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'Antiques Roadshow' event in Grand Rapids was a blast

Last Saturday, Aug. 9, I went to Grand Rapids to do a story on "Antiques Roadshow," which was filming folks and their treasures for the 2009 season. My story will appear in Homestyle Aug. 16. There were so many wonderful objects and tales. A tale that didn't make it into the story comes from Birmingham rug and textile appraiser Caroline Ashleigh.

"A woman came to me late in the day with a hand-made red quilt," she says. "I wasn't impressed until I unfolded the quilt and saw 200 autographs on fabric as part of the quilt. Back in the 1970s, the woman sent fabric swatches to celebrities, athletes and politicans, asking for their autographs. She had autographs from Elvis Presley, Liberace, Lucille Ball and Gerald R. Ford. It was amazing."

Ashleigh says a celebrity autograph typically goes for $50, but an autograph from someone such as Elvis fetches a much higher figure. So this quilt should bring at least $10,000, probably much more. The woman had a great idea for a celebrity quilt, and it paid off handsomely!