Fred Taylor gives readers tips on antique furniture care and identification.

In the doll world, an interest in a specific doll comes and goes. One doll type may capture everyone’s attention for a while and then something else takes its place but Bleuette might be the exception.

One of the incredible things about collecting postcards is that they can mirror a lifetime of varied interests. When I began collecting at age 10, I thought that getting one card from all 48 (yes, 48) states was the pinnacle of success.

“Postcard of Lost Royals” and “Postcards From Utopia: The Art of Political Propaganda,” both with an introduction by Andrew Roberts, are two little books with big dreams; collections of postcards from days-gone-by and forgotten history.

The latest book on distinguished Red Wing Stoneware is an impressive one. Red Wing Stoneware Encyclopedia by Dan De Pasquale and Larry Peterson offers an amazing array of products from one of America’s finest stoneware manufacturers.

Taste in art changes just as surely as swings in fashion, so it’s not surprising that the craze for late Victorian postcards had drastically diminished by the end of World War I.

What makes today’s die-cast toy cars so appealing? Is it the bright colors? Is it the wheels? Or is it the fine details in the interior and exterior?

Britain’s long reigning and beloved Queen Victoria had barely been laid to rest before the backlash began. With her randy son Edward VII on the throne and setting an example on both sides of the Atlantic, mores began to loosen, and by the end of World War I the Western world was in full revolt against the Victorian Age.

Q. I have a Carnation Milk toy truck, circa 1950s, made by Tonka. It is in mint condition but I don’t have the original box. What could it be worth? P.W., Colonia, N.J.

Barbara Eash answers Antique Trader reader questions about their antiques.