http://www.sptimes.com/2004/01/18/Hillsborough/A_price_on_priceless.shtml

TAMPA - With their treasures protected by towels, bundled in bubble wrap and
covered with paper, they came wondering.

What’s it worth? When was it made? Is the family legend true?

They were all participants Saturday in the most recent Antique Evaluation,
hosted each month in the University of Tampa’s Plant Hall, adjacent to the
Henry B. Plant Museum.

Some went away disappointed.

Jeff Crawford came from Tarpon Springs with two small creamers that,
according to family members, had been used in the White House.

Not true, appraiser Ashby Moody assured them. More likely, they came from a
hotel.

On the other hand, appraiser Jay Hunter Loiselle cooed over a Windsor chair
owned by Tori Johnston of Brandon.

“The form is terrific,” he said.

Johnston’s grandparents were antique collectors who bought the chair in the
1920s. It had been passed on to Johnston, and she wanted to know how much it
might be worth.

“I’d hate to keep it for 20 years and then find out it’s kindling,” she
said.

Her Internet searches revealed that similar chairs were selling for more
than $30,000. Perhaps she was sitting on something just as valuable.

Loiselle examined the chair’s legs, ran a finger over its back, turned it
over and looked closely at the bottom of the seat.

“It’s a very fine chair,” he said.

The splayed legs, uneven number of spindles and well-defined turnings all
indicated it was an original Windsor dating from the mid 1700s. A repair
that looked like it was made in the 1840s knocked a bit off the chair’s
worth.

But the paint was the main problem. The characteristic green paint, where 95
percent of a Windsor chair’s value lies, was not original.

His final evaluation: about $1,500. Had the paint been original, he said, it
might have been worth $15,000.

Elsewhere, Rosalyn Gibbs of Tampa unrolled two large round pieces of
Hawaiian cloth. All Gibbs knew is that they were bought by family members
who lived in Hawaii in the early 1900s. She wanted to know more.

Fine art expert Frances Redell-White said she thinks the pieces are made of
bark and painted with vegetable pigments. But a primitive art expert at a
major auction house would have to provide details.

Shirley Mahler wanted an evaluation of a book about women’s fashion printed
in 1813 with hand-colored illustrations.

Part of the book’s worth was its 200-year-old social commentary, Loiselle
noted. It advised women to dress with “Taste and Judgment, Elegance and
Grace, Modesty, Simplicity and Economy.” A far cry from the counsel found in
Cosmopolitan magazine, Loiselle said.

Andy Bermejo brought photographs of his 1960s moped. Joan Schabacker was
curious about a 100-year-old battle ax that she saved from her neighbor’s
trash.

The museum has been hosting the evaluations for nearly 20 years, said
Cynthia Gandee, executive director of the Henry B. Plant Museum.

Participants pay $5 for each piece evaluated; appraisers judge large items
based on photographs. The event Saturday drew almost 90 people, and some
paid for multiple evaluations, Gandee said.

The money generated barely pays for the cost of running the event.

It does, however, raise awareness of the museum, Gandee said.

All participants get free passes to the museum, which houses European
furniture and art that were in the building when it was the Tampa Bay Hotel
in the late 1800s - a perfect fit for people interested in antiques.

“Everyone here is a potential supporter of the museum,” Gandee said.

Most of the people at Saturday’s event brought family heirlooms.

Evelyn Conti of Tampa discovered that a dozen or so English sterling silver
pieces that have been in her family for several generations are worth about
$700. More important, she learned that a serving spoon dated from 1810,
which offered insight into her family tree.

Margerita Schoenau of Brandon brought a violin that had belonged to her
grandmother, who immigrated to the United States from Germany. She wondered
whether it would retain its value if she mounted it on a wall.

Loiselle figured it might be 80 to 100 years old and valued the instrument
at about $150.

“The fact that it descended in your family makes it valuable,” he told
Schoenau. “So put it out and enjoy it.”

¬(c) Copyright 2002-2004, St. Petersburg Times

• If you plan to work with a professional, be sure to choose someone qualified and trustworthy. The appraiser should have no interest in buying or selling the items; only in assigning values.

• Handle distribution of items among family members with sensitivity because it can cause rifts that last a lifetime. It may be best to get an appraiser to assign value to items to ensure fairness.

• Choose the proper market. You don’t put a Matisse in a garage sale or a Beanie Baby in an auction at Sotheby’s. A fine piece of furniture may be worth more in a larger market, but will the shipping costs override the difference?

• If you’re having your estate appraised, be sure to show the appraiser everything. Lots of people forget to show the appraiser the things under the sink in the laundry room, garage or attic.

• Be aware that appraisers typically charge an hourly rate for service. Be wary of anyone who bases his or her charges on a percentage of the value of the items they are appraising.

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 259-7150 or bmanion@tampatrib.com.

Keep sentimental items in the family.

Maybe a relative has died and left you a house full of furniture, knickknacks, china and clothing.

Or you’ve just ended a decades-long marriage.

The kids have moved out; you’re sick of your decor; or, just possibly, you need the money more than you need all your stuff.

Whatever the reason, it’s time to unload. If you’re like most people, you probably need some guidance to maximize your profits.

You have three options, says Frances Redell-White, a certified appraiser: Pass along the item to another family member, sell it or donate it to charity.

Passing It On

The best option for items with historical or sentimental value is to keep it in the family. If you sell it, you often can’t get it back.

Another downside: Family rifts can occur when you’re divvying up an estate and the brother gets the grandfather clock while the sister gets a chipped teapot.

It’s wise to have an appraiser value the items so each family member gets a fair share.

Selling It

Private selling: It’s usually the fastest way to divest. Another advantage: You get to keep the full payment; you don’t have to give a cut to a middleman. Options include selling to an individual, to a private dealer, through a classified advertisement or through a garage sale.

Consignment: Whoever you work with will typically take 30 percent to 50 percent of the sale price, but that is negotiable. You can consign with a dealer who specializes in the type of item you are selling, which will typically bring you a better price, or you can sell through a general consignment shop.

Estate tag sale: This is a good way to sell a house full of items. The inventory must be worth several thousand dollars or it’s unlikely you’ll find someone to hold a sale for you.

This option is not a good idea if you’re living in the deceased’s home because people coming to the sale may be there to case your house for a future break-in.

Auction: You will typically get 70 percent to 90 percent of the proceeds. Each item sells to the highest bidder, which can be good or bad, depending on how the bidding goes.

It doesn’t take long to sell the items, but you may have to wait months for the auction to be held. Because you can’t control how much people will bid, your best protection is setting minimum bids on items of the most value.

Auction houses can be local, national or international. Typically, very valuable items do better in national or international venues. Your best bet is to find an auction house that sells locally and over the Internet. Where you sell your items makes a difference. An antique card table sold in Central Florida went for $1,400, Redell-White says. The same table sold for more than $1 million a short time later in New England.

Internet: When items are worth $100 or less and are widely known, such as Barbie dolls and Gucci handbags, selling on eBay or another Internet site probably is your best bet.

Donating

Giving to charity may be the best option if you’re looking for a tax break, have an item of value that would be difficult to sell or simply want to give back to your community. An appraisal establishes a value for tax purposes.