Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Tucked away in someone’s old attic could well be a hidden treasure worth thousands — but then again it could be just more junk.
Anyone wondering the difference is in luck this week as the Great Canadian Roadshow has set up shop at Napanee’s Hampton Inn, where they’ll be today through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.
This will mark the second time GCR visits Napanee, having done so nearly 10 years ago when they were first established. Since then they spent the last five years touring Asia and Europe before making a return to Ontario.
“We’re following the original path the Roadshow went on when it first started out,” said Max Steiner, a VP with GCR. “We’re super excited, we’ve had a really tremendous showing of people and energy so far. We’ve seen some really funky stuff, including a life-sized statue of Christopher Reeve and a vampire killing kit to put the fear of God in you.”
Steiner says he expects to see several interesting items this weekend in Napanee.
“Years ago when we were in Napanee we saw a Civil War era musket and a Dutch death ring,” he recalls. “The ring is this thing that I hope and pray was never used. You put it on someone’s finger. The idea is you put poison in there and it seeps in over time and it was supposed to be used to help climb the monarchy.”
Another item that stood out from their previous visit was a Les Paul guitar that sold for $30,000 at auction.
Several experts will be on hand at the hotel’s conference room, including a gemologist to analyze jewelry and diamonds.
“The Roadshow works with a few different boutiques and networks of collectors,” said Steiner. “We’ve got about 2,000 people across the world that we sell to and on behalf of occasionally.
“The way the Roadshow is funded is that whenever able, we make an offer on an item and then going from there if the person is interested in selling it, we will get in touch with the collectors who will then make an offer and then 15 per cent is paid to the Roadshow. It’s always our incentive to get the most out of (the buyer) as possible.”
Anyone who brings an item to be appraised is under no obligation to sell and all appraisals are free of charge.
Steiner says they look at just about anything from old coins, sports memorabilia, jewelry, old toys, musical instruments, silver cutlery, war memorabilia and more.