We have held "Appraisal Days" several times in the last few years. Ours
are part of Butterfield and Butterfield's community outreach. They send
appraisers in several areas (paintings, prints, jewelry, silver, and
dec. arts, usually), help us with press releases, and don't charge us
for any of it. These days have mostly been very successful, and we have
learned all of the same things that Harry Needham listed. There's always
a line forming long before opening time, and most everyone seems to go
away happy, even if their heirloom isn't worth a million dollars. We
always see interesting pieces, and it's a great introduction to the
Museum for the public. Those of you in other areas might try contacting
auction houses with semi-local offices (our nearest B & B office is in
Los Angeles, about 70 miles away) to see if they would be interested in
doing the same kind of program for you.

We also did one "Collector's Day" a few years ago, where we had local
specialists talk about what to look for when collecting various types of
art. We'd like to someday do a similar workshop on conservation vs.
restoration. These kinds of programs can be great for community
relations, and sometimes even great fund-raisers.

Kathy Henri
Collections Manager/Asst. Curator
Ventura County Museum of History & Art
Ventura, CA
http://www.vcmha.org

Harry Needham wrote:
>
> I'd like to hear from colleagues who have tried their own versions of
> antique road shows. We recently experimented with this idea and found it as
> educational an experience for the staff as for our visitors!
>
> Our museum is small and cramped and the only decent open space we have is
> outside on our courtyard. Unfortunately it is used non-stop for programming
> all summer. In September, we rented two large, linked tents to create a
> giant marquee, with temporary lighting and electical and LAN connections,
> with tables around the perimeter where staff met with visitors. We had
> between 400 and 500 visitors during the day, despite the rain, very little
> publicity and our having no parking for visitors. Quite a few of the
> visitors simply wanted to see what was happening and what other people were
> bringing in; a few knew exactly what they had, but wanted to know if WE
> knew. Most had only a vague idea of what they had and were delighted to
> learn more. We did get some donations out of the show but, much more
> important, we helped quite a number of people appreciate just what they
> owned and to learn how to better take care of these artifacts. After the
> visitors had gone, we had a staff barbeque and dance, so it turned into a
> very pleasant and satisfying day for our staff. We'll do it again.
>
> What did we learn?
>
> 1. If you want people to bring in anything even moderately heavy, you'd
> better have nearby parking available; people won't carry very much, very
> far.
>
> 2. You need LOTS of chairs for people waiting for the "experts" to examine
> their treasures - and it's a good idea to have a supply of tea and coffee
> for them, while they're waiting.
>
> 3. Good lighting and a plentiful supply of magnifiers is essential; it is
> embarrassing to have to duck outside the tent to have a squint at the
> engaving on something - especially in the rain! Considering that virtually
> every examining table will need such equipment, a really good power supply
> is an essential. I have since acquired a large desk magnifier, incorporating
> a fluorescent light; I only hope I will have some place to plug it in, next
> show!
>
> 4. You will quickly find out where you need more reference material. I was
> examining orders, medals and decorations and had brought a box of reference
> books. I was still stumped when a visitor brought in a number of First World
> War Austro-Hungarian medals and I also had trouble telling another exactly
> which class of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun he was showing me. I am
> ordering a series of additional reference books to be ready for next time!
>
> 5. Don't rely on high-tech. Our expensive new LAN connection functioned for
> about half an hour before packing it in which is when we discovered that our
> systems people had no one standing by to help.
>
> 6. Be prepared for LOTS of people and have a plan for handling them. I
> shudder to think how many visitors we would have had, had we been better
> advertised, had a parking lot and had the day been sunny!
>
> 7. This kind of fixture needs LOTS of advertising. We had many calls from
> people who heard about it AFTER the event. Indeed, one gentleman was over at
> my home last evening with a large German naval flag on which he wanted an
> opinion.
>
> I would be interested in learning of YOUR experiences in conducting this
> kind of project.
>
> Harry
>
> Harry Needham
> Special Advisor - Programme Development
> Canadian War Museum
> 330 Sussex Drive,
> Ottawa, Canada
> K1A 0M8
> Voice: (819) 776-8612  Fax (819) 776-8623
> Email: [log in to unmask]