You may have attended one of my antiques appraisal shows or you may have read about some of the places that I have visited or the people I have met. Ever since 1998, I have continued to present my appraisal events to live audiences across the country. It is fun to hear the stories of how someone acquired a vintage or antique piece. Recently, I met some folks with some interesting stories to share.
Raining jewelry
I met Kelly in rainy Seattle. He wanted me to appraise a gorgeous Native American necklace, in the squash blossom form with semi-precious stones, during my appraisal event. I asked him how he acquired it and he told me that it was a tip. I ask, "A tip?!" He replied, "Yes. I was waiting on a table and when I returned to pick up my tip, this necklace was on the table on top of the bill. I handed it to my manager and he held onto it, expecting the diners to call the restaurant or come to pick it up. About a month later, no one called about the necklace and my manager gave it to me announcing, 'I guess it IS your tip.'"
I told him the necklace was probably the best tip any waiter ever received. His circa 1920s squash blossom necklace from New Mexico is worth $5,000. That's what I call a good day at work!
Print versus drawing
At an appraisal event in Kansas City, I met a woman named Jane who got a great deal and didn't even realize it. Jane brought a picture of an eagle that she bought at an estate sale for $2 to one of my events. She maintained that even though she didn't pay much for it, she was sure it was a valuable print by Pablo Picasso. I respectfully disagreed with her. She started to raise her voice. As she did, I reassured her that what she had was not a Picasso print worth $1,200, but instead a Picasso drawing worth $50,000. She had an original and didn't even know it.
Don't believe pickers
In Hazleton, I presented an appraisal event at a shopping mall. A couple brought a large Impressionist snowscape painting that had been in their family for generations to the event. Before the start of the event, two men approached the couple and offered $8,000 for the painting on the spot. The couple declined. They explained that they had brought the painting to be appraised by me and that they were going to find out what the painting was worth.
They were wise to ignore the offer from these two "pickers" who had only offered a tiny fraction of the painting's actual value. It was a 1930s American Impressionist painting by one of Pennsylvania's premier artists. I told them another painting like theirs had recently sold for $100,000, not a measley $8,000. They were thrilled and took the painting home to share the news with their children and grandchildren.
(Celebrity Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author and award-winning TV personality Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events nationwide. Attend Dr. Lori's free antiques appraisal event at the Prime of Life Expo at the Susquehanna Valley Mall in Selinsgrove at noon Feb. 18. For more information, visit www.DrLoriV.com, www.Facebook.com/DoctorLori or call (888) 431-1010.)