Appraisals at Bethany provoke gamut of emotions

BETHANY, PA — Excited gasps of ‘ahhh’ and ‘ooohh’ alternated with disappointed sighs and groans at the second annual Bethany Historical Society’s Antiques Road Show on Saturday, October 21, held in the Bethany Methodist Church Hall. Noted antiques appraisers spent two hours inspecting and giving their expert opinions on paintings, watches, pipes, weapons, figurines, clocks, books and pottery brought by heritage-conscious people from all over the region.

Treasures from the past were in great abundance such as a cut glass whiskey bottle and decanter with cut panels appraised for a combined value of $550, an example of valuable German needlework worth $1000 if complete, and a reverse painting on glass worth $350 and growing more valuable every year due to increasing scarcity of that type of art. Also appraised were a ginger, a “Satsuma” mortuary urn from the Orient, a King George VI and Queen Elizabeth coronation plate and cup, a 1910 smoking pipe and a 1933 version of a pinball-type game called “Poosh-M-Up Senior.”

Considered for price alone, the most valuable items were a lady’s silver coin bracelet with a tiny, hand-painted ivory snuff box attached, valued at $850-$950, and a painting signed by Van Ness in its original frame valued at $2,500.