BY JERRY SAMPSON

Community columnist

Question: Hi Jerry, What about my gold charm bracelet? I’ve had it for years. My father traveled overseas for weeks at a time and would pick me up a charm here and there. When I was in college, I had my favorites put on this bracelet. I’m not even sure where the other charms are at now.

It’s 14kt gold and I think that the charms are gold too. I know that the dog is. Would a stranger’s charm bracelet have any appeal in the open market? Any idea of what you think it could be worth? Thanks for your time in looking at this.

Answer: Yes, charm bracelets are eternally charming, pardon the pun. There are many collectors of charms and in fact many prefer to have bracelets that are filled to capacity.

I don’t know of any weights on your gold charms. And many times the weight of the gold makes all the difference. The 14kt gold bracelet could be worth anywhere from $100 to $175. It just depends on the weight and the maker too.

Now, your charms are a little different. People are fascinated over unusual and different charms. I’m not going to bore you with the fact that charms have been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. Many times, for reasons other than just decoration.

I think that you’ve got some more unusual charms. Especially the springer spaniel and the Queen’s Guard in his guard house. I’ll bet that one moves in and out doesn’t it? If it does Yahoo! Because collectors love charms that have motion. The spaniel could be, priced in a store, for $75 to $100.

The Queen’s Guard is likely to be made by a British firm and should be priced for $100 to $125, mainly because it has motion. And this is just a starter.

Like I’ve already stated that it depends on the gold, weight and karat, any maker’s marks, and how badly someone wants it. So taking all of this into consideration, your charm bracelet, as a unit, should be priced in a retail situation for about $500. But remember that value can go up or down, just depending.

If I were you I’d start looking for those other charms. Thanks for a great question.