The clock that sits on your living room mantle has great sentimental value, but you’ve always wondered how much it’s really worth. There’s the oil painting that’s been in the family for generations and the Princess Elizabeth doll that your grandfather gave your mother long before the princess became Queen Elizabeth II.
Everyone’s got collectibles, antiques or family heirlooms that are priceless treasures, but if you could put a price tag on that dresser, bracelet, vase or vintage radio, how much would it be?
Twenty appraisers of everything from old books, cut glass and Hot Wheels cars to silver plate, decoys and coins will be on hand at the American Association of University Women’s Antiques Appraisal Fair, Sunday, Oct. 7 at the Merced County Fairgrounds’ Commerce Building, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is $10, which includes appraisal of two items or a $5 admission charge for those who just want to check out the displays and vendor booths. Appraisal tickets for additional items cost $5 each and will be available at the door.
Proceeds from the fund-raiser help fund scholarships at Merced College and educational foundations and legal advocacy foundations that help provide financial support for women seeking graduate degrees.
Last year’s Antiques Appraisal Fair was the first one put on by the local AAUW chapter and it was a big success according to Joanna Browning, in charge of publicity for the event. This year’s fair will be open longer -- seven hours instead of four and there will be six more appraisers this year, she said.
"We had 350 people come last year to have their things appraised and we expect there will be a lot more this year, especially since we have more appraisers," Browning said. One of the appraisers who is expected to draw a crowd is C. L. Clark, an expert on 19th and 20th Century American and European art . Clark, who lives in Bakersfield, has more than 30 years of experience appraising works of art and is the only Accredited Senior Appraiser in fine arts/personal property serving the San Joaquin Valley. He is one of only 100 accredited experts in his field in the world.
Another big draw to this year’s event is an appraiser whose area of expertise is furniture. Buster Hewlett of Hewlett Antique and Estate Auctions in LeGrand will conduct furniture and general appraisals.
"If they can carry it in easily, they can bring it," Browning said of furniture appraisals. To get an appraisal of a bigger item such as a large chest, several pictures of the piece should be provided that show it from every angle and clearly identify all markings.
The other appraisers will provide appraisals for books, printed glass, emphemora (paper items), radios, cut glass, clocks and watches, advertising items, records, old bottles, toys, German tin, Tonka toys and dolls. There also will be appraisers for decoys, Old West items and weapons, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toy vehicles, jewelry, silver and silver plate, US and World coins, comic books, political memorabilia and children’s books, as well as general appraising for items that don’t fit into a specific category.
Pete Culver, owner of Collectiques, an antiques and collectibles store, at 1733 Canal Street in Merced, helped line up appraisers again for this year’s appraisal fair and will also return to do general appraisals.
"Last year, my partner, Kathy Smith, and I had a steady line of people 30 to 40 people long for four straight hours," Culver said. "We’ll have a lot more help this year with more appraisers who are really good at what they do. I expect they could have three times the people seeking appraisals than they had last year."
So why is everyone lining up to have their possessions appraised? "To find out what your stuff is worth, that’s basically what it is," Culver said, explaining the popularity of appraisal fairs and road shows. "There’s a million things people can collect and they want to know something about their collectibles. You can’t always go to San Francisco or LA or make the appraisal fairs, they’re too hard to get in and too far away."
When it comes to appraisals, he said, "The appraisal we offer is what a reasonable person would pay for these things."
At last year’s event, Culver looked at a variety of collectibles from Civil War trunks and guns to Central American artifacts, silver, pottery and old toys. "I saw a lot of beautiful pieces and some were extremely valuable. It was nice to have people bring them out and let people see them for a short time."
Some people returned to their homes last year to bring in additional items for appraisal. "Some people came back three times," he said. "We do the best we can but there will be a few things people will bring in that we don’t have the answer for when it comes to an appraisal." Culver said it’s sometimes too time-consuming to research an item at an appraisal fair, but added that if he can’t determine an appraised value for an item at the fair, he’ll research it later.
"It’s a good program for a good cause," Culver said, adding, "It’s nice to have something like this in our community."
There will be several displays of collections including Civil War artifacts, mementos of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency and World War II memorabilia, such as uniforms, weapons and "sweetheart jewelry". Other attractions at the fair will include vendors selling used books, antiques and home and garden items.
"The big draw is really the appraisals," Browning said. "People are so interested in that. They watch the PBS Antiques Road Show program and are curious about how much their things are worth."
Coffee and breakfast rolls will be for sale in the morning and sandwiches and snack items will be available in the afternoon.
Advance tickets for the AAUW’s main fund-raiser are available for sale at Collectiques, 1733 Canal St., the Merced Multicultural Arts Center, 645 W. Main St. and L’Epicurien, 3544 G St. For information, call 356-0279.
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