Antiques Roadshow comes to Boston. New Englanders raided their attics and basements for the show’s appraisal day in Boston. Here are a few of the day’s finds.
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Photograph by josh campbell
TEDDY BEAR AND STUFFED MONKEY: Owner is Irene Levesque, Wrentham; Realtor Irene Levesque had a client who was moving to Florida and wanted to sell “everything.” This monkey and bear had been together since the 1930s, and the owner wanted them to stay that way. Levesque promised they would. “They’re from an affluent family,” she says, and because they were seldom played with, they’re in good shape. Levesque finds them utterly charming, no matter what they’re worth. APPRAISAL: British-made 1930s “Merry-thought” teddy bear, $700-$800, and monkey, $75-$150
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Photograph by josh campbell
“BUS STOP” SCRIPT: Owner is Kalliope Amorphous, Providence; Kalliope Amorphous likes to collect Hollywood memorabilia, and earlier this year she was excited to find a film script from the 1956 Marilyn Monroe movie “Bus Stop” at a small country auction in Massachusetts. “Lucky for me, no one had heard of the movie,” says Amorphous, who picked the script up for a song. She was happy to learn it was indeed an original, probably belonging to another member of the cast or crew. APPRAISAL: Original film script from Bus Stop, starring Marilyn Monroe, $1,200-$1,500
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Photograph by josh campbell
CIVIL WAR SWORD AND SCABBARD: Owners are John and Dottie Keene, Marlborough; Dottie Keene says she and her husband, John, have a North-South marriage, as he’s from Massachusetts, and she’s from Maryland. One of John’s ancestors was a Union officer in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment and this was his sword. At the appraisal, the couple learned the sword had somehow come to be sheathed in a Confederate cavalryman’s scabbard. Turned out, the holder is more valuable than the weapon, whereupon Dottie cheerily cried, “The South shall rise again!” APPRAISAL: Civil War Union sword, $500, and Confederate Army scabbard, $700
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Photograph by josh campbell
CARVED STATUE: Owner is Linda Green, Cambridge; Linda Green had to hire a professional mover to escort her rather large “friend” to the convention center. She bought the colorful and imposing statue for $500 at a prop shop in Newton 15 or 20 years ago. He happily resides at the end of a hallway in her home. “Everyone loves him,” says Green. Well, he is tall, dark, and handsome. He’s also about 60 years old, probably from a carnival or film set. APPRAISAL: Carved and painted wooden statue, $5,000
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Photograph by josh campbell
BOXING SASH: Owner is Terry Kilrain, Braintree; Terry Kilrain shares his last name with his great-grandfather, the famous 1880s boxer Jake Kilrain, known for a historic match with “Boston Strong Boy” John L. Sullivan in 1889. It was the last world heavyweight championship fight with bare knuckles, and Sullivan won after 75 rounds. In those days, fighters wore silk waist sashes with their pictures on it, like the one Terry inherited and had framed. On close inspection, you can see the bloodstains. Terry’s son, Jake, gets it next. APPRAISAL: Bare-knuckle fighter Jake Kilrain’s boxing sash, $5,000
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Photograph by josh campbell
SUPERMAN COMIC BOOKS: Owner is Betty Szelog, Concord, New Hampshire; Betty Szelog, a fan of Archie Comics’ Betty and Veronica, inherited these Superman comic books 10 years ago. She stored them away and forgot about them until she won a ticket to the “Antiques Roadshow.’’ But where were they? Szelog searched her basement for several days to no avail, finally locating the box upstairs on a closet shelf. Had they been in her damp basement, they probably would have disintegrated. APPRAISAL: Two pristine Superman comic books, $7,000-$12,000
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Photograph by josh campbell
BOZO THE CLOWN COSTUME: Owner is Tom Matzell, Norwood; when Frank Avruch retired as Boston TV’s Bozo the Clown in the early 1970s, Worcester’s Channel 27 picked up the franchise. But who would be the new Bozo? Tom Matzell was the station’s jack-of-all-trades at the time, serving as a camera/lighting man, production director, or even news director if need be. Seems he fit Bozo’s size 64½ shoes just right. When Matzell rolled into the convention center with his Bozo costume, fans came running. His appraisal was also a hit. APPRAISAL: Bozo costume, $8,000-$12,000 (he’s not selling!)
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Photograph by josh campbell
MID-CENTURY MODERN LAMP: Owner is Joe Balboni, Framingham; Joe Balboni has owned this rather distinctive lamp for about five years. He found it in the attic of an older home he had just bought. “I later sold the house but kept the lamp,” he says, as the distinctive shades and shape appealed to him. Balboni knew it was “mid-century modern” — a hot design period these days — so he thought it might be worth as much as $1,000. APPRAISAL: Mid-century modern lamp, estimate $500, but might be more with additional research
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Photograph by josh campbell
PRETZEL CHAIR: Owner is Ellen Bick, Brookline; Ellen Bick loved visiting her “Aunt Dinny” in Worcester because she had a great sense of humor. One day, Dinny playfully asked, “What would you like when I die?” “She wasn’t a wealthy woman,” explains Bick, who looked around the room and confessed she liked this delicate, spindly chair. Dinny passed away about seven years ago and left her niece the chair. Bick used to sit in it all the time; any perching will be done more carefully now. APPRAISAL: George Nelson for Herman Miller pretzel chair made in the 1950s, $4,000-$6,000
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Photograph by josh campbell
“AIDA’’ HEADDRESS AND BELT: Owner is Vianna Zimbel, Glastonbury, Connecticut; when she was little, Vianna Zimbel loved playing dress-up with her grandmother’s old costumes. Grandma was Boston opera singer Beatrice Wheeler, who performed in “Aida” wearing this headdress and belt on some of Europe’s most famous stages. Zimbel has the 1912 program photo of Granny wearing the get-up to prove it. When she got the appraisal, Zimbel was ready to break into song herself. She says the ornate “bling” will be enjoyed all the more on a future Halloween. APPRAISAL: “Aida” opera jeweled headdress and belt, $7,000
