A new season, the seventh, of History Detectives is beginning on PBS this summer, and the popular series has uncovered a number of intriguing story lines that are sure to hold interest like a good detective novel. Most of the stories deal with tales of America’s past and begin with viewers who have unearthed questions about items, events, people and places for the History Detectives to solve. Among them: a letter alluding to a mysterious World War II military program to train dogs, a souvenir from Pancho Villa’s notorious Columbus, New Mexico raid, a 300 year-old beeswax carving from an Oregon shipwreck and a Western Field single-barrel, 12-gauge repeating shotgun allegedly used in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.
So what if you dig up something old and potentially interesting in that steamer trunk in the attic or excavate a shiny object from that pile of junk in the basement? Is it historic? Is it worth something? Elyse Luray, a noted appraiser, auctioneer and art historian, who has worked Antiques Roadshow and is in her seventh season of History Detectives, offers some tips:
The first thing I always do, and tell people to do, is get a piece of paper and start making a list of questions. Is it period? Does it look like paper that was actually from that time period ? Does it have some wear and tear or oxidation ? You would expect through the years for it not to be perfect. If it’s a photograph, look at the landscape for (evidence) of the time. If it’s a document, look at the style of the handwriting. There are very different styles of handwriting from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. You need to look for the common sense issues. By using your own observations you can get the ball rolling.
But what if you’re not related to George Washington or Alfred E. Newman? Can a family heirloom be valuable?
Elyse’s advice: “There is an intrinsic value (its monetary worth), a personal value and a decorative value to a piece. What History Detectives shows is that there is always a historic value to a piece. But if you can connect it to that greater history, obviously it makes that piece more valuable and more important. If you connect it to your own genealogy then personally it’s priceless.”
Okay, so maybe Aunt Tilly’s wooden dentures aren’t going to make you rich on Ebay, but there’s adventure in the journey, right? New History Detectives host Dr. Eduardo Pagán thinks so. “It’s always a fascinating journey when you are out there poking around and you come across something of historical significance that really strikes you. The show’s appropriately called History Detectives. I think any good historian is a bit of a detective–trying to piece together parts of a past that we don’t understand.”
Whether you are a seller, buyer or just a part-time sleuth of historical objects, you have to be wary of fakes and frauds. Again common sense is your first defense. Beware of things too good to be true, Elyse cautions. And she adds, “Our website has so much phenomenal information. Our goal is to let everybody be a history detective and to teach everybody how they can authenticate their own pieces. Your gut and good common sense is the best place to start.”
Great History readers can submit their mystery, comment on the program, or ask questions at the History Detectives website.
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