A Recap of Astor’s 1st Annual Antique Appraisal Event
At the moment I alighted from my car in the parking lot of the Alumnae House at Vassar College on Saturday, they were there! The pros had arrived with treasures.
Kneeling into their cars, shopping bags in hand, re-wrapping old pictures and to my surprise, my friend Les joined the value seeking crowd—wearing a ring he inherited weeks ago from a family member.
Perfect timing. He wanted an appraisal to determine whether to sell it or vault it VALUE: upwards of $25,000.
The Vassar Alumnae House is a classic example of American-Tudor style architecture and is often called the “House of a Thousand Treasures” because most of the contents were donated or made possible by Vassar alumnae.
Perfect Conversation Starters
Now that is what we call Astor event synergy and the perfect venue to what was a thrilling and delightful afternoon. The sense of camaraderie was spurred on by the sharing of our stories pre- and post-appraisal. The antiquities were conversation starters with an instant affinity group for those musty items from the attic.
Our auctioneers stood at their respective stations, computers ready to tally up, guests hovering, craning their necks to “see” the valuables before the appraisal created a log jam of people and property.
As one auctioneer said,
We were all very impressed with the diversity and quality of items that we appraised today. It is always so wonderful as an appraiser to have this.
One guest (speaking as part of a couple) couldn’t contain her excitement and said:
The best $200 we have spent in years. Not only were we able to get some great news on some items that have been sitting in our closet for years; we were able to support a great cause.
And What Is This? Some Verbal Appraisals:
A rug valued at $5,000, a book with a value of up to $1000, a photo of Mickey Mouse, signed by Walt Disney, valued at $3000, and a painting with a value of $20,000
Astor Services for Children & Families held their annual Hudson Valley Reception this year to honor Jan Weido, a beloved member of the Astor staff, with the monies raised to fulfill his dream of building a bicycle path for the children at our Rhinebeck residence.
For those guests who came to the Antique Event just to peek into the past, there was a terrific silent auction with prices more in line with today – something for everyone.
Dr. David Crenshaw, Astor Board co-chair had a skip in his step as he left the Alumnae House with a ceramic bowl made by Jan Weido, his win in the silent auction.