Monthly Archives: May 2011

Everyone has heard of Antiques Road Show, but antique appraisal and treasure hunting TV shows abound these days. Check out the ones we found and let us know your favorites.

Antiques Road Show – http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/

Watch the traveling show that offers free antique and collectable appraisals from the nations leading experts.

American Pickers – http://www.history.com/shows/american-pickers

Follow pickers Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz as they drive all over the US in search for a forgotten gem they can restore to its former self.

Auction Hunters – http://www.spike.com/shows/auction-hunters

This show follows Clinton “Ton” Jones and Allen Haff as they hunt for treasure in the unclaimed property auction business.

Auction Kings – http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/auction-kings/

Go behind the scenes at auction house Gallery 63 with owner Paul Brown and follow the process of acquisition and sale of distinctive items.

Cash in the Attic – http://www.hgtv.com/cash-in-the-attic/show/index.html

Expert appraisers Tim Luke and Christine Downing scour attics, garages and basements for obscure heirlooms and see if the families will sell their items after the revealed value.

Junk Brothers – http://www.hgtv.com/junk-brothers/show/index.html

Brothers Steve and Jim Kelley literally make one man’s trash another man’s treasure.

Hollywood Treasure – http://www.syfy.com/hollywoodtreasure/about

Travel the world with Joe Maddalena as he searches for Hollywood and pop culture memorabilia.

Oddities – http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/oddities/

This show concentrates on strange science artifacts through the company Manhattan’s Obscura Antiques & Oddities.

What the Sell – http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/what-the-sell

Watch a family of appraisers run their Chicago based antique store, The Perfect Thing.

And remember, with 460 vendors and 88,000 s.f. of merchandise at The Depot, you don’t need TV to find antiques or collectibles. It’s all here under one air-conditioned roof in Concord, NC.

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With so many valuable items passing through The Depot, this week we decided to interview a local antique appraisal expert about her experience in the business.

Vivian Riegelman, ASA, ISA CAPP is the owner of AAA Appraisal in Charlotte, NC. We originally met Vivian when she spoke at a Depot event for the Charlotte Chapter of the Interior Design Society (IDS).

Depot: How did you get started in the business?

Riegelman: I started in the antique business in New York City in the early 1970’s. I was writing scrapcraft articles for teen & children’s magazines and would hunt the thrift shops for usable junk. Although I really knew nothing about antiques, I would occasionally come across something that looked old to me and would buy it to consign to a friend’s antique shop. It didn’t take me long to get hooked on the stuff.

Depot: How long have you been practicing in Charlotte, NC?

Riegelman: I have been in the Charlotte area since 1978 and started selling at Metrolina shortly after that. I opened an antique shop in Waxhaw after we moved here in 1982.  I went to Indiana University in 1988 to start learning about appraising.

Depot: What is your expertise/specialty?

Riegelman: I am a generalist and know a little bit about a lot of things, but I tend to concentrate on late 19th/early 20th century antiques and collectibles – particularly glass, ceramics, silver & furniture.

Depot: What has been your most valuable find yet and why?

Riegelman: Valuable does not always mean most expensive. The single most expensive thing I own is a Victorian walnut etagere that I bought at a local auction. The most valuable is a Vienna bronze epergne with swinging blackamoors that I saw at a Miami Beach Antique Show. I fell in love with it but couldn’t afford it; my boys chipped in and bought it for my birthday.

Depot: Have you found anything special at The Depot?

Riegelman: I purchased a lovely cobalt blue Nippon vase with floral decoration that now graces my dining room.

Depot: If you could give one piece of advice to someone who loves to collect antiques, what would it be?

Riegelman: Study, study, study. Learn as much as you can about the things you love.

Learn more about Vivian and her appraisal services at http://www.charlotteantiqueappraiser.com/.  To reach her, call (704) 843-4033.

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Antique wooden furniture can go from grimy to shiny with a little elbow grease.  Seeing so many wonderful wooden pieces come through The Depot at Gibson Mill lately inspired us to find out how to clean, restore and preserve them.

We found the following sites helpful and worth passing along:

How to Clean Grime Off of Antique Wood | eHow.com
How to Clean and Restore Antique Wood | ehow.com
How to Restore Wooden Furniture Finish | tlc.howstuffworks.com

It’s important to note that wooden valuables should be maintained by a professional.

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Well, not really, but their looks speak volumes. Even at a glance, you can often tell the age, value and sometimes the manufacturing location of an antique glass bottle.

Age: The seam line, also known as the mold line, is the quickest way to determine age according to where it ends along the bottle. Click here for date break down.

Value: Keep three things in mind…condition, color, and embossing.

- Condition: The closer the bottle to its original state the higher the value. Remember to avoid chips, cracks, stains or visible wear.

- Color: There are many variations of color. The more unusual the color the higher the value.

• Low Value Colors: Clear, Amber and Aqua
• Medium Value Colors: Black, Teal Blue, Green, Olive and Milk Glass
• High Value Colors: Vaseline Glass, Purple, Yellow Green, Cobalt Blue and Puce

- Embossing: The more embossing the better specifically detailed information and unusual or crude designs.

Manufacturing Location: Embossing was commonly used to relay information about the contents or the bottle itself. Often you can read the manufacturer and patent date. Sometimes the maker, proprietor, state, city, or other pertinent information can be found as well.

The Depot has hundreds of antique glass bottles for sale and you may have some around your home so take this new found knowledge and see what these bottles are saying.

SOURCES:

http://antiques.lovetoknow.com/Value_of_Old_Bottles

http://www.sha.org/bottle/pontil_scars.htm

http://reviews.ebay.com/How-to-Date-the-Age-of-Glass-Bottles_W0QQugidZ10000000001631665

http://www.bottlebooks.com/determin.htm

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