Extensions solve age-old dining dilemmas

Problem: Guests for dinner and a small dining-room table. Solution: Extend the table. This problem has existed for centuries, and there have been many solutions. Antique and vintage furniture can be found that show these solutions, from drop leaves to extensions.

The earliest solution was to add drop leaves. The table was made with an extra piece at each end that could be raised and held in place by an extra leg that swung under it to hold it level with the main tabletop. The idea is still in use.

In about 1800, a craftsman made a two-part pedestal table. The pedestals held the top, but could be pulled apart so an extra leaf could be added. If more leaves were needed, an extra pedestal could be added. Also in the 1800s, a rectangular table was used with two separate small tables that had drop leaves. The small tables were kept against the wall. When guests came, the small tables were moved next to the main table and the drop leaves were raised.

By the 19th century, extension tables were made with extra leaves that were stored on tracks under the top. Separate the table and the leaves popped into place. Another idea created before the 20th century was a round table with pie-shaped inserts that could make the table a larger circle. An expensive modern copy of this table is still made. Most dining tables today have loose leaves that can be inserted on a track.

Q: In 1996 I acquired a 600-minute Coca-Cola “1995 Grand Prize Winner” phone card. There’s a Coca-Cola logo in the bottom right corner and a red and white “Smith’s” logo in the top left corner with the phrase “Have a Coke” under it. The card pictures a frosted window, and a full Coke bottle can be seen sitting outside in the snow. I have saved the card because I understand only 10 of them were made. Are phone cards collectible, and what’s mine worth?

A: There are eager collectors of phone cards, although there are fewer in the United States than there are in Japan and some other countries.

Most Coke phone cards date from the 1990s and sell for under $10. But yours happens to be a rare one. Fifteen, not 10, were made, but that’s still a very small number. Your card lists in price guides for $1,600. That doesn’t necessarily mean you can easily find someone who will pay you that much. A dealer in phone cards might be willing to pay you about half, though.

Q: When my daughter was about 10, her cousin gave her some Strombecker doll furniture she no longer played with. There’s a table and chairs, living room chair and end table, playpen and bed. The pieces are unpainted, varnished natural wood. They’re too big for a dollhouse, but perfect for an 8-inch doll. What would the pieces sell for today?

A: Strombecker was the trade name used by Strombeck-Becker Manufacturing Co. of Moline, Ill. The company was incorporated in 1913 by J.F. Strombeck and R.D. Becker. At first the company made wooden handles and tent poles, but it ventured into toys in 1919 and dollhouse furniture in 1931. The company found its biggest success with wooden airplane model kits, but also made wooden blocks, trains and “Bill Ding” interlocking wooden figures.

When plastic started taking over many toy lines in the 1950s, Strombecker was hit hard. One of its efforts to fight back was production of larger furniture for Ginny, Betsy McCall and other dolls 8-10 inches tall. The furniture was too small for Barbie dolls, though, and the line was discontinued a short time before Strombecker dropped out of the toy business entirely in 1962.

Strombecker doll and dollhouse furniture is well-made and very collectible. Your daughter’s individual pieces would sell for $10 to $30 each.

Q: My grandmother left me a covered serving dish and matching platter. The only mark on it is “Stinthal China.” The dishes are in a floral pattern with gold-painted leaves. Can you tell me something about the maker?

A: Stinthal China was a brand name used by the Crooksville China Co. of Crooksville, Ohio. The company was in business from 1902 until 1959.

Crooksville’s Stinthal line was made during its earlier years. It’s a fine, thin semiporcelain that was decorated in many different patterns. Most Stinthal serving dishes sell for under $50.

Ralph and Terry Kovel’s column is syndicated by King Features. Write to: Kovels, (Las Vegas Review-Journal), King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.