Ray and Nancy Thompson drove from Sumter to attend the Museum Road Show held at the State Museum Saturday.
The couple were wanting to know how much several pieces of Red Wing Provincial pottery, as the pieces were stamped, might be worth and possibly solve a little mystery in the process.
The set, which included a terrine and five serving bowls, had been discovered by Nancy Thompson in her late parents’ South Florida home. But no one in the Thompson family knew how the pieces, made in Minnesota, wound up there. They thought an appraiser might help.
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“What he told us fits with when my folks were in Florida,” Thompson said.
Steve Ferrell, an expert in Edgefield and early South Carolina pottery, had told the couple he thought the pieces may have been made in the 1920s.
And their worth?
“He told us somewhere between $50-$150” for the set, she said.
Started by the museum about 10 years ago, the road show has grown in popularity with collectors and those just wanting to see whether they’ve got a priceless antique, just like hopeful collectors on the PBS show.
Initially, the show, which offers informal appraisals, was offered once a year. However, after it proved a popular program, museum staff decided to put on a second show in 2008. Now, the road show draws crowds of about 500-600 people twice a year who bring in everything from dolls to paintings to fine art to jewelry.
“If we did it four times a year, we’d get the same number of people,” said Celeste Wszola, the museum’s public-programs manager. “And many of the same people. There’s just no end to antique lovers in this area.”
Sharlene Wingate of Columbia brought in an unusual-looking African dagger.
Wingate, who bought the item at a rummage sale in Beaufort in 1983, said she and her husband had been “wondering about the dagger” ever since.
“Because of the area, I thought this could be something of worth or have a great history,” Wingate said.
Though much is still unknown about itshistory, Wingate learned the dagger probably dated back to the 1800s and might be valued between $100-$200.
“Because of that history, we’ll still continue to look for what we can find out about it,” she said.
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