The Moraga Historical Society encouraged the public to clean out their closets, attics, and garages in order to “find out if a family heirloom has monetary value in addition to sentimental value.”  The appraisal event, held at Hacienda de las Flores on Aug. 30, was an MHS fundraiser with the help of renowned Michaan’s Auctions. Eight specialized appraisers were on hand to help make the event run smoothly.

    Michaan’s was established in 2002, and is considered one of the leading, full-service auction houses on the West Coast.  Based in Alameda, they specialize in the appraisal and sale of antiques and fine art. Items of interest to the auction house included:  paintings, prints, sculpture, furniture, decorative arts, stamps, coins, Asian works of art, jewelry, timepieces, and sports memorabilia.

    The public was allowed to bring up to three items to receive a verbal evaluation of the current auction value of their property, which is based on the comparable works, recent auction results and trends in the marketplace, among other factors. The offered estimates reflect what items might reasonably sell for at a major public auction, which are different from and in many cases lower than full retail prices. Any items offered for sale at a Michaan’s auction must meet various criteria and be valued all together above a minimum price of $2,000 in order to start a contract.

    The highest “hammer price” (sold price) ever attained by Michaan’s was of an exceedingly rare, 1750s, Asian soapstone figural carving for $2.235 million.
 
    Members of the public were either pleasantly surprised by the value of their items or disappointed at a low appraisal, given what the market demanded at this point in time.  One attendee, Holly, (last name not included for privacy reasons), brought two watches and a painting. “I was shocked that one of my gold retro watches was worth less than I expected,” she said. The painting she brought was not of any known artist even though her mother once told her, “Never get rid of this.”  The initials were difficult to determine, but the appraiser suggested that the artist may be foreign-born and the initials could reflect that. 
 
    “I think my mother got this in the 1940s or 1950s from the Baltimore area, so I’m going to contact the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Walters Art Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art,” she said. She was thrilled that Michaan’s gave her the curiosity to keep digging into the mystery artist’s identity.  

    Another individual, Sam, had some commemorative gold coins from 2011 appraised for his sister. “I had no expectations whatsoever. The appraiser told me that the value was based on the current price of gold.”  He also brought in a silver and turquoise Southwestern-style men’s watch and was told that the turquoise was valuable.  Lastly, a 1938 men’s leather jacket with fringe was identified as being made from buffalo skin.  “I enjoyed the experience a lot,” Sam said.  “The personnel are seasoned professionals, and it was nice to have so much information.”

    Michaan’s was pleasantly surprised with the outcome for the day, having gotten five signed contracts to place items up for auction.  “This was a great experience for us,” stated Chambless.  “We’d love to come back to Moraga again.”

    MHS President Susan Sperry received overwhelmingly positive responses from attendees leaving for home with their treasures; many of whom had asked for another such event in the near future, stated Assistant Vice President of Trusts and Estates Tammie Chambless.