Send your answers to the What Is It contest, postmarked by August 20, to the Mountain States Collector, P.O. Box 1003, Bailey, CO 80421. Three winners will be drawn. Winners receive a year’s subscription to the Mountain States Collector.

Though we had several guesses for our July’s What Is It, no one was able to identify these pretty turtles for what they are.  These are hotel turtle desk bells. Usually brass, when the head or tail is pressed down, a bell rings. These are another example of the many collections of our friends Dixie and Larry Kilborn. In a reference […]

 Our friends, Dixie and Larry Kilborn,  provided last month’s What Is It. Devoted collectors, Dixie and Larry have several wonderful collections. One is a toy collection which includes these cute little fellows. They are Ramp Walkers. These fun little characters waddle down a ramp. They can be raced or just walk alone. There have been many manufacturers of this traditional toy […]

May’s What Is It is a stocking purse. Glass beads and a length of 7 inches date this compartmentalized stocking purse to the 1840s. Two small rings slide to close the opening in the center that provides access to each of the end compartments. A larger purse was used in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Beaded handbags are durable […]

We had several correct guesses to our April’s What Is It. The medal pictured is the Victoria Cross. It is a British decoration awarded for conspicuous bravery and begun by Queen Victoria in 1856. (Photo courtesy of the British Royal Mint.) What makes this “military medal” so valuable? To answer that question, we must look at the story behind the […]