Learn about antiques and collectibles with Dr. Georgia Caraway

Longaberger baskets handcraf wood baskets made by the Longaberger Company of Newa Ohio became a hot collectible the 1990s, with some selling for upward of $100 The company then began issuing expensive limited-edition baskets as collectibles The Longaberger basket resale market soon collapsed, and today you would lucky to get more than $20 for most of them

Hummel figurines once sold for hundreds of dollars apiece, but the generation that appreciated these little porcelain statues is now downsizing or dying off, dumping Hummels back into the market by the thousands Younger generations have little interest in buying them Most used Hummels now sell for no more than $75 in shops, with prices likely to continue to fall as more Hummels reach the market Exception: Certain rare Hummels, such as those taller than 12 inches or those made before 1949, still can fetch four figures Other companies that make and heavily market collectible coins and plates include the Danbury Mint and Royal Copenhagen Their products fare no better on the resale market

Other cute little figurines have suffered a similar fate Precious Moments figurines, sold as collectibles, now have very little monetary value Enesco figures have adorable detailed faces and their themes are appropriate still for gift giving

Collectible plates featuring pictures by artists such as Norman Rockwell or LeRoy Neiman typically are worth less than $5 per plate these days and that’s if they date to before 1980 or so

Those produced within the past 30 years usually have no value

Vintage metal lunch boxes became a major collectible in the late 1980s, and by the 1990s, some were selling for thousands of dollars But today, few lunch boxes fetch more than $100, and most bring much less

China sets are declining rapidly in value Many china sets from Royal Copenhagen, Royal Worcester, Lenox and Wedgwood sell at half the price of new china Others bring $150 to $200 at estate sales, if they sell at all Sets with flowery patterns, including Haviland china, are particularly unloved

Dr Georgia Caraway, former director of the Denton County Museums for 14 years, and her friends opened the Howe Mercantile at 107 East Haning Store hours are Thursday through Saturday noon until 8 p m She has written five Denton history books Her latest, North Texas State Fair and Rodeo, is available at Howe Mercantile She hopes her next book will be the history of Howe If anyone has photos that she can copy, please birng them to Howe Mercantile

Downtown Howe has three gift and antique shops Howe Mercantile, Texas Home Emporium, and Stark Farms Gifts SHOP LOCAL We can show you Howe!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR APRIL 8 FOR THE ANNUAL SAVE THE CHURCH BBQ AND AUCTION.

Cheer coach Pam Kirby said that it was a great opportunity and a wonderful learning experience

“I’m really grateful that you let us compete and go through this learning opportunity.” said Erin Ainsley “We learned a lot and we got to bond as a team We’re pretty proud of what we put on the floor out there ”

Howe High School Principal James Teafatiller said that he was very proud of the students and teachers Board member Janie Finney also commended the parents for their efforts behind the students' success

The most important legacy of one generation leaves for the next is the actions of that generation as children so closely watch their parents Jose Antonio Navarro, a leader of the Texas Revolution, was inspired for a life of service by his father In turn, he would inspire his own children and citizens across the state.

Navarro was born in San Antonio in 1795 He was one of twelve children, only six of whom survived to adulthood His father, Angel Navarro, was a generous and popular figure in San Antonio However, he died in 1808 when the younger Navarro was only 13

His father’s worldly adventures, success, dedication to his family, and the deep respect the people of San Antonio had for him had a profound impact on Angel Navarro was born into a wealthy family in Corsica, just south of France in the Mediterranean Sea His mother was a noble, and his father was a businessman, and in 1762, at the age of 14, his ran away from home After a series of adventures between Corsican revolutionaries and seedy ports and working a series of odd jobs, he made his way to the New World He arrived in San Antonio by 1777, where he established his own successful business enterprises He was the city’s first elected alcalde in 1790, a position that was a combination of mayor and judge

Jose Navarro grew up determined to live up to his father’s legacy He trained to become an attorney In 1813, San Antonio was briefly occupied by forces GutierrezMagee Expedition, a brief effort to tear Texas away from the faltering