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Saturday, December 07, 2002

By Gretchen McKay

Susan Larkin wasn't looking for the deal of the century when she bought a gold Victorian bracelet at the Meadowlands antique fair a few years back. For all she knew, the $40 price tag was double its value. She simply liked the way the 100-year-old amethyst and white sapphires sparkled on her wrist.

	Susan Larkin receives a visit to her Mexican War Streets home from antiques expert Harry Rinker for an episode of the new HGTV series "Collector Inspector," scheduled to air Friday. (Bill Wade, Post-Gazette photos)

So when antiques expert Harry Rinker, who was in town to film segments for the new HGTV series "Collector Inspector," told Larkin that the bracelet was actually worth five times what she paid, she was understandably surprised and delighted. Not that she'd consider ever selling it, thank you very much.

And that suits Rinker just fine.

The value of a beloved family heirloom or flea market find isn't just what somebody paid for it or how much they could resell it for, he says. Just as important, and a whole lot more interesting, is the story behind it. Where did you get it and why? How was it used? What does it say about the buyer?

"That's what gives life to inanimate objects," he says.

That's also why Americans should identify with Rinker's new show, which airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. and feeds on the country's growing interest in antiques and collectibles. The episode featuring Larkin's home will air this Friday.

"Once you hook 'em ..."

"Collecting is an addiction," says Rinker, who has authored almost a dozen books on the subject and whose weekly syndicated column, "Rinker on Collectibles," appears in trade and daily periodicals across the country. "Once you hook 'em, you have 'em for life."

Larkin's Mexican War Street row house was one of four Western Pennsylvania homes the well-known antiques appraiser visited in July to shoot footage for the weekly show. Homes in Ben Avon and in Cecil, Washington County, were featured on episodes earlier this year, and Jan. 3, Susan and Tom Sailock's possessions in Lower Burrell will be shown.

Among the Sailock items Rinker perused were a turn-of-the-century crank phone that came out of the family farmhouse in Lehighton, Carbon County; a wooden high chair from the '30s; and a cast-iron wood-burning laundry stove from the late 1880s that Susan's great aunt used to smoke meat.

Although nothing Rinker inspected was worth enough to retire on -- the stove was worth just $300 -- there were quite a few surprises, says Sailock, a sales rep for Allegheny Ludlum.

For instance, she discovered that the heart-shaped beaded pin cushion she found in her grandmother's attic was made for tourists by American Indians near Niagara Falls. And the wooden blocks Susan played with as a child feature the original Mickey Mouse, not today's more-modern version.

Rinker's crew of six spent more than eight hours filming Rinker and Larkin as he perused the items she'd gathered together. Rinker explained what the items would have been used for and, ta da! revealed their retail value. As for the bracelet, it was on Larkin's wrist when the host spied it and asked for look-see.

Among Larkin's collectibles featured on the show is this Victorian pickle caster that belonged to her great-aunt.

"The premise of the show is sort of 'Whatcha got?'" says Rinker.

In each half-hour episode, Rinker walks through the homes of three average Americans and tells the nervous homeowners which of their prized family heirlooms, collectibles and flea-market finds are actually valuable treasures -- and which are not.

"It's what [Americans have] in their homes, not what they wish they had," he says.

As such, homes of collectors, antiques dealers and interior decorators are off-limits.

Then it's on to a 14,000-square-foot former elementary school in Vera Cruz, Lehigh County, that Rinker lives and works out of, to learn more about one of the objects just discussed or perhaps get a tip on how to care for or collect something. By employing a more intimate "house call" approach, Rinker aims to create a stronger connection between the owners and audience than other antiques shows.

"Viewers will say 'I remember that,' or 'I had one of those and threw it out' or 'My grandma had one of those in her attic,'" he says.

In the Larkin segment, Rinker takes a look at an antique caster set and pickle caster that belonged to her great aunt as well as a late-19th-century cut-glass compote she picked up for $50. Rinker valued it at $150-$200. Larkin also learns that the early Empire gaming table she bought at auction for $200 was well worth the six-hour wait. (Rinker estimated its worth at $500.)

A tiring day, to be sure, what with all the klieg lights and reflectors and cameras, but also exhilarating, says Larkin, a partner with DKY Inc., a restoration contractor.

After more than 20 years of collecting, "It's nice to have somebody come in and appreciate your stuff."

Gretchen McKay covers homes and real estate for the Post-Gazette.