Skinner Appraisal Day at the Concord Museum

Do you have a family heirloom passed down through generations? Maybe a great yard sale item or flea market find that might be a treasure? Would you like to know what it is worth? Bring your special items to the Skinner Appraisal Day at the in historic Concord, Massachusetts, on Saturday, March 10 for a verbal appraisal. With galleries in Boston and Marlborough, Massachusetts, Skinner, www.skinnerinc.com, is a leading full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art.

Appraisals will be conducted by Stephen Fletcher and LaGina Austin.  As Executive Vice President of Skinner, Inc. and Director of the American Furniture & Decorative Arts department, Stephen Fletcher is widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts on early American furniture, decorative arts, and folk art. LaGina Austin is Skinner’s Director of Appraisal & Auction Services. As a Senior Appraiser she evaluates and brings to auction a wide range of material, including American and European antiques, fine art, ephemera, and collectibles. In conducting her very first Appraisal Day for Skinner, she identified what turned out to be a $250,000 painting! 

The Skinner Appraisal Day is offered in association with the Concord Museum’s 125th anniversary exhibition, Crowdsourcing a Collection. This special exhibition offers some unexpected perspectives on a remarkable collection. Over forty Guest Curators, including Senator John Kerry, historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Nathaniel Philbrick, and arts and entertainment critic Joyce Kulhawik, have selected an object from the Museum’s collection that has personal meaning.  The anniversary exhibition, sponsored by Skinner, Inc., with media sponsor WGBH, is on view through March 18, 2012.

The cost of the Appraisal Day is: Concord Museum Members, $15 for one item or $35 for three; others, $20 for one item or $50 for three. The event will run from 11:00-4:00 and reservations are required. To make reservations, please call the Concord Museum at (978) 369-9763.  Reserve early as space is limited. All proceeds benefit the Concord Museum.  Tips: Attendees should not bring coins, stamps, jewelry, and musical instruments to be appraised. Paintings and other art objects are highly recommended. Skinner also recommends that good quality photos be substituted for large or particularly fragile items. For services of china or silver, one example of each piece in a set accompanied by a list of the total number of pieces can serve to represent the entire set. 

The Concord Museum is easily accessible from Route 495 or Route 128 via Route 2 and is located at the intersection of Lexington Road and Cambridge Turnpike, ¼ mile east of Concord Center.  The Museum’s entrance is on Cambridge Turnpike; parking is free.