As usual, I had the story wrong. But what kid listens to her parents when they prattle on about the origin of their home furnishings?
“And this porcelain figurine came from your Great Aunt Myrtle, who came over on the boat back when the Earth was cooling.”
“Yada, yada, yada. Can I go to the mall now?”
But when the old man at the lamp repair store told me I should have my red cloisonne lamps appraised because they could be collector’s items, I tuned in.
Collector’s item? I don’t collect anything, unless you count shoes, age spots, bills and items that depreciate with record-setting rapidity.
I tried to remember what my parents had said about the lamps. Were these the ones mom bought from the Paris flea market in the ’60s? All I knew for sure was that throughout my young life these lamps stood on either side of my bed, looming like a pair of chaperones. I lobbied to get them out of my room in favor of something cooler, like twin lava lamps, but Mom insisted they stay: “I like those lamps.” She probably told me why, but I didn’t hear her.
When I left home, the red lamps came with me because they were free. Now they flank my daughter’s bed. She, too, has asked to replace them with, among other suggestions, lava lamps. “I like those lamps,” I tell her, and actually mean it. When the lamps’ sockets gave out, I took them to the repair shop.
Then I took them to Kathleen Orozco, an accredited personal property appraiser in Denver, not because I planned to sell them but because if they were valuable I’d make the kids take their pillow fights outside.
“Where did your parents get them?” she asked.
“Uhh . . .,” I stammered, then rolled out the Paris flea market story. To double check, I called Mom, who, though in her 80s, has a better memory than I do.
“No, no, no,” she corrected. “The living room lamps came from the French flea market. The red lamps came from Japan. Here, let your father tell you.”
She handed the phone off to Dad, who told me that while serving as a pilot in the Korean War, he visited a military base in Kobe, Japan. He bought the red cloisonne vases at a nearby souvenir shop, and sent them to Mom, who was waiting for him back in California. She later turned them into lamps.
“I told you that story,” she insisted, taking the phone back.
“You’ve told me a lot of things I should remember,” I said.
“I won’t comment.”
I called Orozco: “So they’re not French antiques,” I said, “but cheap foreign imports.”
She applied her trade — a combination historian, detective, curator and therapist (for when people find out Grandma’s Gorham silver is really cheap silver plate) — and the next day e-mailed her findings. The impressive eight-page document detailed comparable vases sold at auctions and through antiques dealers, and a history of the period and process behind these lamp bases: Japanese cloisonne, circa 1900-1950, roses on a baisse-taille ground of pigeon’s blood red enamel, manufactured, not handmade and, though of good quality, not rare. Replacement value, $600 for the pair.
So the lamps aren’t worth that much, to collectors anyway. But they’re still special to me, especially now that I know the real story. Besides, who can put a price on sentimental value?
Marni Jameson is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of the forthcoming book “The House Always Wins” (DaCapo Press, April). You may contact her through marni .
Treasure hunting
Shows like “Cash in the Attic” on HGTV and “Antiques Roadshow” on PBS have made many people look twice at their old stuff. “Just because you don’t like it,” says Denver appraiser Kathleen Orozco, “doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable.” Here are some of her pointers for assessing value.
Use a pro. Appraisers accredited by the American Society of Appraisers have had training in standards, methods and ethics. Be sure your appraiser specializes in the sort of property you want appraised. Fees range from $100 to $200 an hour. A good appraiser is honest and won’t appraise items outside his or her expertise. For instance, when appraising an estate, Orozco will appraise what she knows (furniture, silver and china), then bring in other experts in gemology, fine arts and antique rugs as needed.
Appraisals can differ. Insurance appraisals yield the highest values because they state the item’s retail replacement cost. Fair-market appraisals are for sales between willing buyers and willing sellers, or for cases involving divorce or charitable donations. Marketable cash value may help those wanting to liquidate quickly.
Value is relative. Intrinsic quality, condition, fashion, the market, age and scarcity all determine an item’s value, which can fluctuate.
Timing is key. Appraise items you think may be valuable so you can itemize them on your home insurance, with photos and documentation. You can also get a good sense from eBay. Older people appraise for estate planning purposes and so their kids don’t set the Chippendale chairs out in the garage sale.
Leave well enough alone. Change the function, and you devalue the piece, Orozco says. Case in point: Don’t turn a valuable Biedermeier dresser into a sink vanity.
Listen to your parents. Stick notes behind artwork or in drawers of good furniture stating when, where and why an item was purchased and for how much. Even if the item isn’t valuable, the story may be.
