Fans of the “Antiques Roadshow” hauled their treasures to Edgemere senior living Wednesday afternoon to have the items appraised by Gary Piattoni, one of the show’s stars.
Piattoni must be used to seeing disappointed faces. He kicked off his presentation by acknowledging that many things have sentimental value.
“But we’re here to put dollars on it,” he said. “So that’s what we’re going to do.”
He worked his way down a long table, picking up glassware, mirrors and antique dolls. One woman had purchased a miniature portrait from a local antique mall for $94.
“The frame alone is worth two to three hundred,” Piattoni said authoritatively. He valued the painting at $800. The crowd oohed and aahed.
He became particularly excited over a blue art deco vase. “It’s Durand,” he explained, adding that it would sell for about $20,000-$25,000. “It has a lot of things going for it.”
The woman who brought the piece didn’t seem surprised. An appraiser a couple years back valued it around $15,000.
Not everyone received good news. Ivory is almost impossible to sell due to current legislation, so Piattoni recommended the owner of an elephant tusk chess set display the item on a coffee table.
Another man believed his cast iron mask was from the 16th or 17th century. The salesperson told him so. Piattoni broke the news that it was probably from the 19th.
“These stories can be apocryphal,” he said. “All it takes it one drunk uncle saying ‘It belongs to Napoleon’ and suddenly it belongs to Napoleon.”
