Published: November 07, 2009 09:39 pm      

What's that worth?

Where can you find a rifle carried and used in the Civil War, a wind-up toy snake from 1900 and a spoon holder or “spooner” from the late 1800s? Goshen Historical Society’s Objects of Desire antique appraisal event, of course.

The biannual event, held at Maplecrest Country Club, allows area residents to find out just how much that vase in the attic or family heirloom displayed proudly on the mantle, is actually worth. So each attendee came, hoping their favorite antique might be worth as much to others as it was to them.

Appraiser Karl Gates, who has been working the show for 15 years, had his own favorite.

“There’s a little medal that the Belgian government gave to the soldiers of Belgium that’s really handsome, it’s bronze. There were few of them, so they’re much more precious,” he said.

The medallion, made between 1914 and 1915, was also appraised at a stop of the televised “Antiques Roadshow” recently, although it didn’t make it on the show. Gates appraised it at between $1,200 and $1,400.

The highest-appraised item at the afternoon event was a platinum and diamond watch estimated at $18,000. Most of the day’s antiques were appraised at between $80 and $250. Gates also has experience appraising items worth much, much more.

Just in Indiana, he has come across a snuff box from Edward J. Smith, captain of the R.M.S. Titanic, as well as a mirror that belonged to Marie Antoinette that he said the French government is trying to buy back for $500 million.

“This Sunday, I was at a place and they had a letter from Frank L. Baum, who wrote ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ talking to a little kid who was 8 years old, about the next book,” Gates said. “Well that was worth $20,000, the people didn’t have any idea.”

He said documents are the least common items brought to appraising events, in his experience, with old glassware being the most common.

Attendees were just as excited about the event as Gates.

“It’s just interesting seeing the different things here, hearing what they’re worth and getting the history of the pieces,” Goshen resident Tom Pinkerman said.

Pinkerman brought a copy of “The World’s Work” magazine from April of 1916. He had held on to the periodical due to one of its headlined articles, “Villa’s Raid and Its Aftermath,” about the actions of Pancho Villa, a general of the Mexican Revolution. The magazine was appraised at $20.

In total, close to 100 items were appraised at the event.

A collection of small decorated Christmas trees and 24-inch wreaths were on display in the entryway, part of the historical society’s annual silent auction. They will be on display at the Goshen Historical Museum until Dec. 4.