Usually only one type of bell rings true for collectors

Bell collectors often specialize in one type of bell or sort their bells for displays. Best known to most of us is the school bell, a metal bell with a long wooden handle that was rung to bring children in from the playground. Decorative china and glass bells excite one group of collectors; silver and brass bells are wanted by others. Figural bells -- those shaped like a man, woman, animal, bird or even a house -- are also popular.

Collectors also look for Sarna bells made in India and first sold in the United States in 1933. Often these were sold on chains or ropes. The bells came with a booklet that told the story of the brass bells. Sleigh bells used on horses were always made in sets attached to a leather strap.

Another unusual type of bell is what some collectors call a "signaling bell." Old movies often show a new arrival at the front desk of a hotel hitting the top of a metal dome-shaped bell to summon the clerk. An elaborate version of this bell is found decorated with mother-of-pearl shells and gold-colored filigree, making it attractive enough to be used in a bedroom to call a servant.

And, of course, there is the old bicycle bell that could be mounted on a handlebar and used to warn others a rider is nearby.

If you're interested in bells and bell collecting, you might want to contact The American Bell Association (www.americanbell.org).

Q: I'm trying to find information about a furniture company named H. Pander & Zonen. I have some dining-room chairs labeled with that name. I think they're from the early 1900s.

A: Your chairs were made in the Netherlands by a furniture company whose name translates to H. Pander & Son. Harmen Pander and his son, Henk, ran the company.

In 1924 H. Pander & Son bought an aircraft-manufacturing company and started making small airplanes. Throughout the next decade, Pander became better known for making airplanes, but appears to have continued to make furniture through the mid-1930s.

Q: I have an old Feemster vegetable slicer made in Brooklyn, Mich. The patent numbers are 227 3989 and 240 1669. I was told that it also was known as the "Prince William" slicer and taken off the market because too many people cut off their fingers with it. Any truth to the story? When was it made?

A: Your vegetable slicer was patented in the 1940s. The M.E. Heuck Co. of Mason, Ohio, currently distributes a product called Feemster's "original" vegetable slicer. It now has a "safety" holder for the food.

Tip: Always apply hair spray or perfume before you put on your jewelry. Both products damage some metals and stones.

Ralph and Terry Kovel's column is syndicated by King Features. Write to: Kovels, (Las Vegas Review-Journal), King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019.