What's It Worth?
Mark Moran is the author of dozens of antiques reference guides. In his program What's It Worth, he will meet with attendees and examine their personal antiques, artifacts etc. He offers not only a valuation of each item, but explains the history and origin of each object as well. He discusses the history of each item with the owner, learning how the item came to reside with the person and how it's been passed down through a family.
98 participated
1) Participants will have a chance to meet with an appraiser which will allow them to learn the value, history behind, cultural/historical significance of their items. 2) Community will learn that the library is a place where knowledge is transferred. 3) Participants will learn not only about their own objects, but about objects that other attendees have brought in as well.
During the program, Mark called each person up to the front and asked them about their item…how it came to be with them, was it passed down through the family etc. He discussed the historical significance of the items, and was able to pinpoint dates of origin almost exactly and verify his information with online resources. Valuation of objects is provided - however it's the last piece of information given, so participants learn much more about their object than just the price. In patron surveys, many mentioned that they learned how little their item was worth -- but a lot about it's origin and history.