(MONEY Magazine) – Q. About 35 years ago, my wife and I bought a remarkable coffee table and lamp made of many pieces of driftwood. The set was assembled by hand, so I can safely state that it is one of a kind. Could you kindly put a price tag on it and suggest some buyers? Louis Miranda Cranbury, N.J.

A. Alas, the price of driftwood furniture -- like that of most collectibles -- ebbs and flows with the tides of fashion, and you may have missed the high- water mark. Back in the 1960s, when driftwood was as stylish as tie-dyed T- shirts, such items sold for as much as $3,500 apiece. These days, however, says Suzanne Lipschutz of Second Hand Rose, a vintage-furniture store in New York City (270 Lafayette St., New York, N.Y. 10012; 212-431-7673), she would pay about $300 each for pieces like yours and resell them for double that amount. You might get more by placing an ad in the classified section of the nearest big-city newspaper. Better yet, ride out the current trough until the tides of fashion rise again.

Q. Early in 1987, I was notified that, as a former investor in First Jersey Securities, I was eligible to join a class-action suit against the firm for stock manipulation and fraud. I filed a claim form but have heard nothing since. What is the status of the suit, and when will I be paid? Tom Barilich Des Plaines, Ill.

A. More than 85,000 unhappy investors filed claims totaling $1 billion accusing the penny-stock brokerage of overcharging and manipulating stock prices. With so many plaintiffs, the attorneys send out progress reports only upon request. First Jersey, which sold its retail operations in 1987, has agreed to pay investors $10 million without admitting guilt to the allegations. The settlement has received final court approval and payments to investors will start this fall. To check on your claim, you can write or call First Jersey Securities Litigation, P.O. Box 1500, Philadelphia, Pa. 19105 (215-665-8870).

Q. I am very frightened about the future. I am in my sixties, and my husband died early this year. He left no insurance. I am due to receive less than $800 a month from Social Security and a small widow's benefit from his pension, but my monthly rent, utilities and debt payment total nearly that much. I am not in the best of health. What can I do? Name withheld by request Charleston, W.Va.

A. Above all, do not panic. High medical bills may qualify you for Medicaid, which pays for hospital care, doctors' fees and other health expenses. Unfortunately, your income may be too high to get you food stamps, but you should check with the West Virginia Division of Human Services (Building 6, State Capitol Complex, Charleston, W.Va. 25305) to make sure, because eligibility formulas are terribly complicated. One way to cut expenses might be to find a roommate to help with the rent. To learn how, you can order Guide to Finding a Home Sharer, available for $2 from the Shared Housing Resource Center (6344 Greene St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19144; 215-848-1220). Also, to ensure that you are getting the public benefits to which the elderly are entitled, including property tax rebates and reduced utility rates, you can order a booklet called The Public Benefit Checklist ($2.95 plus 75 cents postage from the American Association of Retired Persons; Legal Counsel for the Elderly, P.O. Box 19269K, Washington, D.C. 20036).

Q. I would like to know how to read a stock prospectus. All of them look identical. Pandora Weber Great Bend, Kans.

A. Don't they just, but that's because most prospectuses are written from boilerplate -- standard legalese designed to meet regulators' fussy requirements. Nonetheless, amid the verbal dross, you can find nuggets of revealing information. Pay special attention to the following sections: use of proceeds might tell you, for example, that the directors are not sure how they will spend shareholders' money; insider holdings may disclose that managers acquired huge blocks of stock at a fraction of the market price, diluting the value of your shares; conflicts of interest would announce that, say, the chairman's son-in-law is the company's only client; and management would reveal that the treasurer was previously convicted of shoplifting. For more on interpreting prospectuses and other financial documents, get How to Read and Understand the Financial News by Gerald Warfield (Harper & Row, $7.95).

Q. How can I get Prudential-Bache to stop sending me six identical statements each month for the same IRA account? This has gone on for two years, and it is a waste of shareholders' money. Verbal and written requests have been ignored. P.S. Please do not trouble to return the enclosed statements. Alan H. Frederick Daly City, Calif.

A. The best way to stop this paper deluge may be to complain to a national magazine. The folks at Prudential-Bache headquarters in New York were sympathetic and initially suggested -- rather unhelpfully -- that you write them another letter. After two more insistent phone calls, however, they agreed to correct the problem, which they say was caused by a computer error. If it isn't fixed by the time you read this, write us again.

Q. My sister and I are named as ''in trust for'' beneficiaries on four of our mother's certificates of deposit. We understand that these will be ours upon her death. Will we be required to pay federal and state taxes on the total amount of these CDs or only on the interest? Jack Daniels Springfield, Pa.

A. CDs held in trust for you and your sister will be included in your mother's taxable estate by the feds and most states (including Pennsylvania), and the full amount plus interest will be subject to estate or inheritance taxes. If the estate is less than $600,000, it is exempt from federal tax; Pennsylvania, however, exempts just $2,000 and only if you still live with your mom. You would be liable for a 6% inheritance tax on everything else. If those limits present a problem, then you might try to persuade your mother -- very diplomatically -- to part with the money before she goes. A good selling point: annual gifts of up to $10,000 can be given to each of you tax-free.