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When Treasure Hunters Roadshow appraiser Mike Kosel announced a buyer would pay $500 for his Alvarez guitar, Boehmke’s jaw nearly dropped.
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Wayne Nichols, left, an appraiser for Treasure Hunters Roadshow, looks at Wilma Loitz’s sterling silver flatware Thursday afternoon at the Quality Inn in Winona. Loitz was paid $159 for the collection. (Photo by Fred Schulze/Winona Daily News) |
“I was hoping to get close to $300,” he said. “I didn’t know we’d get $500.”
Surprises like that are common at the roadshow, which is at the Quality Inn in Winona through Saturday.
“That kind of stuff happens many times a day,” Kosel said.
The best part about the $500 value of the guitar for Boehmke was that he bought it at a roadshow 18 years ago for $35.
Other people who arrived with things for appraisal don’t have as much experience with roadshows.
Arlys Lorraine Smith, a first-time attendee, brought in old copies of baseball cards, cubic zirconium gems and costume jewelry.
One piece, a small, gold-banded ring with a cubic zirconium gem, earned Smith $100.
Kosel said with the state of the economy and the price of gold going up, people are bringing gold like crazy to roadshow events.
“Gold prices went up $100 an ounce yesterday,” he said Thursday. “People are wise to the markets.”
More and more, people are looking to liquidate their collections of dolls, Tonka trucks and Hot Wheels cars, which make for hectic days for the appraisers.
“Today it’s been busy,” appraiser Kevin Berg said. “Both rows (of waiting area chairs) were packed.”
It was the first Treasure Hunters stop in Winona for the team based from the St. Cloud, Minn., area. The business has branches all over the country, but is based out of Athens, Ill.
They check a database of buyers when people want to sell, and collect fees from the buyer rather than the seller.
The training process is intensive and all-encompassing.
“We continue education all the time,” Kosel said. “It keeps us on the cutting edge, since we see such a wide array of items.”
The roadshow continues from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Quality Inn.
