Novelty clocks have entranced buyers for centuries. In the 19th century, short bob pendulums and reliable spring movements made new types of clocks possible. Makers made figural cases of men, women, peddlers, dogs, lions, houses, churches and other things.

Then they put a clock in an appropriate place, such as the church steeple, or a strange spot, like the center of a woman’s stomach.

The “blinking eye” mechanism was patented in 1857 by Pietro Cinquini, and then the patent was assigned to Bradley and Hubbard, who made the cases but had other companies make the works. Other companies in the United States and Europe made moving-eye clocks.

Soon novelty clocks with other moving parts were made. The tongues on dogs moved in and out, tails wagged on dogs or cats, and the cuckoo came out of the clock to tell the hour. These animated clocks have always interested collectors, and fakes are known that were made as early as the 1930s.

The original blinking-eye clock cases were made of cast iron, and early fakes were often made of brass. Today, cast-iron and aluminum fakes are being made, probably in China. The fakes are made of poor-quality cast iron. Beware if the clock is an amazing bargain. A good blinking-eye or early novelty clock sells for thousands of dollars.

I have had two antique pieces of Doulton china for many years. One is a pitcher and the other is either a very large sugar bowl or a cracker jar. Both are marked with a stamped picture of a folded banner around a staff with a fleur-de-lis at each end. The words on the banner read “Doulton’s Taunton Burslem.” How old are they?

You have a creamer and sugar that date from the late 1800s. Henry and James Doulton purchased a major interest in Pinder, Bourne &Co., a pottery in Burslem, Staffordshire, England, in 1878. They changed the pottery’s name to Doulton &Co. in 1882. The word “Taunton” in the mark might be a pattern name. Sugar used to be sold in large blocks that were broken into smaller chunks for storing in sugar bowls. That’s why many 19th-century sugar bowls are larger than the ones we use today.

I own an old washboard with a wooden frame and glass rubbing surface. It’s marked “National Washboard Co., Chicago, Saginaw, Memphis, Patent 1283148, Design 52236, Atlantic No. 510.” Can you tell me when it was made?

You gave us two big clues, the patent number and the design patent number. They were issued in the same year, 1918. That doesn’t mean your washboard was made that year. It means it wasn’t made earlier than that. By the 1960s, the National Washboard Co. was out of business. Atlantic model washboards made by National sell for $10 to $50 today.

I have two 1960s dolls I’d like to learn more about. One is a Giggles doll, still in her original clothing and box. The other is Cheerful Tearful, also in her original box. Both dolls have been played with. Someone has offered to buy the dolls, but I have no idea what they’re worth.

The Ideal Toy Co. made an 18-inch Giggles doll in 1966. If your boxed doll, in original and unfaded clothing, is in excellent condition – that is, if she does not show much wear – she is worth about $100. If she were mint, she would sell for $125 to $150. Mattel made your Cheerful Tearful doll also in 1966. She came in 7-inch and 13-inch versions. The smaller doll was sold with a play case. Either version retails today for about $50.

I inherited a pair of small, round ivory dresser boxes that originally belonged to my grandmother’s aunt. She stored jewelry in them. Each one is 43/4 inches in diameter and has a liftoff cover. One cover has a center handle and the other has a hole in the top. The mark on the bottom of each reads “French Ivory.” I doubt they are French and wonder if they’re worth anything.

They’re not French and they’re not ivory. French Ivory was one of the trade names used for celluloid, a semisynthetic plastic invented in the 1860s. Many of the trade names used by manufacturers included the word Ivory or some variation (Ivorine, Ivoride, etc.) because celluloid looked and felt like real ivory. Your dresser set was originally sold as a powder box and a hair receiver. The box with the handle stored powder. The hair receiver, the box with the hole, was used to save hair a woman removed from her comb or brush. She could use the strands later for hair pieces to create high, fancy hairdos. Some women sold their hair to wigmakers. Most two-piece celluloid dresser sets in excellent condition sell for $50 or more.

Write to Kovels, The Herald, King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.

2006 by Cowles Syndicate Inc.

On the block

Current prices are recorded from antique shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.

1932 Pennsylvania license plate, black on yellow, $45.

Bisque ashtray, black, screaming man’s head, exaggerated features, red lips, 1920s, 4 inches, $110.

Fremlins Beers advertising elephant bank, molded plastic, red blanket, slot at top, 1950s, 5 inches, $115.

Cast-iron fire hydrant, Model 82, Chapman Valve Mfg. Co., Boston, 1890, 33 inches, $170.

Madame Alexander Davy Crockett doll, No. 446, hard plastic, walker, brown sleep eyes, red wig, original clothes, 1955, 8 inches, $155.

“Laugh-In” Sock-It-To-Me brunch bag, with thermos, yellow vinyl, repeated phrase in black, George Schlatter-Ed Friendly Prod., 1968, Aladdin Industries, 7 inches, $225.

Roosevelt Bears 1906 tray, tin, “Two Roosevelt Bears at a Home Out West in a Big Ravine Near a Mountain Crest,” 31/2 x 5 inches, $400.

Stoneware jug, stylized windmills, incised rings, applied strap handle, Charlestown, Suffolk Co., Mass., c. 1800, 13 inches, $490.

Pressed-glass decanter, Bellflower Double Vine pattern, right-facing vines, pewter stopper, pint, 9 inches, $1,800.

Frank Lloyd Wright dining chairs, by Heritage Henredon, high back, brown and gold upholstery, 20 x 24 x 391/2 inches, set of 6, $3,900.