'Sweet potato' instrument considered a child's toy

Q. I have been trying for some time to find out about the musical instrument in the photograph. My grandmother gave it to me 50 years ago and told me that it was called a "sweet potato." It is not plastic and appears to be made from some sort of wood. What can you tell me about it? Does it have any value?A. We hesitate to answer a question about a musical instrument because this is simply not our area of expertise. So please, do not send us questions about your guitars, accordions, violins, trombones, etc., because we won't be able to answer them with certainty or authority.However, this item is often considered a children's toy. The "ocarina" - or "sweet potato," as it is sometimes called - is an ancient flutelike device that can be made from a variety of materials, including wood, ceramic, glass, metal and plastic. Research suggests that a typical ocarina is oval-shaped with anywhere from four to 12 holes and a projecting mouthpiece that looks something like a rudder on a blimp.One source says that cultures in China and Mesoamerica (Central and South America) used ocarina-type instruments 12,000 years ago, and it is said that the Aztecs and the Mayans had versions of the ocarina. This instrument reached Europe in the 16th century after the conquest of Mexico by Hernando Cortez. But they were not popularized until the 19th century, when an Italian named Giuseppe Donati (1836-1925) transferred the ocarina from a toy to a more serious musical instrument in 1853.Donati placed his workshop in the town of Budrio, near Bologna, Italy, and in the dialect spoken in that part of the world "ocarina" translated to "little goose." Donati's ceramic wind instrument is considered to be the first classical ocarina.Lately, the item's resurgence in popularity is due to its association with Nintendo's "Legend of Zelda" video-game series, including "Ocarina of Time" and "Majora's Mask."In your letter, you say the ocarina is made of wood, and we must let it go at that because the quality of the photograph makes it impossible to tell what type of wood it might be. From the look of the surface, we are sure that this is an "old" piece because of all the wear and tear. But we cannot determine exactly how old and believe it is probably early 20th century.There are several types of ocarinas, including pendant, inline, double and triple, as well as ones that have keys and/or slides. The piece in today's question is a transverse ocarina (a/k/a "sweet potato") - the best known of the ocarina styles - and these come in 10- and 12-note varieties.For the most part, ocarinas are not especially valuable in a financial sense. Some of the most interesting ones originate from South and Central America and are made from pottery. They can be shaped like various types of birds, sea lions and coatimundi.Even the pre-Columbian ocarinas seldom bring more than $300 at auction, and yours is much less valuable in terms of dollars and cents. For insurance-replacement purposes, it should be valued at less than $50.bull;Contact Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 18350, Knoxville, TN 37928 or via e-mail them at treasures@knology.net.