Expert: Barbara K. Acchino - 8/7/2007

Question
I have a thimble with the following: World's Exposition 1892
And a hat shaped tape measure with "Most hats cover the head this covers the feet"
Are these valuable? How would I go about selling them?

Answer
Hello Roberta.  Yes, your items have value, but I couldn't tell you more than that without seeing the shape they are in.  There are books on both thimbles and tape measures that have value guides.  Your local library may be able to help.  As to how to go about selling them, if there are local dealers in your area, you could ask them if they are intersted.  Since you have computer access, you may want to try and sell them on ebay.  You might want to periodically search on ebay to see if items similar to yours are offered for sale and what they sell for.  If you chose to offer them on ebay, you will need clear pictures along with detailed descriptions:  is the thimble out of round?  are there any holes?  are there any dents or dings?  is the inscrption clear and crisp or worn?  is there a maker's mark?  does the tape measure work properly?  is the tape frayed?  is there any damage to the hat?  Your thimble is cross collectible in that it would appeal to thimble collectors and World's Fair collectors.  Good luck with your sale.  Barb