Montana Appraisal Fair Comes to Helena

This article originally appeared in the Helena Independent Record on 10/17/23 and was written by Phil Drake.

Nearly 200 people brought family treasures to an event at the Holter Museum in the hopes of finding out their true worth.

And there was a surprise or two.

Coe said those surprises included a Knights of Pythias sword at one time belonging to copper king William A. Clark that was valued at $20,000-$40,000.

He said its owner had kept the sword concealed and then unveiled it for the crowd.

"I was blown away," Coe said. "I thought it was spectacular and very unexpected."The day consisted mostly of folks with paintings, swords, masks, textiles, toys and baseball cards, said Zachary Coe, community outreach manager with the Foundation for Montana History, which hosted the event.

And there was a silver saddle brought in by the Keystone brothers that was appraised at $150,000.

“I would say I was a little shocked, but not surprised,” Coe said, adding it was exciting to experience. He said the saddle was made in the 1950s for a parade.

This was the fifth time the foundation has hosted the event. Coe said it has not been an annual tradition due to COVID-19. The event raised more than $5,000 and made it the most successful fair to date. And he said the attendance was nearly double what it's been in past years. The foundation has brought this annual event to a different Montana community since 2017.

The event featured celebrity appraiser Timothy Gordon and auctioneer Grant Zahajko.

“It went spectacular,” Coe said. “We were real happy with the reaction from community. Both the appraiser and auctioneer were pleased with the results.”

He said participants seemed to have a good time.

“Everybody was pleased,” Coe said. “If nothing else, they learned a little more about the item.”

He said his favorite item of the day was an antique ceremonial officer's sword owned by William A. Clark. The man who brought it got it from his father who received if from the Clark mansion when it gifted to employees.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Foundation for Montana History's statewide historic preservation grant program. The foundation is a nonprofit charity that raises money and provides funding for history and preservation projects across Montana.

Its website states it has served 187 communities, has 307 grant recipients and has granted $1.5 million.

For more on the foundation, go to https://www.mthistory.org/