Q: I have enclosed a photo of a pottery wall hanging I own. I found it after my mother passed away. It was stored in a box in the basement, and I don't know anything about it. It is about 8 inches tall by 3 inches wide. The back is flat and has a hole in it for hanging. There is an opening on top, perhaps to hold flowers. There is an Asian woman with black hair on the front; she's wearing a cream and tan kimono with green cuffs. Marked on the back are the words "Made in Japan."

Could you tell me anything about it?

A: You have a porcelain wall pocket. Wall pockets are made to hold and hang things on a wall. Before flower wall pockets were wall pockets for string and matches in the 1800s and early 1900s. Flower wall pockets were very popular in the early 1900s. During the post-World War II era — from the mid-1940s to the early 1950s, and peaking in the 1950s — there was a renewed interest in wall pockets. Many wall pockets were made by potteries in the United States and Japan.

Your wall pocket was made around 1921 and is probably worth $25 to $50.

Q: This mark is on a set of dishes that I bought in an antique shop in the early 1970s when I was first married. It is a set for four, and the dishes are a soft blue color. The set includes dinner plates, cereal bowls, salad plates, cups, saucers, a butter dish, salt and pepper shakers and two serving bowls. They are all in excellent condition.

What can you tell me about the history, maker and value of the set?

A: Taylor, Smith & Taylor made your semi-porcelain dinnerware. The company was founded in East Liverpool, Ohio, in 1901. Around 1938 it introduced the Lu-Ray line of dinnerware. The name was inspired by one of the salesman's visits to LuRay Caverns in Virginia. Lu-Ray dishes were produced in Sharon Pink, Persian Cream and Windsor Blue colors. Chatham Gray was introduced in 1949, but due to lack of interest it was discontinued in 1952. Anchor Hocking bought the company in 1972 and then closed it in 1981.

Your Windsor Blue Lu-Ray dinnerware set would probably be worth $150 to $225.

Wall pockets were popular in the early 1900s.

. Lu-Ray dinnerware was made by Taylor, Smith & Taylor.

Address your questions to Anne McCollam, P.O. Box 247, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Items of a general interest will be answered in this column. Due to the volume of inquiries, she cannot answer individual letters. To find out more about Anne McCollam and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.