Prospect Point, Niagara Falls in Winter, 1856-1860, by Jasper F. Cropsey
Larchmont Historical Society’s Antiques Appraisal Day has a well-earned reputation as an expert and trustworthy but informal and friendly event to learn the value of treasured art, jewelry, furniture and decorative objects from a panel of expert appraisers. At our first “Antiques Appraisal Day” more than 80 enthusiastic participants attended, and member brought an antique globe which turned our to be worth more than $20,000! More recently, the event helped to unearth two valuable paintings by Jasper F. Cropsey, a 19th Century landscape painter of the Hudson River School. At an auction at Larchmont’s Clarke Auction Gallery the “Winter Hunting Scene at Niagara Falls” fetched $552,000, and “An Autumn View of Mount Washington in New Hampshire” sold for $288,000.
So how did Larchmont’s Historical Society’s local Antiques Appraisal Day beat out all but one of the appraisals in fifteen seasons of the PBS Series Antiques Road Show, which lists on it’s website one appraisal in excess of $600,000: 18th-Century Qianlong Jade Collection from Qing Dynasty? According to Larchmont Historical Society President Colette Rodbell, “It’s all about planning, teamwork, Board members with exceptional skills, and partnerships with local antiques experts like the Clarke Auction Gallery and the Post Road Gallery.
The goal of the event is to promote appreciation, awareness and understanding of the beauty and value of fine antiques and decorative objects. To more fully achieve our goals, we have structured the program as a two-day event, starting with a lecture and reception. The most recent lecture was titled “What’s Hot? What’s Not” at the Larchmont Yacht Club. It featured an open forum panel discussion with seasoned experts, exploring the state of the antiques market today, and answering questions about their given expertise, as well as inquiries about antiques in general. The panel was moderated by Tom Curran of Clarke Auction Gallery.
At the Antiques Appraisal Day, certified dealers and appraisers are on hand in the fields of Asian Art and Antiquities, European and International Fine Art, Jewelry, Silver, Traditional American Antiques, Paintings and Sculpture, and the Decorative Arts. A fee of $20 is charged for the first appraised item, $10.00 for each additional item, with a maximum of three objects being appraised per person.
