, as the packaging is part of the toy's history and is almost collectable in its own right. This particular Jaguar dates from the early 1950s, and being boxed and still in excellent condition, is worth about £85.