Do you have any precious family heirlooms or collectables? This weekend there's an opportunity to put a dollar figure on your treasures with the Objets D'Art Fair arriving at the Wollongong Art Gallery.
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It's Wollongong's own version of the Antique Roadshow, with an invitation to bring antiques, art, and collectables for an appraisal on Saturday, October 28.
Sally Hardy from Theodore Bruce Auctioneers and Valuers said the condition of the item is one of the key factors when determining the value.
"I value paintings, so I look at the condition, the artist, the subject ... it's good to have a story with the item that you bring in," she said.
George and his 18th-century book of wealth
Wollongong man George Faddoul is looking to have his rare set of books from the 18th century appraised.
"It is a summary of all the cultural economic history of how wealth was ever created from the very early days," Mr Faddoul said.
'The book of wealth: wealth in relation to material and intellectual progress and achievement' is an 1896 book by Hubert Howe Bancroft from New York.
The property developer said he had heard that at the time the books were published in the 1800s they would have been worth the same amount as an extravagant house.
"What this book is about is about how wealth was created and real estate is obviously a big part of it in other words even from the ancient times so even from the pyramids."
Weird, wacky, and wonderful items from previous years
Alan Samways of the Friends of the Wollongong Art Gallery society, said the most peculiar items he's seen at Objets D'Art Fair were statues from the Cook Islands and Japanese erotica.
"We've also had people coming with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of coins that might have been their grandfathers," he said.
In 2022 a family brought in two painted Dutch clogs that were valued at $5000 each.
The auctioneers and valuers available at the fair are:
- Sally Hardy for Australian and international art
- Casi Prischl for appraising jewellery and silver
- Amelia Scott specialising in European and Asian decorative arts
- Tory Page for books, maps and engravings
The entry fee is $5 with a limit of 2 items per guest, no booking is required.
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Marlene Even
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
Journalist at the Illawarra Mercury. Previously a radio and podcast host at 2SER Radio.
