By Mickey Schommer
Contributing Writer
GREEN BAY – On Saturday, Jan. 20 at 11:30 a.m., the Antiquing and Collectibles Appraisal Event “What’s It Worth?” will be hosted at the Brown County East Branch Library in partnership with the Friends of Brown County.
The event is led by Antiquing Expert Mark Moran who served on PBS’ Antiques Roadshow as a “guest expert” and has authored and co-authored more than 25 books on antiquing.
More than just finding the value of something old, Moran said that the intrigue in antiquing is about unearthing history.
In Moran’s antiquing program, he explains the history of an object.
His favorite part of the program is “walking into a room with dozens of objects I’ve never seen before and trying to enlighten the owners about their histories.”
“Most people don’t care about value, they just want to know if the story they’ve heard all their lives about a family heirloom is true,” said Moran.
“Everyone has something that they wonder about,” he added.
For Moran, three main things determine an object’s value: design, rarity and survival.
“People think that just because something is old it has value,” said Moran. “That’s not true. It’s really about the design. If it was well-designed while it was new 100, 200, or 300 years ago, that is still appreciated today. Good design makes people feel good. Good design holds its value.”
As for rarity, Moran says that the value of an object goes up depending on how rare it is.
For example, “windmill weights were purely utilitarian objects, but when they started shaping them like animals and birds, then they become sculptural.”
The rarity of a sculptural windmill weight amidst the many utilitarian ones is what gives it significance.
Lastly, the survival of a certain object lends the object a certain amount of value as well, said Moran.
In a culture that is so focused on progress, things of the past, such as heirlooms and knick-knacks, can seem inconsequential.
For “older people,” antiquing is popular because it maintains the integrity of the past.
Moran notices that Millenials and Gen Z “don’t seem to value antiques and collectibles the same as someone [older].”
Moran wishes he saw more young people interested in antiquing, so whenever someone young comes to his events, he tries to be extremely inviting.
“It’s not just about something old, it’s about understanding design, longevity and value,” said Moran.
In a way, antiquing has no age. It’s about celebrating history.
The “What’s It Worth?” Antiquing and Collectibles Appraisal event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 11:30 a.m.
For more information, call (920) 391-4600.