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AN EYE TO BEHOLD
Photo
Dahlia Clemen of Liberty, left, looks on as auctioneer Marcel Ulrich of McDonald evaluates an antique ashtray for her during an event Friday at Shepherd of the Valley in Howland. Next to Ulrich is a friend of Ulrich's Delores Kale of Warren.
Appraiser shares his valued opinions
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Pat Schrom doesn’t consider herself a big Elvis fan but that didn’t stop her from wanting to get the legendary singer appraised — or, more accurately, 200 pieces of him.
“I found it in a store in Columbiana,” she said, referring to an old jigsaw puzzle with Presley as its centerpiece.
The puzzle, along with a Marilyn Monroe fashion doll, were two of the items Schrom, of Columbiana, brought to Friday’s second annual Antiques Roadshow event at Shepherd of the Valley Howland Campus, 4100 N. River Road NE, Howland.
The doll depicted Monroe as she looked when she starred in the famous 1950s film “The Seven Year Itch.”
The public was invited, along with some of the facility’s residents, to bring collectibles, antiques, family heirlooms and other valuables to the three-hour event. The merchandise was then appraised by Marcel Ulrich, owner of McDonald-based Auctions By Ulrich.
Accompanying Schrom was friend June Logan of Canfield, whose wares included two railroad watches, both of which look similar to stopwatches.
One of the items was given to her husband by his grandfather, who died in 1950, the other by an uncle, Logan noted. His grandfather Jack Logan worked for the Illinois Railroad; the uncle was a conductor for the Pennsylvania Railroad, she said.
“I wondered what I should bring,” until her husband mentioned the two watches, Logan added.
Participants took a number and waited for Ulrich to call them up to appraise their property, which also included antique dishes, cups and saucers, a wooden rocking chair, a small wooden clock and the July 1910 cover of Ladies’ Home Journal magazine in a frame. Firearms and coins were forbidden.
Ulrich and his assistant, Delores Kale, relied on antique pricing guides and their knowledge to explain to attendees the estimated value of their items.
Kathryn Myers brought with her a few covered heirlooms in a basket and box for appraisal. Those items had been in her family for years, said Myers, of Warren, a four-year resident at the care facility.
Ulrich’s business specializes in estate, moving, real estate and business auctions. His clientele includes attorneys, private citizens and others, Ulrich said, adding that he believes — for ethical reasons — that appraisers should never buy items they appraise.
The event was partly to celebrate in advance the Howland facility’s 11th anniversary June 11, noted Carole Moore, the retirement center’s marketing director.
The facility has 98 two-bedroom homes for independent-care residents and 75 assisted-living apartments, Moore noted. Also offered is a 40-bed rehabilitation unit for short- and long-term care patients, as well as an emergency-response system, she said.
“Marcel [gave] people of the community an opportunity to come into Shepherd of the Valley and see our facility,” Moore added.