May 1, 2002
Antique Appraisal appeals to curious collectors
Evaluation event fund-raiser for Grand Traverse Heritage Center renovations
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Linda Maginity brought in her namesake for evaluation Saturday afternoon at an Antique Appraisal Event held at the Grand Traverse Civic Center.
Maginity had veteran appraiser and antique dealer Janice Metz look over her doll, which was based on the Linda character in the 1950s sitcom "Father Knows Best." The 'Linda' doll had been a special promotion offered by Kellogg's on the back of a cereal box, which Maginity's father noticed the very morning she was born. He immediately sent away for the doll and named his daughter Linda, switching names at the last minute from her mother's choice of Rae.
"My dad ordered this doll the morning I was born, she's my namesake," Maginity said. "I never really played with her, that's why she is in such good condition."
Though she received an estimate of $100-125 for the doll, Maginity plans to keep her Linda and wants to know more about her. Metz, who said she had never seen this doll before, advised Maginity to look on the Kellogg's website for more information. She also advised a better storage method.
"She's been in a plastic bag for 43 years so she has a lazy eye," Maginity said. "The bag retains mold and mildew, not a great way to store her. I plan to store her in a pillowcase on her face."
More than 80 area residents brought a variety of items to the Antique Appraisal Event for Metz and seven other evaluators to look over. Clocks, jewelry, silver tea service, glassware, a sword and knickknacks were among the many things that passed through appraiser's hands.
Fran Wright brought in for evaluation an unusual chicken-shaped metal box she picked up at a consignment shop in Florida. As appraiser dashed her hopes that it is a rare and valuable item, telling her that the casting, seams and details indicate it is relatively modern.
The conclusion: "It's a potpourri box from the 1960s," sighed Wright.
The Grand Traverse Heritage Center sponsored the Antique Appraisal Event, lining up eight appraisers to donate their time. A nominal fee charged to each attendee netted $875 for the Grand Traverse Heritage Center, which is nearing the end of a two-year, million-dollar renovation program.
This renovation has uncovered many features of the original building, which was constructed in 1904 when nearly 1,700 libraries funded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie were built around the country. The Traverse City community used the library and its 1965 addition until the new Traverse Area District library was built in 1999.
Six organizations now share office space in the Heritage Center, which is located on Sixth Street next to the Boardman River. These organizations include the Friends of Con Foster Museum, Maritime Heritage Alliance, Grand Traverse Pioneer and Historical Society, Railroad Historical Society of Northwest Michigan, Women's History Project of Northwest Michigan and Grand Traverse Area Rock and Mineral Club.
Each organization also uses the Heritage Center to present programs and share their collections with the community. In addition, three areas of the center are available for community members or organizations to rent for special programs.
The newly renovated Heritage Center will be unveiled to the general public at a grand opening celebration on June 22. The celebration is the culmination of two years of fundraising and restoration efforts, supported by hundreds of volunteers from around the community.
For more information on the Grand Traverse Heritage Center or the upcoming grand opening celebration, call 995-0313.