Those old antiques you’ve got hiding away in the attic? Probably worth millions. But you can find out for sure on Thursday, December 6 at the Altoona Public Library, starting at 1pm. The event will be hosted by Mark Moran, the author of over 29 antiques reference guides and the former senior editor for antiques and collectibles books with Krause Publications in Iola, Wisconsin. In August of 2011, he launched Antique Appraisal Events, which led to him hosting over 200 events in the Upper Midwest since then. The events are a fun challenge for Mark, as he must analyze and price an antique on the spot.  

Before his antique days, Mark was a newspaperman for thirty years. His experience with antiques all began when he walked into an antique shop at the age of 20 in 1973. He started out as a collector, was a dealer during the ’80s and wrote books in the ‘90s, all together giving him about 40 years of experience. Mark has even appeared on Antiques Roadshow. The most valuable item that he’s appraised was a pair of bookends that were worth about $15,000.

For each event, those interested can sign up for a spot for $15, which will give them four minutes with Mark explaining their object’s history, detailing the region and time of origin, noting condition issues, and appraising approximate market worth. To get your antique involved in the event, contact Christina Jones at the Altoona Public Library (715-839-5029).