Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
What’s it worth?
Q I have three black and white autographed photographs of The Bee Gees and I wonder if they have any value? Karen McDonnell, Glossop, Derbys
A I can understand you being Night Feverish with excitement – the Gibb brothers are among the best-selling bands of the late 1970s and one of Britain’s all-time greats. A good picture of the group in the studio or on stage from that era, with good clear signatures that can be authenticated, will be worth around £250 to £350. And that’s not just jive talkin’.
Q I have a Max Factor black cat sitting inside a plastic dome and holding a perfume bottle. Can you tell me anything about this and if it is worth anything please? Alex Burton, Salford, Gtr Manchester
A That’s a classic 1960s collectable you’ve got there and while you see quite a few of the cats around, more often than not they are out of their original packaging and lacking that all-important perfume bottle. That said, your black cat only brings a certain amount of luck and if you chose to sell you would probably get around the £50 mark... which you could, purrhaps, if you were feline that way inclined, put in your kitty. Some perfume bottles are worth an absolute fortune, of course. Crystal containers by Baccarat and Lalique can cost as much as £20,000.
Q I own a hefty old Grundig video recorder from the late 1970s/early 1980s. It’s in the garage. Do I keep it or bin it? Sam Thornley, Birmingham
A Hefty indeed – it weighs 32lbs and has a retro wood-effect casing. Your model was made in 1980 and was one of the failed V2000 format machines – not VHS, which became the most adopted format. It cost £600 and I can’t imagine many have been kept – or still work. This was a quality machine which fell victim to the format wars. You might get £30-£50 for it.