Charlot, a French comic-book character inspired by Charlie Chaplin, is the name of this blue glass sugar bowl. It is pictured in the 1933 Portieux catalog. Cowan’s Auctions, in Cincinnati, sold it for $1,840 a few months ago.

Milk glass, an opaque white glass, was, of course, named for its color. The thick white glass was first popular from 1870 to 1880. It regained popularity in the 1920s and ’30s, and then in the 1950s to ’80s. Glass factories made thousands of covered dishes, pitchers, small trays and even figurines.

Milk glass was made in many colors in the United States and Europe, especially France. The descriptive terms “blue milk glass” or “black milk glass” are now used for some colored glass. The pieces are similar enough to be confusing. Portieux and Vallerysthal are two French names that appear on some colored milk glass made in the 20th century. The two companies merged in the 1970s.

One unusual sugar bowl made of blue milk glass by Portieux in 1933 has a cover shaped like a fat man’s head. He is smoking a pipe.

Mitchell & Rammelsberg

Q: I have an antique walnut burl dresser with a marble top that belonged to my great-grandmother. It is identical to one described as belonging to President Truman’s mother in Missouri. It has stamped on the back, “Mitchell & Rammil (?), Cincinnati, O.” Can you tell me its origin?

A: Your dresser was made by Mitchell & Rammelsberg. The company was founded by Richard Mitchell and Frederick Rammelsberg in 1847 and continued under that name until 1881. Mitchell & Rammelsberg was one of the largest furniture manufacturers in the country and one of the first to use steam-powered machinery to make furniture. It had branches in New Orleans, St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn.

W.H. Grindley china

Q: Please identify some English china for me. Each piece is marked on the back with a green wreath around the words “England” and “W.H. Grindley & Co.” A few of the dinner plates are also marked “Monmouth.” The dishes have a blue and gold design around the edge.

A: The mark on your plates was used between about 1914 and 1925 by W.H. Grindley & Co. of Tunstall, Staffordshire, England. The company was started by William Harry Grindley in 1880 and stayed in business until 1991. “Monmouth” is the pattern name, although Grindley’s made two blue and gold Monmouth patterns — one used on dishes with a smooth edge and the other on dishes with a scalloped edge. A dinner plate in excellent condition in either pattern sells for about $15 at a replacement service.

Tape residue removal

Q: I bought a small tole box that has remnants of Scotch tape on it in a few spots. The remnants have dried on the paint. How can I remove the sticky stuff without damaging the paint?

A: Tole is sometimes called japanned ware, pontypool or toleware. Whatever it’s called, it’s painted tin. Collectors want antique toleware, which dates from the 19th century. Whoever stuck cellophane tape on your box wasn’t thinking. It might be impossible to remove the gluey residue without damaging the paint. Try a little Goo Gone, available at your local hardware store. But use only a tiny bit on a cotton swab to test it. If it damages the paint, leave the residue alone. It might eventually dry up and fall off.

‘Hobo nickels’

Q: I have an unusual Indian nickel. The Indian head has been carved to look like a Civil War soldier. I was told it is a “hobo nickel.”

A: The term “hobo nickel” is used to describe nickels that have been altered by carving. Originally they were hand-carved by hoboes and were traded for food, clothing or other necessities. Carvings were done on other coins, but most were made on the Indian head nickel, minted from 1913 to 1938. The nickel was thicker and softer than other denominations, making it easier to carve. Faces of famous people, presidents, soldiers and others were carved from the Indian head. The buffalo on the reverse side was often carved into different animals or other designs. Hobo nickels are still being made. When the Indian head nickel stopped being produced, carvers turned to worn coins or the newly minted Jefferson nickels. There is a club with a Web site and newsletter for collectors: The Original Hobo Nickel Society, 12000 Sunset Ridge Drive, Ozawkie, KS 66070, www.hobonickels.org.

Storing vintage handbags

Q: How do I store vintage mesh handbags?

A: Vintage handbags should never be hung up by the handles. Mesh and beaded bags are very flexible and should be stored flat on a shelf. To keep them clean, wrap them in a piece of an old well-washed white sheet. If you see a small tear or other damage, have it repaired immediately. Handbags like the same climate you do, so do not put them in a hot attic or humid basement. Your bedroom clothes closet is fine.

Current prices

•Patio chair, galvanized iron, oval scrolled back, round seat, painted white, penny feet, 1920s, 38 inches, pair, $100.

•Hershey bar bank, “A Real Vending Machine to Encourage Children to Save,” complete with 24 bank-size candy bars, 1950s, G. Felsenthal & Sons, 4 by 4 by 6 1/2 inches, $225.

•Majolica bread plate, grapevine border, molded grape leaves and vines in natural tones, 1885, 11 by 8 inches, $260.

•King Little of Gulliver’s Travels doll, composition head and body, painted wood hat, arms and legs, copyright 1939, Paramount Pictures, Ideal Novelty & Toy Co., 12 1/4 inches, $300.

•Hawkes candlesticks, applied white vines and berries on matte blue ground, gilt highlights, clear glass base, marked, 13 inches, pair, $455.

•Louis XVI-style handkerchief table, figured mahogany top, brass mounts, felt-lined interior, one drawer, fluted legs, brass feet, 1930s, 30 by 23 by 23 inches, $500.

•Sterling-silver water pitcher, Plymouth pattern, Gorham, 10 by 10 inches, $545.

•Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sheet music, “Shall We Dance,” Fred and Ginger on cover, six pages, autographed, $885.

•Alabama sampler, nine-line alphabet, reversible, “Caroline Day, aged 7, 1840,” eyelet and hem stitches, Greek key border, wool on linen, 11 by 15 inches, $2,700.

•Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, lift top with open quilted interior, leather strap handles, 1920s, 13 by 35 by 20 inches, $5,000.