Obtaining old irons can be pressing matter

The old iron your great-grandmother used to iron her clothes with would not seem to be of much use or value today, but there are many collectors who want irons and other laundry-related collectibles. Prices are determined by age, condition, maker, rarity and appeal.

It's like a romance for these collectors -- something about the iron seems unusual, entertaining and intriguing. So when a collector found an iron in Alabama about 10 years ago that looked like a locomotive with a handle, she knew it had to be hers. She was able to buy it for about $35. The 10-pound, 81/2-inch-long iron has most of its original black paint and gold trim. It was heated with burning alcohol.

Research showed that the iron, marked with 1888 and 1889 patent dates and the name "E.B. Crosby," was known; at least two other examples exist. The figural steam locomotive iron was auctioned at the annual convention of the Pressing Iron and Trivet Collectors of America. It brought $15,000. The new owner is taking it to Romania to put in a museum.

Q: I have a sugar and creamer marked "Lotus Ware." They also have the letters "KTK" in a circle with a crown on top. Who made them? When?

A: Lotus Ware was made by Knowles, Taylor & Knowles Co. of East Liverpool, Ohio, from 1890 to 1900. The Belleek-like porcelain was sometimes decorated outside the factory.

Lotus Ware sugar and creamer sets sell for $100 or more, depending on the quality of the decoration.

Q: I came into a collection of World War II paperback books that are sexually explicit. Nothing is left to the imagination. I was told they were given to our servicemen overseas. Is there a market for something like this?

A: Sexually explicit literature, leaflets, posters and cartoons were used as propaganda by both sides during World War II. Germany and Japan air-dropped leaflets in an attempt to demoralize Allied troops, but the leaflets actually had the opposite effect. The pictures of scantily clad women often were used as pinups and were traded by the GIs.

Erotica of all sorts sells, but there are laws about displaying sexually explicit items at shows. Ask a local antiquarian bookseller how to sell your books in your state.

Q: I have an April-June 1934 copy of a newspaper called the American Illustrated News. It's filled solely with stories and photos about Hitler, applauding his leadership and reconstructive work in the "new Germany." I haven't been able to dig up any information about this newspaper. Any ideas?

A: We found some articles about the American Illustrated News in the archives of the New York Times. The issue you have may be the only one that ever made it to print. The 64-page broadsheet was dedicated to promoting Hitler and the achievements of the Nazi party to English-speaking readers in London and New York City.

But Carl Bergmann of Berlin, the editor of the newspaper, is quoted as saying he regards the newspaper "as a tourist promotion and not as a political venture." He said that 50,000 copies were printed and that American readers would be charged 80 cents for a copy, which was expensive at the time.

Tip: Maroon and yellowish chrome-green were never used to decorate porcelains during the 18th century. Another dating clue: Almost all 18th-century porcelain figures have brown eyes.

Terry Kovel's column is syndicated by King Features. Write to: Kovels, (Las Vegas Review-Journal), King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.