Antiques & Collecting: Safety signs

The words “Stop, Look, Listen” might evoke song titles, childhood lessons or everyday common sense. The phrase comes from the 1800s, specifically from the advent of railroads.

Railroad travel was revolutionary, but like most emerging technologies brought new dangers along with its advantages. It quickly became clear that some safety measures had to be taken to avoid collisions at crossings.

The first safety precautions were simple signs. Today, the familiar design is an X-shaped sign reading “Railroad Crossing” and usually accompanied by flashing lights and alarms.

Earlier signs were different, like this cast-iron oval reminding its reader to “Stop Look Listen,” which sold at Copake Auction Inc. for $1,062 against a presale estimate of $200 to $300.

It may have been a very early sign, made at a time when most people didn’t realize how long a braking distance a train required and therefore may have expected an approaching train to be able to stop before it reached the crossing.

Instead of simply alerting the reader to what they are approaching, the sign states exactly what to do.

I have 12 German beer steins I received from my great-grandfather. He brought them over from Germany in the late 1800s. I would like to know where I can find out about their value and any information about where to look.

Beer steins, like almost anything related to beer and breweries, are popular collectibles. By the 1800s, most German beer steins were made of stoneware and had pewter lids.

They also have been made of other materials, like porcelain, pewter, silver, wood or ivory.

The most famous German beer steins are known as Mettlach because they were made by the Villeroy and Boch pottery factory in the town of Mettlach.

Check the base of your steins for marks. Mettlach steins have a mark that looks like a castle. They also have a date-number code to help identify them.

If your steins have “Geschutz” or “Musterschutz” written on them, those are not company names; they mean “patented” or “registered design.”

There are many books about beer stein collecting that can help you identify and value yours. “The Beer Stein Book” and “The Mettlach Book,” both by Gary Kirsner, are especially helpful. Look for them and other beer stein books at your local library.

You can also contact a collector’s club, like Stein Collectors International — stein-collectors.org — for more information.

Tip: Clean dirt and rust from an old iron piece by spraying it with oven cleaner. Put it in a sealed bag for an hour or two, then rub the spray off with a nylon scouring pad.

Current Prices

Basket, tray, Northwest Coast Salish, round, coiled, four spokes, alternating brown and black, shallow rim, side handles, 10 inches, $85.

Toy, Rocky, caveman, on wheeled disc, vinyl head, lithographed tin body, battery operated, box, Japan, $150.

World War II, parade prop, airplane, P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane, signed by 12 Tuskegee Airmen, foam, plastic, metal, 32 x 36 inches, $675.

Textile, pennant, U.S. Navy, commissioning, U.S. flag, 24 stars, appliqué, hand sewn, c. 1830, 90 inches, $2,015.