Chinese brass candlesticks

This pair of candlesticks is 3 1/8" tall. The top (capital?) looks like copper and the rest looks like brass. They are similar but differ in the shape of the posts, the design etched on the base and the way China is written on the bottom. The one with the printed CHINA has a picture mark I can't make out and under that V.V. which seems odd if this is Chinese. They are both broken but my mom saved them for some reason so I'm curious to know about them. Also what does one do with broken stuff like this - trash? recycle?
Thanks so much!