Cracker Jack ad products popular items for collectors

Companies that have been in business for a long time often have updated or changed the logo or slogan used in advertising.

Collectors can usually identify the age of an ad from the words and pictures that were used.

Cracker Jack was first sold in 1896 from a cart in Chicago. The mixture of popcorn, molasses and peanuts, sometimes called the first junk food in America, was very popular. It sold well at the Chicago World's Fair and got even more notice when the familiar song sung at ballgames said, "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack."

The company developed a box that held a single serving, added coupons for prizes in 1910, then small toys in 1912, and in 2013, a code that leads to an online puzzle or game.

The box has pictured the sailor boy (the founder's son) and his dog Bingo since 1918, often changing their looks. This 9-inch-by-14-inch die-cut cardboard store sign pictures an early version of the sailor boy. It sold at a Kimball Sterling auction for $615.

The early toys are popular with collectors, and there is even a Cracker Jack Collectors Association. The most expensive prize? The baseball card series from 1914-1915, worth more than $100,000.

Q: I have a Josef Originals "Doll of the Month" figurine for the month of July. She's holding a gray kitten in her left hand. A gold and black sticker on the front of her dress says "July." A second sticker says "Josef Originals." Some of the sticker is gone. The hang tag has a little poem. What is the value of the doll?

A: Muriel Joseph George began making ceramic figurines in the basement of her home in California in 1945. A printer's error on the first labels changed the spelling from "Joseph" to "Josef," and that became the company name.

The company closed in 2011. The value of your figurine is $25 to $40.

CURRENT PRICES

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

• Netsuke: wood, boy climbing on reclining ox, Japan, 1800s; 1½ inches; $360

• Scrimshaw: walrus, "Seven mermaids," rocks, seaside, clouds, Michael Cohen; 11 by 3 inches; $1,080

• Royal Worcester tea set: revolving tray, teapot, waste bowl, creamer, four cups and saucers, blue-and-white flowers, porcelain; circa 1880; $1,080

• Writing desk: Sevres style, kingwood, tulipwood, gilt bronze mounts, two drawers, flowers, cabriole legs; 58 by 30 inches; $1,780

Terry Kovel and Kim Kovel, authorities on collectibles, write for the King Features Syndicate. Visit www.kovels.com.