Sunday, January 28, 2007 Foster's Online
By MICHAEL GOOT
Portsmouth Bureau Chief
KITTERY, Maine - What one person may consider junk is another person's treasure and could be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Hunting and fishing enthusiasts got a chance to see if old guns or fishing reels they have in their attic are valuable on Saturday at the Kittery Trading Post's Antique Appraisal Fair.
Anita Bunting of Kittery had two guns including a musket that once belonged to her father and were from the early 1800s or possibly the late 1700s. "You hate to just throw them away if they really are worth something," she said.
Her father, who died in 2002 at the age of 92, was an avid outdoorsman.
Allen Schintzius of Dover estimated his gun was about 70 years old. He enjoyed the appraisal fair. "It's kind of like Antiques Road Show," he said.
Brian Boucher came up from Hubbardston, Mass., because he wanted to get a sense of the value of two guns that belonged to his grandfather. One is a World War I-era Marlin 91 model, which is somewhat rare. "They only made it for two years and it breaks down in half to go into a backpack," he said.
The fair had more than just gun appraisals.
Dan Leroux of York, Maine, showed off a collection of old-fashioned fishing lures dating back to the 1800s. He said old ones are considered almost like folk art.
Leroux has been involved in collecting for about two decades, starting when his wife's grandfather gave him his tackle box 20 years ago.
"There's always something fascinating to be found in a tackle box," he added.
Artificial fish bait can also be valuable. A Haskell brand minnow lure was auctioned for $110,000 a few year's ago.
There were other interesting items on display.
Harold Porter of Sanford, Maine, was showing off old-fashioned camp stoves. Some dated back to 1910. Made of cast iron, they were heavier than those you can buy today and required a separate hand pump.
Porter also showed off a series of hand warmers. He builds his collection by frequenting auctions, flea markets and yard sales.
Justin Kane, seminar coordinator for Kittery Trading Post, said this is the first year for the fair.
"It's traditionally a very quiet month for retail," he said. "This seemed like a fun way to spend a Saturday and break those January doldrums."
Kane said people were bringing in some "fantastic" items including beautiful handmade fishing rods. He expected about 300-500 people would attend.
|
