By Connie Swaim I helped with an appraisal clinic recently and as always, I’m amazed by the wonderful things people own and also some of the misconceptions people have about the industry. Undoubtedly the nicest thing I saw during the event was a Hubley Lindy cast-iron plane in nice condition. Lucky Lindy was still on board, in the form of a tiny figure, while another figure sat in back. A five-year-old toy price guide listed it at $500 to $2,000 depending on condition and size, but I couldn’t find any recent examples selling online. I showed the plane’s owner the price guide listing with the caveat that she should do some additional checking with toy experts to discover the current market value of the plane. She was happy to discover she had a potential treasure. The most interesting item I saw was a gold-painted metal turtle spittoon. The user would step on the head of the turtle, lifting the shell, which hid the spittoon. All of the people around my table got a laugh out of thinking of how good of a shot the spitter would have had to be to hit such a small target. The owner had been letting her grandchildren play with it, but after we found her turtle selling for $400, she decided that maybe the grandkids should find a new plaything. I had to disappoint the owner of a set of Victorian style children’s blocks by telling her she had a reproduction made in Taiwan. She was surprised because she had owned the blocks since the 1970s, but I explained that reproductions had been around for a long time and that I had the exact same set of blocks in AntiqueWeek’s reproduction exhibit, still with the Made in Taiwan sticker on the bottom. One visitor to the appraisal clinic was disappointed with the appraisers. She asked me if all of the people in the room were local, so I told her for the most part they were, except for me. She asked, "Where are the people I see on channel 3?" I was momentarily at a loss, but then I asked her if she was thinking of the Antiques Roadshow . She was and she wanted to see the people she saw on the television program. So, I had to explain that this was not the Antiques Roadshow , that the event was billed as an appraisal clinic. She said she did not realize there were other events like the Roadshow . So, this took a little more explaining. I’m hoping she left the event at least somewhat happy with what she learned. Another visitor brought in a round ceramic object with impressed registry mark, numbers and a coleslaw type decoration. I told her I actually didn’t have a clue, but if I had to guess, it was British from the late 19th century. She looked at me happily, and told me that she had the object at the Antiques Roadshow four years ago and it was 18th century and made in Germany. I almost asked her why she spent $5 and the mileage to bring it to me, but then she said she had taken it to other appraisal events. I wonder if some people are just appraisal junkies and want to see what different people are going to say about their treasured piece. But, the vast majority of the people were delighted with what they found out. A woman with a Shawnee Puss ‘n’ Boots cookie jar was happy just to learn who made the piece and even happier to learn there were other pieces she could collect. A woman with a Watt Pottery spaghetti set was also happy to learn the maker of her piece and I was able to tell her the pattern as well. She said she still used the set for family dinners, as it had been used by her mother. I like it when people tell me they are still using family items. So many people seem to think if it’s old they shouldn’t use it. I tried to help one woman come up with something to do with a really early vacuum as it wasn’t something that would sell very easily, yet it was somewhat decorative. An entire table of appraisers came up with a decorating theme based around the vacuum, but the woman said, "Well actually, I don’t even like old things. I just want to get rid of this." I’m still hoping she will at least think about our ideas. |