Palmer/Wirfs & Associates' website celebrates the company's status as having America's Largest Antique & Collectible Shows. That was news to me, in spite of my close proximity to Portland. I also do not know how my mother came to have this particular postcard in her desk in 2000, the year she died. My guess is that she thought it would be interesting to have some of her parents' antiques evaluated. None of those items were ever appraised and now that I own half of them I'm going to tuck this information away for possible future reference. I'm not in any way a collector or expert of antiques, but it seems to me that having antiques appraised during a recession would bring different results than having appraisals done during a vibrant economy. Maybe an evaluation would be more realistic during a poor economy, but selling your stuff during a recession would have to net you less than if you waited for better times when just about everything would be inflated in value.
Of the venues listed on this postcard for antique shows back in 2000 I have been inside three of them: Portland Expo--where a boring date took me to see a boat show in the late 1980s, The Cow Palace in San Francisco--where in the mid 1970s the ex- and I saw the Paul McCartney and Wings show from backstage because the ex's brother was a roadie for Paul, and The Tacoma Dome--where, somewhat ironically, Michael my husband and I saw Paul McCartney's Back in the U.S. concert in 2002.
I've never been to an antiques show, although I've been in antiques shops in several cities. Quite frankly, living around the antiques that I have inherited (yes, I have an emotional attachment to them) makes me disinclined to want to ever attend an antiques show. I'm still dying to get inside the Ikea store in Portland, and from what I see on the website and from scenes in the captivating movie 500 Days of Summer, Ikea is about as far as you can get from the world of antiques.
Give me insight into today and you may have the antique and future worlds. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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6 comments:
I am not an antique buff and have very few of my families treasures. Due to arguments between my step-sister, half-brother and (then young)sister who was the executrix of the estate, the antiques were sold at auction. I did have my grandfather's dominoes in a fancy wooden box, his signature shaving mug, my great-grandmother's locket watch and (my favorite) a gold oaken bucket watch fob with white gold leaves decorating it. I gave all of these items to my son and daughter. The post cards, etc. ended up in the other half-siblings hands so I have nothing left.
The antiques are so cute like the old things in life...
Like Darlene I have very few antiques, some of my family things are in the Pioneer Museum(funny thing-my favorite drinking cup was stolen from the museum in the 1980's, they never found out who took it) but anyway I think you are wise to wait to see the value of your pieces. Looking at them and enjoying them are priceless (LOL, I sound like a master card ad) :)
I apologize for not responding to these comments earlier!
@Darlene- I thought a lot about what you wrote (to the point it felt that I had responded!) and I think it's terribly sad that the estate of your parents went the way it did. It is strange how relatives act after the death of a loved one. Greed is a sickening offshoot of the grief, it seems. I do hope that your son and daughter love and appreciate the items you passed on to them. But I think it's sad that you don't have a few things from the past with you now...
@Phivos- Yes they are lovely. I think they even blend well with more modern pieces if the arrangement is carefully thought out. :)
@Looking to the Stars- The Pioneer Museum has some of your family's antiques? That is very special, my friend. I am sorry that your drinking cup was stolen...perhaps it will turn up in a part of the museum one day (let's hope). I can't imagine what it would be like having some of my family's stuff in a museum!
Sad you obviously no nothing about the Antique business or Palwer Wirfs. Yet you attempt to make some mockery of their business?
By the way the antiques ARE Evaluated, not Appraised. This is done solely for the owner to know if they may have something of value. It is not used to buy antiques or collectibles from people at a discount because of the failing "economy". Jesus.
If you going to assume things, well you know what that does don;t you?
Try to do some research before you speak on a subject you're unfamiliar with.
jamie~ O, I see. You are one of those who leave flame messages at others' blogs but have a locked-down site yourself, so there is no opportunity to visit your blog/website to learn from one so wise.
First, I repeat my fifth sentence in this post: I'm not in any way a collector or expert of antiques, but it seems to me that having antiques appraised during a recession would bring different results than having appraisals done during a vibrant economy.
I admitted straight-out that I'm not an expert in antiques. But I used to be a licensed general lines insurance agent in Oregon, where we REGULARLY had APPRAISALS of jewelry/antiques/collectibles submitted by insureds (that's the industry term for people insured by the company) in order to add additional coverage for those items. These APPRAISALS were done by experts and were done to set a "replacement value" of the particular item. So, having worked in an industry that used the word appraisal it was what I thought was a universal term. And I still think it is a universal term.
Additionally, I see ads run by Portland merchants every once in awhile that offer "FREE APPRAISALS." They do not call this service FREE EVALUATIONS. So excuse me for using a term that you do not agree with, but I stand by my usage of it and would bet you that most people refer to this activity as "appraising" rather than "evaluating."
Please follow the link to PBS's Antiques Roadshow page titled: Understanding our Appraisals. Where they do state what "technically" an appraisal is, they go on to call their services appraisals by appraisers. It's simply standard language that I guess you cannot accept. Jesus.
Now, as to whether antiques sell for less in a poor economy as opposed to a great economy...yes, I do assume that. But it is an assumption based on observation of some of the "steals" you see out there on ebay and I bet the same is true at auctions. When people are in dire financial conditions they let precious items go for less than they are worth simply because they need the money. And there are plenty of disreputable businesses willing to rip them off under these conditions. In no way did I imply or mean to imply, nor should you have assumed that I was implying (making you a you-know-what) that the company of Palmer Wirfs & Associates was or is in any way complicit in such repugnant behavior. In fact, I would be surprised if that were the case.
Finally, I have given you the benefit of the doubt for being a somewhat intelligent person, in spite of your using the word "no" when you meant "know" - as in I know nothing about the antique business - in your incendiary opening sentence.
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