Locals learn the value of their treasures at the Museum of Idaho with celebrity experts
Published at
IDAHO FALLS — A pair of appraisal experts visited a local museum this month, giving the community an opportunity to find out the actual values of their most prized possessions.
Grant Zahajko, a third-generation auctioneer, and Timothy Gordon, an antique dealer who has been featured on the Antique Roadshow, donated hours of their time to the Museum of Idaho on Saturday, Aug. 1, meeting locals and telling them the potential backstories and values of some of the most important items they hold dear.
“I always donate my time for events like this, because I think it’s so important,” Gordon told EastIdahoNews.com. “That’s what I love, I love history, and I love museums, I love their work. We’re a big family, and we’re able to kind of help each other out by creating events that get the public interested.”
The public was invited to buy tickets to the Celebrity Appraisal Antique showcase and bring up to four items of their own that they were interested in learning more about.
Participants came from across eastern Idaho with their antiques in hand, with some leaving with incredible stories.
One Rexburg man brought in what looked to be a giant sword and some paperwork. As it turns out, this sword was likely used in a major historical event.
“A gentleman brings in a sword and a sword belt with it, and I think, ‘Okay, that’s a three to five thousand dollar sword,” said Gordon. “And then he tells me this outrageous, wonderful historical tale about events in history that were so large, it shook up an entire part of the county, and an entire religion.”
Turns out, according to Gordon, that the sword was very likely used in the attack on Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while he was imprisoned at the Carthage Jail in Illinois in 1844. The attack ended in Smith’s murder.
“The person that (originally) owned the sword actually was in the forces against Mormons, and that’s where Joseph Smith was killed,” said Gordon. “A lot of my job is identifying for people what objects are and why they’re important.”
According to Gordon, experiences like that can change a life; not only can monetary value be found, but sentimental and emotional value can have just as much, if not more, of an impact.
“Sometimes it’s not just monetary value, sometimes it’s like okay, this is earth-shaking to some people,” said Gordon. “There are people out there, collectors and historians on that topic, (who) it would be earth-shaking (for them) to see it.”
Gordon’s love of antiques and history began at a very young age, he says.
“I was a dealer by the time I was eight. I would go out and find antiques, and I’d sell them at antique shows,” said Gordon. “By the time I was in my 20s, I was an expert in the West and Native American, cowboy, and western artifacts.”
In his 30s, Gordon says the State of Montana asked him to appraise the two ghost towns of Virginia City and Nevada City, Montana, which led him to appraise over 1 million artifacts on his own.
“The next one was when the federal government asked me to appraise the historical contents of Yellowstone Park,” says Gordon. “I went from there into practice, and I never stopped.”
From here, Gordon appraised some of the most famous and valuable items in the world, including Princess Dianna’s gowns at Kensington Palace, Ronald Regan’s ranch estate in Saint Barbara, and Jim Morrison’s famous Paris writings before his death.
“(I’m) able to bring a sense of scope and value from an outside platform, an expert who isn’t somebody from (your) family, or somebody (you’ve) talked to or looked up on the internet,” says Gordon.
The Museum of Idaho hopes to bring the experts back for another appraisal event, with employees saying it was enthralling to watch people learn more about their own history from just an item in their home.
“There have been a few surprises. One of the very first items was a painting from the 18th century. and (the experts) pulled out a light and found on the back, the provenance and artist information,” says Camille Farac, the Director of Marketing at the Museum of Idaho. “Based on that, they were able to confirm it was from the 18th century.”
Farac says the event was a huge success, with some participants finding out information about their items they could never have dreamed of.
“We are super excited to have them here. It’s kind of a rare and unique thing to get two celebrities who are known for TV and other appearances here in eastern Idaho,” says Farac. “What we’re about here is science and culture, and you can bring in your objects and learn the history behind your very own objects.”