HELLO SUN SPOTS: I would like to know who or where I could go to get a quartz candle holder appraised. Is there some place in the vicinity of Lewiston or Auburn? Thank you very much. — No name, no town.

ANSWER: Is this candle holder an antique or is it the mineral itself that you believe has value? Appraisals are not easy to come by as they often require an expert in your exact object’s history or material.

A good place to start would be on the internet. See what similar items cost at full retail price to get an idea of your item’s value. This can also help you find a retailer who sells similar items; they may have their own expert opinion or be able to suggest someone who can do an appraisal.

If any readers have a suggestion or know of someone specializing in this kind of appraisal, please write in to Sun Spots.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I have a free Vitamaster Ski Machine with an instructional video. It is in excellent condition. If interested you must be able to pick it up, please call 207-966-3907 between 5 and 6 p.m. — No name, Hebron.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: In the “Looking Back” section of the Sun Journal a week or so ago was information about an electric train than ran between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland 100 years ago. Do you know whether it was powered by an electrified third rail or overhead connectors or some other method? Thank you. — Steve Swan, Dixfield.

ANSWER: The Portland-Lewiston Interurban was a 30-mile single track line that ran from 1914 to 1933 according to a history written in 1956 by Osmond Richard Cummings. It was powered overhead with electricity generated at the waterpower plant of the Androscoggin Electric Company at Deer Rips, on the Androscoggin River, supplemented by a steam turbine auxiliary station at Lewiston. From Lewiston to the substation at Danville, the power was transmitted at 10,000 volts, 60 cycles, three-phase, and from Danville to the Gray and West Falmouth substations, transmission pressure was raised to 33,000 volts. The high tension line poles were separate from those used for the trolley overhead.

For more information you can read this history, “Portland-Lewiston Interurban: a history of the finest electric interurban railway to run in the State of Maine,” at tinyurl.com/j2plwss. It has more than 30 pages of information and a lot of great pictures, diagrams and maps.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: We need your help. We are collecting holiday cards to disburse to veterans at the Togus VA hospital. Cards need to be collected by Dec. 19 and can be dropped off at Tri-County Mental Health Services located at 1155 Lisbon St. in Lewiston. For more information contact Jerry DeWitt at 207-783-9141, ext. 228, or email [email protected].

ANSWER: Sun Spots reached out to DeWitt and he suggests writing a nice holiday message, simply signing your name or getting creative. Have a class or child care decorate and sign a card or each make their own. Any group can get together to do this. It’s a great time to send some cheer to our veterans. Just make sure that they are dropped off by Dec. 19. 

Use the QR code to go to Sun Spots online for additional information and links. This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can be emailed to [email protected], tweeted @SJ_SunSpots or posted on the Sun Spots Facebook page at facebook.com/SunJournalSunSpots. This column can also be read online at sunjournal.com/sunspots. We’ve joined Pinterest at pinterest.com/sj_sunspots.