ep89 On air antiques appraisals, a great Civil War auction and more

Click on the play button above to listen to this episode, and follow along with the show notes below. To listen to any of the back episodes of the show, use the multi-episode player found elsewhere on this page. 

This is an on the air appraisal edition of the auctionwally show.  If you’d like to have me appraise an item on the air, send it to ask@auctionwally.com I may not be able to get to all the requests, but I’ll do my best.

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There will be links to all the sites I’m talking about on the show at the bottom of the page.

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What’s new:

I’ve got a new site called MassAuctioneer.info If you want to find out how to hire me for an event, need a recommendation for a Massachusetts auctioneer or have a specific question about the auction business find me there.

Also at MassAuctioneer.info,  I’ll  have information on my upcoming Barre MA auctions, Estate auctions, and special event auctions. And I’m available to consult with new auctioneers and auction houses that are just starting up, so I can help with that too.

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Worthpoint.com reached two milestones recently.  Worthpoint is the online Worthopedia where you can find out the value of antiques and collectibles, consult with Worthologists and more. They just hit over 50 million items in the Worthopedia, and they made the Quantcast 1000 list which is a big deal in the online world, so congrats to Will Seippel and crew on that.

They’ve been working hard to bring you as much information on antiques and collectibles as they possibly can. I covered this story a bit more in depth through an Examiner.com interview with the CEO of Worthpoint Will Seippel. Here’s a link to that interview.

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OK, let’s talk about some of the upcoming items in the January Civil War auction being held at Fontaines Auction Gallery in Pittsfield MA on January 16th. Pittsfield is right here in the beautiful MA Berkshire mountains, but if you can’t make the auction, I suggest popping in through the iCollector.com doorway where you can bid live an in real-time against the floor.

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The first on air appraisal I want to do comes to us from Judy, and she says:

Hi Auction Wally,

I recently found a beautiful Hawkeye Refrigerator Basket.  It is in great shape and seems complete.  I have been looking for information about the basket on the internet but I cannot seem to find much.  I was hoping you would be able to age the piece for me and tell me anything you would know about it. 

The stamp on the top is black lettering trimmed with gold and says that the patent is pending.  The metal inside is has some surface rust on it but that would seem appropriate to me if it is an antique.  I have included some pictures for you to give a better idea of what you are looking at. 
 
Please, any information would be wonderful.  I can’t seem to find if this was the only company that even made baskets like this. 
 
Take care,

Judy

 AW says:

Listen to the episode to hear this appraisal

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Bill says:

Hi again Wally,

 

I recently sent an online appraisal request for a toy magic lantern with slides. These are some additional pictures and additional info that should have been included in the first e-mail. The base is 6” by 4”. Its height is 9”.

It is made of a thin metal probably tin. I don’t know if it is supposed to have a chimney. There is a glass lens in the piece which comes for to expose the wick. Also a glass lens in the horizontal tubular piece. I don’t know if there is supposed to be another lens piece that goes on the horizontal tubular piece.

 

Thanks again.

 

Bill

Bonanzle Booth “Washashore”

AW says:  Listen to the episode to hear the appraisal.

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                                                           Speaking of appraisals:

   Did you know that you do not need a license to conduct professional antiques, collectibles, valuables, aka ” personal property” appraisals? It’s 100% true!

The biggest myth in the appraisals business is “that you need to be licensed or certified to do professional personal property appraisal work.”

The fact is, you may already have what it takes to be a highly paid, professional appraiser.  If you have that, you MOST certainly can charge between $75.00 and $150 per hour for appraisal work. Not only that, you can actually get it, but you must  follow a strict appraisal guideline protocol to have your appraisals be accepted by legal institutions and insurance companies.

There are appraisal “societies and guilds”, which require a hefty membership fee and a lengthy, unnecessary testing process, but you do not need to be a member of these groups to be able to perform professional appraisals. The truth is, that to perform an acceptable appraisal, all  you need to do is follow a certain strict but simple protocol.

 I can teach you the required protocol in a one day private seminar! That’s right! I can teach you how to write professional appraisals and start getting work in a one day private seminar, and I’ll show you how to start getting jobs.

Find out more about this great opportunity.

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Let’s look at a a couple more items which I’ve appraised recently:

Marilyn asks:

Hello, I want to have an Empire sofa appraised.  It has been in my husband’s family since the early 19th Century.  The original owner lived in upstate New York.  The sofa is tight and firm.  The veneer, however, is chipped in places.  Still it’s a beautiful piece.


Marilyn

AW says: That’s a beautiful Empire sofa. It’s been re-upholstered as you likely know. The reason I know this is that the original upholstery was much darker on these are a rule, or they were red.

This is a bit later than you’d stated, the “early” Empire period contained mostly neo-classical style, your sofa is more in the “Elepantine” style which came later. (See the scrolled arms and feet, for evidence of the Elephant look.)

These are generally well-constructed pieces that are comfortable to sit in for longer periods, so they are a great piece for a homemaker. Decorators may choose them too, but they are not in high favor with most antiques dealers at the time of writing this, as is the case with much Empire style furniture. 

Those reasons and the condition of the veneer, are keeping this from reaching the price range of many of it’s peers.

Circa 1850-85

Retail value, $325

Wholesale $125

Quick sale value: $50

Keywords = Empire, divan, sofa, federal, rosewood veneer,

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Before we go on to the next appraisal, I want to let you know that the AuctionWally Show is syndicated on Scott Antique Radio, a division of Scott Antiques Markets.

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Peter asks: What can you tell me about this lighter?

Listen to the episode to hear this appraisal:

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I’d like to give a shout out here to my friend Keri from AntiqueTherapy.com and take a minute to let you know about her site and what’s going on there at the moment.

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Thanks for listening, upcoming episodes of the AuctionWally Show will include an interview with antiques price guide books seller, Sherri Arnold from FYI & friend Mitzi Swisher from TheVintageList.com more on the air antiques appraisals, and if I can make it to the auction, some video coverage of the Fontaine Gallery Civil War Auction.

Here’s Brainpool with “This is Junk”, you can find Brainpool at www.myspace.com/brainpool

Don’t forget, you can subscribe to, and review the AuctionWally Show in iTunes, you can also use your favorite feed reader to subscribe.

And of course, you can also find the show on the Talkshoe Network.

If you like the show, I hope you’ll tell a friend about it, and maybe give it a Stumble, Tweet it up, or hit the digg button for me.

Links to places mentioned in the show:

Fontaine’s Civil War Auction January 16th.

ICollector.com - Your online doorway into the live auction houses.

AntiqueTherapy.com  Some people need it!

Worthpoint.com - Home of the Worthopedia

Become an appraiser: Start earning $75 to $150 per hour as an antiques appriaser.

Scott Antique Market where you can also find Scott Antique Radio:

Auctionzip.com  The largest live auction locator.