By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Antiques were on display and appraised by Anne Stratton Wednesday at the Crawford County Fair. Stratton viewed the collectibles at the Youth Building and gave a brief history of the items presented to her in hopes of finding a treasure from a bygone era.
While viewing items Stratton offered tips on preserving the valuables. Afterwards Stratton explained.
“The best thing to clean and preserve are the natural things. Arm and Hammer Baking soda, is wonderful, ammonia vinegar, and never use Oxyclean on fabric,” Stratton said. “Wood, the very best thing is Murphy’s Oil Soap. Pledge, what people on their dining room tables, is an aerosol and it is an accelerant and it build up on your furniture. So you never use anything that is in a spray bottle.”
A hunting case Pocket Watch from the Hampton Watch Company was appraised by Stratton for $475, while a book from 1807 was appraised for $450.
While some items were antiques others were common fare items purchased in souvenir shops. A piece of clay pottery was shown as a pre-Columbian art. Stratton explained that it was clay made with a template, and was meant to be used for sale and decoration.
See more photos from the 2013 Crawford County Fair on our Photos page.