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Community Corner

Antiques Appraisal Can Separate Your Trash From Treasure

Antiques appraisal event to raise money for the Friends of the Library

Do you want to find out whether that clock passed down from your great-grandfather is really an expensive antique? Or maybe you have some memorabilia that you think could be valuable.

Well, take a closer look at the items on your shelves and dig around your basements, then bring them to the Warren Township Library this Saturday. Expert appraiser, Alan Snyder, is donating his services for a special Antiques Appraisal from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to raise money for the . Registration is required and can be done online or by calling 908-754-5554, ext. 64.

A contribution of at least $5 per person is requested.

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Snyder, of A.G. Snyder and Associates in Watchung, has been in the appraisal business for more than 33 years and has seen a variety of items with diverse stories.

One of the most valuable pieces Snyder has seen was a bronze container that looked like a planter and was actually used as one. Snyder said it's sides were adorned with Tiffany glass and the item was so rare that he could only advise the man, whose family had owned the container for many years, that it was worth several thousand dollars. Snyder said he later learned that the early 1900s planter had sold at an auction for $35,000.

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"It's all interesting," said Snyder, who has done appraisals for other libraries and organizations. "You just don't know what turns up. And there are still plenty of things in people's houses that they are overlooking."

One of the more unusual items Snyder has seen was a wooden suitcase that contained a salesman's assortment of early light bulbs.

"I had never seen something like this before," recalled Snyder. "You just can't put a price on it because I had nothing to compare it to. That was an interesting piece."

Even when he can't give someone an estimate, Snyder said he can at least tell people whether something is valuable or should be researched further.

Snyder said the marketplace has changed drastically in recent years. He said so-called "traditional antiques" have fallen out of favor while items we tossed in the garbage 10 and 15 years ago have become sought-after collectibles.

"That is the era most buyers can relate to," he said. "It's a different attitude towards antiques and collectibles."

However, you just never know what could turn out to be valuable, which is why appraisal events like this one are very helpful, said Snyder.

"People can't believe that some of the items they consider junk that anyone would pay money for it," he said.

A great example was a set of nail kegs that someone brought in. These would normally sell for a few bucks at a hardware store, said Snyder, but someone had painted them with a patriotic motif.

"It made it into folk art," said Snyder of the kegs that sold for $150.

Snyder said he became interested in antiques when he was 11 years old and helped a neighbor clean out the basement. His neighbor gave him an old meat grinder that had been uncovered and he took it to the local antique store to see whether it was valuable. The meat grinder wasn't really worth, much but he became fascinated while exploring the shop that was crowded with an assortment of items.

"It was a great treasure hunt and that's what got me hooked," he said.

Today, it's still the hunt and helping people discover a hidden gem that captivates him.

"The pleasure I get is just seeing these things," Snyder said. "For me, that's just as much of a pleasure as owning it."

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