I have a Kraka glass vase made by Orrefors of Sweden in about 1940. It is signed by Sven Palmqvist, with the pattern number 313. I have seen Kraka vases on sale for £1,500. Is mine as valuable?

GN, by e-mail

First, I have to inform you that, judging by the photographs you sent, your vase is, in fact, a dish. It is a wonderful example of 20th-century Scandinavian glass-making. Palmqvist, one of Orrefors’s leading designers, developed the Kraka technique in 1944. A metal grid is used to produce a geometric pattern; when covered with an outer layer of glass, the design is enclosed as tiny air bubbles. The name is derived from a Norse legend in which a Viking hero, Ragnar Lodbrok, challenged a beauty to visit him neither clothed nor unclothed. The woman, Kraka, arrived in a fishing net.

Sadly, vases are more sought after than dishes. Although yours is an early example, and worth double the value of a similar piece from the 1970s or 1980s, I would put it at close to £500 – had it been a vase and larger, then a price of £1,500 might well have applied.

Eric Knowles is an antiques expert and consultant at Bonhams; www.ericknowles.co.uk

Our experts cannot send personal replies. Questions may be edited for reasons of space and advice is given without responsibility. Please do not send original documents or SAEs

Times recommends

• Interior design: It's time to end our craze for open-plan living
• How to make cool bedrooms for kids
• Inside Zaha Hadid's East London apartment