Original Marx playsets are among the most complex and elaborate toys ever made for a middle class market. From accessory pieces as small as 316 artillery shells to buildings and bases up to 24 plus action figures, many original playsets included 200400 pieces.

Three Batman comics were reissued in June 1997 by Toys R Us as part of a Batman merchandise promotion. Each of the original reproduced issues is important to collectors because they marked the first appearance of major Batman characters. The reproductions include Book 38, published 1940 introducing Robin; Book 121, published 1959 introducing Mr. Freeze, and Book 359, published 1967, introducing the New Batgirl.

A new metal bank from Germany looks very similar to an earlier version made in the 1950's. Both the original and the new piece are a type of mechanical bank operated with a built-in hand crank. As a crank is turned on the side of a birdhouse, a bird's head appears and grasps a coin in its beak. The head returns and deposits the coin inside the birdhouse.

There are some new furniture pulls that may start appearing on turn-of-the-century hunting and resort lodge furniture. The pulls are pot metal with raised heads of ducks, a mallard and wood cock. Figural shotgun shells at the bottom form the handle. Sold in gold or copper metallic finish. Size: 3 1/2 H X 2 1/4" W.

Salvage operations around the world's most famous wreck, the Titanic, are always being reported in the tabloids. This "Titanic pen knife" is a fantasy item that is on the market.

Five of the most popular Tin Toy Classics have been reproduced. These include Amos N' Andy Fresh Air Taxi, Mr. Atomic, Robby Space Patrol, The Astronaut and Hi- Way Henry. The toys are advertised as exact copies of the originals; the robots include a copy of the original box. The new toys are marked MTH in the following palces: Hi Way Henry-rear axle; AA Taxi- radiator cap; all the space toys are marked in the battery compartment.

Reproduction shaving mugs have been sold for several decades; some are American, others have been imported from Japan and England. Comparing how new and old are made, learning what marks are found on new mugs and understanding how decorations are applied should help you avoid most reproductions being made today as well as those of the last 30-40 years.

Many babyboomers remember watching Mouseketeer Jimmy Dodd playing, "Who's the Leader of the Band on his Guitar", during the Mickey Mouse Club television series. Some lucky few may have even coerced their parents into buying a child-sized plastic guitar that automatically played the Clubs theme song. Walt Disney, Jimmy Dood, Mattel,

Reproductions of American carved and painted wood folk art from Indonesia continue to arrive in large quantities. While earlier Indonesian reproductions simply imitated general styles, many of the most recent objects copy very specific well known pieces.