Antiques Roadshow Expert Comes to Cary
Cary, NC- Do you have some undocumented piece of family memorabilia that you think might be worth a fortune? Now’s your chance to find out at the Friends of Page-Walker‘s Antiques Appraisal Fair on November 8, 2014.
If you have ever watched Antiques Roadshow, you’ve seen people have their heirlooms appraised, sometimes to find out they possess something of real value, and sometimes they are just sentimental family pieces. The Friends of Page-Walker Hotel are bringing Ken Farmer, a regular on the show, to appraise antiques at their 2nd appraisal fair.
Ken Farmer
Farmer is a partner in the firm Quinn & Farmer Auctions of Charlottesville, VA and will be bringing two other appraisers with him, one of whom is an expert on antique jewelry.
I asked Pat Fish, President of the Friends of Page-Walker, how she managed to snag an appraiser from the popular TV show. She answered “I just called him! Perhaps I sent an email first, and explained that we are a non-profit and this is a fundraiser, and that we wanted to put on an appraisal fair for the community.” They were immediately interested.
Farmer’s company also sees this as an opportunity for them to let the community know about their service. Charlottesville is only 2-3 hours away, and they can travel here for additional work.
Having an appraiser from the renowned show certainly lends credibility to the event.
300 Items in One Day
The fair will run from 9:00 in the morning until 4:00 pm, with an hour break in the middle for lunch. Pat Fish says the three person team will be able to appraise about 50 items per hour. That’s about 300 items in six hours!
Tickets are on sale to the general public and run $10 per appraised item. Visitors can have three items appraised, and each will receive a verbal appraisal. Tickets are chosen in one hour time slots in advance.
What To Bring
Only items that can be reasonably carried will be viewed (don’t bring your dining room set!). Of course, if you have something at home, you can always contact Farmer’s team to come for a visit at another time.
The Friends held a similar event two years ago that was very popular. With all the history in this area, there’s no doubt this event will sell out. Items that are of special interest for the appraisers: jewelry, Americana, decorative arts and Southern folk art.
A note from the Friends’ website states that stamps, coins and firearms WILL NOT be appraised.
An Evening of Tales From the Road
The Friends are also hosting an event the night before, in which Ken Farmer will discuss “Tales From The Road & New Discoveries”.
Listen to Ken describe interesting experiences he’s encountered while traveling the US and in the Charlottesville area. There will be time for questions. The discussion will be followed by a wine, cheese and dessert reception where guests can mingle with each other and the appraiser. Tickets for that event are $30 each with limited seating in the main gallery at Page-Walker Arts & History Center.
Event Info
Tales From the Road and New Discoveries by Ken Farmer
Friday, November 7, 2014 at 7:00 pm
Discussion, followed by wine, cheese and dessert reception
Page-Walker Arts & History Center, 119 Ambassador Loop
Tickets $30 per person
Antiques Appraisal Fair
Saturday, November 8, 2014 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Page-Walker Arts & History Center, 119 Ambassador Loop
Tickets are $10 per appraised item, a maximum of 3 items per person
Tickets can be purchased at The Cary Arts Center Box Office or online through ETix.
To find tickets for either event click here.
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Story by Lindsey Chester. Photo by Natalie Barletta.
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