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Classic puppet
QAQAI own a Muffin the Mule puppet. It reads ‘Muffin Junior’ on the box and bears the name ‘MOKO’. It is in ‘as new’ condition. Louise Mark, Northampton, Northamptonshire Your small slice of vintage TV nostalgia was made by MOKO, which was part of the Matchbox company. Muffin The Mule first appeared back in 1946. Toys with a link to classic TV shows are of less interest than those relating to classic films. However, yours is still worth around £200 as few survive in great shape. I have a money box made by a firm called Wemyss. It depicts a seated pig and is covered in red and pink roses and what looks like ivy. It belonged to my greatgrandfather. It doesn’t have any cracks or repairs and we wanted to know if it was worth anything, please. Lucy Burton, Cardiff, South Wales Wemyss ware was made in Fife, Scotland, from around 1880 to 1930. Their most popular creations were the decorated pigs. The late Queen Mother was a collector. Wemyss were also famous for their hand-painted flowers. The larger, highly decorated examples can fetch thousands but you’ll still pay about £1,500-plus for a mid-large Wemyss pigs. I would imagine a collector would pay upwards of £1,000 for yours if it is in great condition. Please can you tell me about a ‘pocket phonograph’ called the Mikiphone System Vadasz. It is about 4.5 inches across. Mark Sandler, Chelmsford, Essex Some of the early wind-up phonographs and gramophones 1920s ipod have made tens of thousands of pounds at auction. One of the HMV table-top horn variety sold for over £14,000 in the 1990s. Yours is a micro record player – you could call it the greatgreat-grandfather of the ipod – designed to be assembled from components carried around in a metal container no bigger than a large pocket watch. This rare pint-sized wonder was made in Switzerland in the 1920s and fetches £200-300.
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