WALNUT CREEK &mdash Even though she was surrounded by a bevy of beautiful things, Judie Hockel had no idea what they were worth.
“What am I going to do with all this” Hockel remembered thinking. “My greatest fear is selling the Declaration of Independence for a quarter &mdash to have a treasure and dispose of it without ever knowing its true worth.” She said the things she couldn’t use she thought of donating to charity. “But I’d want to know that my donation was worth something,” she said. “You hear all the time about people finding fabulous finds at garage sales. I would like to have an idea if something was junk someone would appreciate or a treasure someone would appreciate.” So Hockel attended the Antique and Collectible Appraisal event at The Gardens of Heather Farm (GHF) last year. But since she had too much stuff, she had to hire one of the appraisers she met at the event to make a house call later on. Still, Hockel said she was grateful for the appraisal event and the opportunity to meet professional appraisers who can help people discover the value of their treasures. The experience one might encounter at the appraisal event could be similar to that of the popular “Antiques Roadshow,” said Vida Dawson, event chairwoman who, as a GHF board member, started the fundraising event nearly 10 years ago.
Hockel said she was impressed with the knowledge of the appraisers. She found she possessed an early edition of “Alice in Wonderland” from her mother-in-law which was worth $75.