Experts offer advice and discuss antiques at show

• Watch steel-frame house being built at Home Show

By Kaui Philpotts
Advertiser Staff Writer

Antiques experts say people often assume anything old must be valuable. While an item might have sentimental value, appraisers caution, a collector might find it unremarkable. Still, the occasional exceptions do tantalize us. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser BIA Home Building & Remodeling Show Tomorrow-Sunday, Blaisdell Center, $4; free for children younger than 12 "What's It Worth?", Sunday, 847-4666, bia-hawaii.com

You'll have a chance to ask the experts on Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Pikake Room of the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. The "What's This Worth" session is being held as part of the annual BIA Home Building & Remodeling Show.

The event, modeled on PBS' popular "Antique Roadshow," will be moderated by Advertiser fashion writer Paula Rath.

Experts will be on hand to discuss trends in buying and selling antiques and collectibles, and to give educated opinions on what folks bring in. They include Mel Furukawa of Past and Present (Asian items, kimono and textiles), gemologist Dale Cripps (antique jewelry and watches), Ferdinand Micklautz of Miko Oriental Art Gallery (Oriental ware), appraiser Wayne Morioka (Asian art, painting and sculpture), Joe O'Neill of Hawaii Antique Center (collectible rattan, koa and Hawaiian memorabilia), Don Severson of Hawaiian Antiquities (Hawaiian art, prints, postcards and tourism collectibles) and Pake Zane of Antique Alley (bottles, collectibles and American nostalgia).

"People often confuse what is old with what is rare and expensive," Furukawa said. Often old dishware and kimono have sentimental value to a family, but may not have value to a collector.

"Hawai'i people who came here from Japan were farmers," he said. "I rarely see things that are fine art. People have everyday things that can be collectible, but are not expensive."

The exception, he said, is in families who were involved in tea ceremony or traditional flower arrangement. "That's where there are sometimes real treasure troves."

Furukawa cites the case of a gentleman who was with the U.S. occupation forces in Japan after World War II. He picked up pieces of old Imari porcelain and screens for very little money and sent them back here to his mother. The collection now is remarkable in both its quality and value.

People should buy things they like, Furukawa said, and not worry about the value. He also recommends not making the age of an item your only criteria for collecting it.

Another suggestion, he said, is to narrow the scope of what you collect and become an expert in it.

Micklautz agrees. Affectionately called "Miko," he's the "senior kid on the block."

"I tell people to collect what they like, period," he said.

"Don't buy anything that's chipped or damaged. Make sure it is well made. And remember that you get nothing free!"

Appraiser Morioka has people calling him who want a valuation on an item, but they have a hard time expressing what it is they have. "The first thing I ask is 'Where did you get it?' Every item is different, so begin with what you've heard about the item."

The surprises are not so much in the valuables collected by Hawai'i's older families, Morioka said. Most people know that the old calabashes and Hitchcock paintings have value.

The sleepers are things acquired in the early 20th century.

Morioka was once asked to appraise objects in the home of a woman said to have been a great collector. The home above Kaimuki, now abandoned, was literally falling apart, with all the contents still in it.

Much of what was still there was broken or had very little value, except for a painting in perfect condition hanging in the dining room. Morioka had a hunch about that.

After doing some research on his own, he determined it to be by a prominent English painter done early in the 1900s and worth $20,000 to $30,000. But he went a step further and sent a photograph to Sotheby's in New York, where he found the painting was last known to have been purchased by a Hawai'i socialite in 1920, and had been missing from the art world for many years. When it finally went to auction, it brought $300,000.

In another case, Morioka spotted a small mechanical bank near the door in a home in the military housing at Red Hill. The family had been using it to collect the rubber bands from the morning newspaper. It turned out to be one of only three child's banks of its type known to exist. Morioka valued it at about $20,000, but it went to auction in New York during the Christmas season, and brought enough for the family to buy a retirement home on the East Coast.

It can be important to know something about the objects you own, Morioka said, because if you don't, sometimes you can throw away the provenance, or proof of authenticity.

As an example, he cites the boxes that come with Japanese ceramics. "The signature is on the box. The box that lacquer or a tea cup comes in is very important. I always ask first if they still have the original box. If you throw it out, you're throwing away the signature."

Furukawa thinks families are sometimes in too much of a hurry to dispose of things. He'd like to see them begin to build a "culture of the heirloom."

"Have someone give you an idea of what you have," he said. "It doesn't have to be very valuable, but it gives you a more intimate relationship with the family (history)."

O'Neill, who specializes in collectibles from the period between World War II and statehood, couldn't agree more. "When families are cleaning up the old house, the first thing they look for is the gold ring. And the first thing they throw away is the pile of Grandma's papers." But it's the papers O'Neill loves. He still treasures a pass he found for the Moana Hotel pier.

He recommends they call a reputable dealer before touching anything or having a garage sale.

Ironically, often he finds that families would rather throw things out than feel they have been cheated by a dealer.

Everyone agreed that the real "home runs" in the business are few and far between. Still, they are out there.

Watch steel-frame house being built at Home Show

The latest developments in home-building technology, design and financing will be highlighted during the annual Building Industry Association Home Building & Remodeling Show, tomorrow through Feb. 3 at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. This year's theme is "Seek Professional Help ... Before It's Too Late."

The public is invited to watch the construction of the first Steel Speed House built in the country. Fifty volunteers representing more than 150 building supply and contracting companies will erect a steel-framed house featuring Hawaii BuiltGreen materials and techniques. Attendees will be able to walk through the house to see framing and energy-saving technology.

Construction begins tomorrow at 7 a.m. on the Ward Avenue side of the Blaisdell parking lot.

It is estimated that the house will be completed by 11:30 a.m.

Show hours are 5 to 9:30 p.m. tomorrow and Friday; 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission is $4 for adults; $1 for seniors (55 years and older); children 12 and under are free. Discount coupons of $2 are available at all First Hawaiian Bank branches on O'ahu. They also can be downloaded from bia-hawaii.com.