Ted Pappas was back in Valemount Sept 6th and 7th appraising items for locals.

Residents brought it antiques, artwork – anything they wanted valued – and Pappas gave them an idea of what their possessions are worth.

Pappas says his work does more than just help the person sell the item for a good price – it also protects it in case of an insurance claim. He says he can testify in court to the values of the contents of someone’s house should it burn down – if he’s had time to evaluate each item beforehand. He says people can also help themselves by taking pictures and cataloguing the items in their home before he arrives, so he can sign off on each individual item.

Pappas, based in Clinton, has travelled throughout North America and Europe appraising all kinds of possessions: from shrunken heads to ancient Egyptian artifacts to fine pieces of solid gold pepperettes from the queen’s table. Vintage cars, cemetery plots, real estate… you get the idea.

He has 40 years of experience in appraising. He started out at age six collecting stamps and coins, and was already buying and selling at auctions at age 12. For many years he was involved in auctions. Now he has launched his own buy-sell antiques website called the Mumbling Muse.