Popeye is the collectible sailor man

Popeye, the comic-strip strong man, claimed that his strength came from eating spinach, which he ate straight from the can. Children were told that the iron in the spinach would make them strong. Today, we know that spinach is a good source of not only iron, but also antioxidants.

In 1929, when Popeye was introduced in a comic strip called "Thimble Theatre," no one even thought about antioxidants. They became a favored diet subject about 20 years ago.

Popeye, his girlfriend Olive Oyl, his hamburger-eating friend Wimpy, the villain Bluto and Eugene the Jeep, an animal friend who ate only orchids and could tell the future, are all still remembered. There have been cartoons, a TV series and a movie all starring Popeye. The daily comic strip ended in 1992, but a Sunday strip is still running.

Popeye collectibles bring high prices today and many were made in the past 78 years. Jointed wooden figures with composition heads can be worth $500 to $1,000. Lithographed tin toys that move can sell for $1,000 up to the record-high $28,000 for a rowboat. Recently, a cast-iron Popeye doorstop sold for $6,000.

Q: Were fairings made only in England? What would you call a similar box or trinket that was made in the United States?

A: Fairings are small porcelain figurines or containers, usually less than 5 inches high, that were won at county fairs or sold as souvenirs. They were most popular from 1850 to 1900. Many were made in Germany; others originated in France, England and other parts of Europe. A few late examples were made in the United States.

The most common are small boxes shaped like a dresser or a bed or a bench that opened. Almost all fairings included people, usually children, as part of the design. Many were ceramic jokes with the tag line written into the side.

There is a famous series called "The 12 months of marriage," with a bed and a married couple going from romance to the birth of a baby. We recently bought one fairing that showed the famous conjoined twins Chang and Eng, and another picturing a woman behind a counter selling oysters. Hundreds of different designs were made.

Some fairings were more than boxes or figurines. Match holders can be recognized because there is always a rough striking surface somewhere on the fairing. Toothpick holders have rectangular sections for toothpicks. Watch holders have a round opening for a pocket watch. But most were used to hold trinkets, usually jewelry.

Q: I recently acquired a wire chair made in Chicago. I was told it was more than 100 years old and that it might have been made by the Royal Metal Manufacturing Co. It looks like the kind of chair you used to see in ice cream parlors. The round seat is wooden, but the legs and back are made of twisted wire. Is it worth much?

A: Twisted-wire furniture, made of twisted strands of iron, became popular in the 1890s. The Royal Metal Manufacturing Co., founded in 1888, was one of at least three Chicago furniture companies that made twisted-wire chairs, stools and tables and sold them to offices, restaurants, stores and hospitals. The other two Chicago companies known for this type of furniture were A.H. Andrews & Co. and Max Tonk.

A set of four circa 1900 twisted-wire chairs and matching table auctioned a few years ago for $190. A single chair would sell today for about $25.

Q: I have a cruet made by Gibson Glass. Can you tell me anything about the company?

A: Charles Gibson, an ordained minister, founded the Gibson Glass Co. in Milton, W.Va., in 1976. The company was in business for one year and then Gibson returned to the pulpit. He reopened the business in 1983 and continued making glass until 2006, when he died.

Gibson Glass Co. made more than 100 different items, but is best known for cruets.

Q: I have a ceramic bulldog that looks as if it escaped from a cubist painting. The squared-off dog has a hole in the back showing that it's a vase or planter. On the front it reads "Mack." I am told it was made by those who make Mack trucks. Do you know the history?

A: Years ago, we were invited to an antiques show in Allentown, Pa., where Mack Trucks Inc. is headquartered. We stayed in the "Mack Truck suite" at a local hotel. It was filled with Mack Truck advertising pieces, many that were given to truck dealers and other customers at Christmas. It also had a Mack shoe-shining machine and Mack ashtrays, lamps, towels, pillows and all sorts of dishes. Each pictured the Mack Truck bulldog and most had the word "Mack" as part of the design.

These Mack collectibles were made from the 1940s to the 1970s and perhaps even later. Advertising and automotive collectors search for them today.

Tip: To clean a gilt picture frame, first boil three onions in 2 cups of water, then dampen a soft cloth with the cooled water and rub the frame.

Ralph and Terry Kovel's column is syndicated by King Features. Write to: Kovels, (Las Vegas Review-Journal), King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.