Frances Kirkpatrick felt like she was entering a lottery as she waited in line at a local antique roadshow Saturday.
A vase, a Japanese figurine and a bracelet were all potential jackpots, and she was there to have them appraised.
But it's more about the fun of antiques than the money, she said.
About 70 people had some 160 items appraised during Haven Hospice Attic's Antique Roadshow.
Haven Hospice Attic held the show to raise money for end-of-life care. The store carries thrift and antique items. Participants paid $5 per antique appraisal, with a three-item limit. In addition, the extra traffic that the show brought earned the Attic several thousand dollars more than usual.
John Sikorski, the appraiser and host of the local antique appraisal radio show Sikorski's Attic, estimated the values of items, pointed out what contributed to or detracted from an item's worth and suggested where people could find out more about their items.
He appraised items spanning from a pair of antique Patek Philippe watches, which could sell for thousands a piece, to a metal infant's coffin, for which he didn't know of a market.
As Kirkpatrick stood in front of Sikorski's table holding her three antiques, the appraiser set his eyes on the Japanese figure, a sitting woman holding a planting pot. Sikosrki felt that there was no market for the figure, valuing at less than $15.
The bracelet, made of painted mother-of-pearl tiles framed in silver, was quite a find, Sikorski said. The markings and style led him to believe it was Persian and he appraised the jewelry at between $250 and $500.
The vase, a wedding gift to Kirkpatrick's mother, was worth between $50 and $100 according to Sikorski. "It was exciting," she said afterwards. "I don't plan on selling any of it though."
The show's most expensive item was a Martin acoustic guitar from 1975. Sikorski estimated its worth at $5,000 to $7,500.
