From Betty Boop Chalkware to Liberace Hot Nuts Dispenser
Gary Germer is known for his knowledge and professionalism in the antique industry. But beyond that people are drawn to Gary because of his kind nature, generosity, and ability make you genuinely laugh. As an appraiser, he knows a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff. He should, he's been doing it for over 30 years.
“I’ve done everything from high-end art to bags of dirt,” Germer said with an amused smile. “Yes. Dirt. This guy had an organic soil company that went out of business and he donated his last inventory. So I evaluated the dirt.”
Often times the items that are most valuable aren’t the obvious ones. Once he went to a client’s house to look at a China cabinet, which turned out to be worthless. Sitting next to it, though, were two beer steins worth about $5,000 each, he said.
“That piece that your grandma keeps telling you is worth money isn’t, but that weird thing sitting next to it — that might be worth a fortune,”
Collecting is also somewhat in the eye of the beholder, says Gary. He collects a few things that just have sentimental value to him. “I like things that make me laugh,” Germer said. “My favorite is my Betty Boop chalkware and my Liberace Hot Nuts dispenser.”
The Betty Boop figure, like most chalkware (which are gypsum or plaster figurines), was made during the Great Depression. He likes it because his daughters, when they were babies, used to hike themselves up next to the table it was on to stare at it, he said. “How could I ever get rid of it after that?” Gary said.
At the Gary Germer & Associates we may be small in number (there's 5 of us) but we're a work family that is big in heart and dreams. We know that everything has a story; we like to discover those stories and share them with you.
*Quotes from Gary's interview with The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, WA.
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