Hospitality Required Visitor’s Return

The West of the early days was noted for its hospitality and an invitation to a stranger to eat and stay all night was a matter of course, even when the owner was not at home. The law of necessity implied an invitation and the right to occupy a cabin for the night and to use such food as was necessary, in those areas where cabins only occurred ever 50 to 100 miles.

If no one was home, you went in, ate some of the grub if you were hungry and had none, and passed on. There was one fixed rule, however, according to William S. Lewis in his booklet, “Early Days in the Big Bend Country.” That was, that you should leave the cabin as your found it. If there was wood in the woodbox and water in the bucket, you replaced what you had used before you left.

Lewis tells of a man named Old Jack Cartwright, whom he met near Walla Walla in the Spring of 1877. Cartwright said he had stopped at one of these cabins for the night and thoughtlessly went on the next morning without even washing the dishes.

About noon that day, he was overtaken by one of the irate owners and compelled to go back 28 miles and wash up the dishes, and to cut and bring in an armful of wood and a pail of water.

Old Jack attributed his good manners afterwards to this early lesson.

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Chalkware Cheaper Than Pottery, Porcelain

Chalkware came into use as a medium for making figures in the mid-1800s and continued until the early 1900s.

Italian immigrants brought this form of folk art to America, and worked primarily in Pennsylvania and New England. They attempted to reproduce popular pottery and porcelain figures in this mass-produced plaster of paris. The pieces were painted in bright, even garish, colors and sometimes gilded.

While the quality and durability did not match that of such pieces as the Staffordshire figures which they imitated, the price was right. At 15 to 50 cents, most homes could afford at least one piece.

Chalkware was later used to make the inexpensive prizes which were given away at carnivals.

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Qualified Appraisers Of Antiques Are
More Than Just Certified

A “qualified” personal property appraiser is an independent individual, educated and experienced in appraisal standards, which include theory, principles, ethics and the law. Accurate appraisals require consistent, ongoing education and comprehensive testing to endure competence.

Membership in an organization is only as important as the standards and requirements set for membership in the organization. Some appraisal organizations require only a fee for membership and minimal character references. Some associations even “certify” their members by payment of that entry fee! A “certified” appraiser may not be a “qualified” appraiser. Beware!

There are associations that do require testing. The ISA (International Society of Appraisers) has led the field in establishing a standardized body of comprehensive study and testing for full membership. ASA (American Society of Appraisers) also has a testing procedure for membership.

Until legislation is passed to require minimum standards of personal property appraisers, the public will have to check each appraiser’s credentials and qualifications carefully to determine if that appraiser is qualified to do the job. Oregon and Washington do not, at this time, license their personal property appraisers.

An appraiser needs both expertise (knowledge based on education and training) and experience. Being able to identify an antique in detail does not automatically qualify a person to know the value of the item.

An appraiser cannot be an expert in all fields. Beware of such an expert! However, an appraiser who is a member of a qualified association can network with others in the association to cover fields where he is less knowledgeable.

When hiring an appraiser, ask for references, and check them. Beware of conflicts of interest, such as an appraiser/dealer who will appraise an item and then offer to purchase it! It is impossible to give an unbiased opinion of value while having an interest in purchasing, and many consider it to be unethical to offer to buy an item which one has appraised.

In fact, the federal government forbids such practice in appraisals prepared for federal purposes. They also forbid percentage appraising, which is appraising for a percentage of the value.

After you have hired an appraiser and the work is done, you should expect a comprehensive report which will include the appraiser’s qualifications, a complete accurate “word picture” and value for each item, the market approach used and a summary.

Do not accept a formal appraisal if it is hand-written, a “laundry list,” a percentage fee based on the total value, or if the appraiser is unwilling to back up his statements in court.

Modified from an Old Stuff article, Fall, 1991.

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