Antiques appraised at Redmond event

Have you wondered how much that antique or family heirloom is worth? The Assistance League of Bend hosted a ‘Kollectible or Keepsake?’ expert appraisal event Sunday at the Deschutes Country Fairgrounds.

For $40 a ticket, your item could be assessed by a panelist of expert appraisers from around the country.

The Assistance League of Bend is a 21 Cares for Kids partner.

Michael Flanigan, from Baltimore, has been appraising since 1976. The highlight of his day, the handmade dollhouse furniture Chantal Rose brought in with a fascinating story.

“What I have here is doll furniture that was made for my grandmother by her father, who was interned at the Isle of Man during World War I,” Rose said as she picked different pieces of small furniture to show.

Rose says Flanigan appraised her dollhouse furniture at $4,000 to $5,000.

Flanigan says the most important part of appraising is asking the right questions. He said even though it was the start to his day, appraising that item was a highlight.

“That’s the fun part,” he said. “We can tell them the what, the where, and the when. They come back with the why, and the why is the most interesting.”

Flanigan says getting your item appraised is just the first step of finding how much your item could be worth — a link to a long chain.

As for Rose, she plans on passing the family heirloom to her daughter.