The antiques and collectables appraisal fundraiser at the Historical Society of Frankford was a first for me. The only thing old in our house is me so I didn’t think I would find it too rewarding. On the other hand I do enjoy the Antiques Roadshow on PBS and the somewhat funkier shows on the history channel like Pawn Stars. So I decided to give it a look. I did have an old atlas to take for appraisal and since it was a fundraiser, what the heck, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t worth anything. The money was going to support the HSF which is one of Frankford’s unrecognized treasures.
So last Tuesday night, there we were standing in line. I didn’t expect to do any video but I keep that little video camera in my pocket just in case and ended up using it. It was just like Antiques Road Show but on Orthodox Street. People had all sorts of stuff; clocks, radios, coke bottles, jewelry, clothing, flatware and fine old books such as mine. Most of the fun is in watching what other people have and wondering “what is that thing”.
What I cannot figure out is how these guys know all this stuff. Barry Slosberg and Rob Goldstein were doing the appraisals for Barry S. Slosberg Inc. I videod the entire appraisal of our humble atlas by Rob so you can get a feel for what they do. You have to pay attention because Barry was doing another appraisal right next to us. You get some history of the item, some historical context and then a guess at the value.
One guy had something that they did not identify except to say it was definitely old and authentic and worth doing some more research on. Everybody was having a good time and a lot of people were just enjoying the show. All in all a fun time. Now I have to look for something really old for next year.
One item of note is that last night was the last meeting of the HSF for outgoing president Rev. Paul Andell. He is retiring from his post as pastor of St. James Lutheran Church and returning to the home of his ancestors in Minnesota. He will be missed. He can be seen at the very end of the video.
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