THE KOVELS | Antiques and collecting Officially, Ouija boards got their start in 1892

Admiral Robert Edwin Peary has been credited with being the first to arrive at the North Pole, in 1909. He made the trip with his assistant, Matthew A. Henson, and four Inuits. He became a hero in the United States.
Pictures and figurines depicting Admiral Peary, and other souvenirs of the event, were popular in gift shops.
His daughter, Marie Ahnighito Peary, born in 1893, was the first white baby to be seen so far north. She, too, had become a celebrity, and the tiny figurines picturing a child in a snowsuit were nicknamed "snow babies."
Collectors search for all of the Admiral Peary and snow baby figurines, vases, mugs and dolls. Most were made in Germany in the early 1900s, but soon the Japanese made similar figures. In recent years, new snow babies have appeared.
Q. I've played with Ouija boards since I was a teen-ager in the 1960s. My own Parker Bros. game is still in my closet. For my birthday, my sister gave me a copy of the May 1920 issue of The Saturday Evening Post because the cover shows a man and woman playing with a Ouija board. I was surprised that the game went back that far. Can you fill in some of its history?
A. The trademarked word Ouija was created by combining the French and German words for yes. Ouija boards are printed with an alphabet, the numbers 1 through 10, and the words yes and no. Each board comes with a small, heart-shaped planchette that players move around the board to spell out messages, supposedly from the netherworld. Baltimore toy manufacturers William and Isaac Fuld bought rights to the game from Elijah Bond in 1892, when the American spiritualist movement was at its height. The game's popularity died out about 30 years later. Parker Bros. bought the rights to manufacture new Ouija boards in 1966. Sales reached 2 million the following year. Ouija boards and similar games or card sets that help players communicate with the dead are inexpensive but interesting collectibles. You can still buy a Parker Bros. Ouija board.
Q. I know the value of furniture is sometimes diminished if it has been refinished, but is the value of an old iron toy lessened if it's washed to remove grime?
A. Gently washing a cast-iron toy will not decrease its value. But don't scrub so hard that the old paint comes off. Dry the toy after it's washed. That will prevent rust buildup in the crevices. Never paint or varnish an old cast-iron toy.
Q. I don't really like the wooden chair my grandmother left me, but I don't want to sell it. The chair is made of wood, with thick, plain legs and turned side stretchers. The seat is slightly U-shaped. Its thick arms curve up and scroll at the end. The backrest is the strange part. It's carved into an elaborate and fierce animallike face. When were chairs such as this one made?
A. Your late-Victorian-era chair is called, appropriately, a "face chair." These Gothic Revival chairs were common in American middle-class parlors at the end of the 19th century. The face carved on most of these chairs is the blowing North Wind. Your carving might be an ogre, satyr or some other mythological creature. Face chairs are collected today. They can sell for less than $200 to more than $500.
Q. My old Donald Duck bank is a three-dimensional Donald in a sailor suit holding a life preserver. It is 6 inches tall. He is made of papier-mach & eacute;, and his head nods. The bottom is marked "Walt Disney Ent. 1938 U.S.A." What can you tell me about it?
A. The bank was made by Crown Toy Manufacturing Inc. of Brooklyn, N.Y. The company made several Disney banks, one with Mickey Mouse near a trunk, one with Dopey near a drum. The banks are popular with Disney collectors and collectors of banks, so they sell well.
Tip: Try cleaning celluloid with a paste of vinegar and flour. Rub, rinse, dry.
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