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Family treasures bring cash at show
By Karl Henkel
AUSTINTOWN
Kathryn Stewart recently dug through her curio cabinet at her New Middletown home and came across an old, heavy bag.
What she discovered were 156 silver bars from the 1970s and ’80s collected throughout the years by her husband.
“I never realized he had so many until I went in my curio cabinet and found the bag,” she said. “My God, was it heavy.”
Stewart took the bars to the Treasure Hunter Road Show, in town at the Country Inn & Suites, 5570 Interstate Blvd., Austintown.
The bars originally were valued at $3,500 by Rick Washburn, field manager, but Stewart insisted she could get at least $5,000.
After some back-and-forth and an inquiry to the corporate office, Washburn came back with an offer Stewart couldn’t refuse: $5,000.
Washburn said she was sad to let go of the mementos but happy to get her asking price.
The trade show has come across many antiques such as silver bars and also a lot of unique items. During last year’s visit to Warren, Washburn said Treaser Hunter paid $10,000 for a vampire-killing kit.
Though some of the accessories inside the box were replicas, the box itself and some instruments inside were authentic, he said.
Unique items, with proof of date such as a mark or stamp, can fetch the most, but Washburn said in the first few days in Austintown, he’s seen mostly rare coins and sterling-silverware sets.
The Treasure Hunter Road Show is in town through Saturday. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.