Ever wonder what the items gathering dust in your attic might be worth? The Cherry Hill Public Library is here to help.
On March 22, the library will host the What’s It Worth?” Virtual Antique Road Show. Author, auctioneer, appraiser and radio show host Mike Ivankovich will reveal what a participant’s antiques and collectibles are worth.
The library was scheduled to host the event in person last March, but one week before everything shut down due to COVID-19, it had to be cancelled. Volunteer Coordinator Meredith Meyer said at the time, like many people, library staff thought the shutdowns would just be for two weeks, and they would reschedule in the near future.
“Well, here we are one year and one day later from the originally scheduled event, doing a virtual version of the fundraiser event,” Meyer said.
Ivankovich has been involved in some phase of the antiques and collectibles business for more than 40 years and is the host of “What’s It Worth? Ask Mike the Appraiser” radio show that airs every Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. on WBCB 1490 AM in Philadelphia.
Meyer said since the event last year was so popular and then had to be cancelled at the last minute, she went back to those who had registered and gave them the first chance to do so again. There are still a limited number of spaces available. Each attendee is invited to show one item for Ivankovich to appraise. Registration is required for the event and costs $15.
There will be a few parts to the program. Ivankovich will begin with a discussion on 10 Factors That Will Always Impact the Value of Your Treasures. He will then transition to the appraisal portion of the program, evaluating each attendee’s treasures one by one. Throughout the program, Ivankovich will share many buying and selling tips and strategies.
The library has been financially impacted by COVID in negative ways, including lost revenue from sales and event proceeds, book sales, loss of meeting-room clients, sponsorship and daily rental and printing fees, due to months of closure and limited hours.
The Friends of the Cherry Hill Library was also unable to have any fundraisers, including three yearly book sales, flea markets and bus trips in 2020. In 2019, the Friends supplemented the library’s budget by $56,000.
Meyer said there is not a specific fundraising amount for the event.
“We were impacted in a negative way by COVID and we are always trying to think of fun and exciting fundraiser events to help support future programs and other needs that the library may need,” she added.
Funds from the event will go toward buying materials, including children and teen books, audiobooks and digital items. Money also will be used for virtual performer fees and supplies for make-and-take programs.
To register for the event, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whats-it-worth-virtual-antique-road-show-tickets-138784316627.
Residents can donate to the Support Your Library page at https://chplnj.org/supportyourlibrary. Those interested can also join and volunteer with the Friends of the Library at https://chplnj.org/friends_of_the_library.
