There’s something about antiques, heirlooms and attic treasures that appeals to everyone. It’s like playing the lottery – you never know what you have hanging around the house that might make you rich!
Having just hosted Kaja Veilleux’s “Antiques Roadshow” at Candlepin Lodge for the benefit of Vinalhaven Eldercare services, I was astonished at just what people DID have hanging around the house. Unless you attend an event like this, a free appraisal day, you never would see anyone else’s “treasures.”
Kaja Veilleux, expert appraiser and auctioneer with 33 years of experience in the business, graciously donated his time to come to the island to do this show. He’s an amazing man. There’s no end to what he knows, about everything you can imagine. The poor fellow barely got in the door before everyone wanted to know about their stuff, crowding around, hardly letting him sit down. He then proceeded to talk, non-stop (no one would let him stop!) for the next six hours, all of us hanging on his every word.
To see such a parade of beautiful paintings, ceramics, cut glass, jewelry, carvings, canes, old guns, coins, decoys, textiles and family heirlooms is fascinating. Kaja explains what each item is, what it’s made of, where it comes from, how old it is and what it’s worth in a steady stream of comments as he examines it. He is a raconteur of great skill, interspersing his commentary with funny stories about the antique business – all of which is very entertaining.
Appraisals at this show ranged from $5 to $50,000. Every time a big number would come up for someone’s piece of art or jewelry, everyone ooh’d and ah’d – especially the person who owned it!
It occurred to me that owning a treasure could be a double-edged sword. Before you knew you had this treasure, you didn’t have to worry about it. It was all right in the attic, gathering dust, bothering nobody. When it’s brought to light and you find out it’s worth more than your house, what then? Where to put it so it won’t get damaged? Beggar yourself to insure it? Buy a safe? Put locks and bolts on all the doors and windows? Guard it with your life?
That scares me. I’d want to get rid of it right away. Sell it, give it away to a museum, do something with it rather than let it be a millstone around my neck, demanding I take care of it all my life! The truth of the matter is, however, that exquisite beauty and sentimental value are hard to get rid of – you want to hold on to them forever.
Kudos go to Kaja and everyone who brought in their antiques, heirlooms and treasures. Without all of you, this event would not have been such an informative and pleasant experience, as well as a successful fund raiser for the our old fellas.
So, somebody might have gotten rich from this roadshow – you never know. If they did, they probably aren’t going to tell anybody.
— By Rusty Warren