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Room with a view

What’s a family treasure to me is an antique that’s not worth much according to experts I saw this weekend. While the city of Luverne was bustling with All-School Reunion activities, I was in North Dakota for a family gathering and an encounter with the Antiques Roadshow.Six of my family members got tickets to the Roadshow, the national PBS appraisal and antique know-how show, which happened to be touring through Bismarck when we were there.Before I tell you what my family treasures are worth, I have to say that one of the highlights was being just inches from famous identical twin furniture appraisers Leigh and Leslie Keno.They were the definition of dandy.Unfortunately, none of my family’s items will make it on air … but I might. I think I got in on the background of a man’s $10,000 baseball card collection appraisal.The Bismarck stop gave the program enough for three episodes that will be aired in the new season of Antiques Roadshow, beginning in January 2006. Here’s the Quam rundown:oI brought my great-great-grandmother’s teapot, purchased in 1861. It is a petite blue-and-white Asian design. It was worth only $50.oI also brought a wood block print that was numbered and signed by the artist in 1924. That was worth up to $300.oMy cousin brought seven unused Post cereal toys from 1947 that were worth $10 to $20 each.oMy aunt brought a Jackie Koogan pencil box from the 1920s that was worth $35 to $45. Koogan was a child star, who grew up to be Uncle Fester on the Adams Family.oMy cousin also brought the Beatles’ "White" album with all posters of the band members in mint condition. That was worth $60.oMy sister brought an embroidered flag from a relative who was in the Spanish American War, worth $150.oThe same sister brought a postcard collection worth up to $2,000. Just an FYI: the colored postcards are where the money’s at. Black and whites have almost no value.oMy mom brought a quilt made in 1898 for a church fund-raiser. Church members embroidered their names and paid to have their squares on the quilt. The appraisers were interested in the story of the quilt because, in support of the small church’s fund-raiser, President McKinley purchased a square for 10 cents. A church member embroidered his square with an Eagle. The quilt is worth only about $800 at most because it is so regionalized by the names.oMy mom also brought a whimsy, a wooden crochet hook hand-carved by my same great-grandfather. The hook has an open, lacey pattern on the handle end and is worth up to $120.oMy dad brought a collection of Native American artifacts he’s either found on our land in North Dakota or a family member has been gifted. Two pairs of beaded moccasins are worth $150 each. An old bow is worth up to $100. A woven hinged basket is worth $150. A song board (piece of wood used like sheet music in ceremonies) is worth up to $5,000. The iron head of a weapon was also worth up to $5,000.Even though the famous Keno twins wore suits that were probably worth more than our antiques, some of the items are close to priceless to me.

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