“Of course, come in.” Andie glanced at Addie.
“Yes, please do come in.” Addie gestured for Gloria to enter.
Gloria shuffled over to Andie and handed her the box. Andie dug out her reading glasses and started to inspect it. Turning it over, she saw the English silver hallmarks for pieces made in Birmingham in 1890. “It’s solid silver and old.”
She inspected the sides and top. It was in great condition, the raised floral decoration very intricate. The inside was lined with cobalt-blue velvet in near perfect condition with only a few spots of wear.
“It was my grandmother’s. She always said it was worth a lot.” Gloria sounded hopeful.
“It is a very nice piece and in good condition. I would say it has some value.” Andie guessed it was worth around a thousand dollars. The silver alone was valuable, but the craftsmanship of the piece itself raised that value, and knowing the provenance added to that even more.
“More than twenty-five dollars?” Gloria asked.
“Twenty-five! Yes, I would say around a thousand.”
Gloria frowned. “Are you sure? Damien Carruthers said it’s only worth twenty-five, and he would give me twenty.”
“Who is Damien Carruthers?” Andie already didn’t like the man if he was ripping off little old ladies. But maybe he was just not very good at valuing antiques.
“He has an ad in the classifieds to appraise antiques,” Gloria said.
“Well, I might get a second opinion if I were you.” Andie handed the box back. “It’s worth considerably more. Of course, a dealer buying it couldn’t pay one thousand, but I think you could get five or six hundred.”
“Really?” Gloria looked quite pleased. “I’d sell it to you for five. I was hoping to use the money to pay for my granddaughter’s 4H camp this fall.”
“Oh, sorry, but I don’t have a shop or anything, so I’m not in the market to make purchases. Do you have someone who can take it to a shop for you?” Since Gloria appeared to be a resident at Tall Pines, Andie figured she needed assistance.
“My daughter can help me, but she said the only shop in Lobster Bay is closed.”
“Maybe take it to Portland? There are some high-end shops there that might give you a good price.”
“Okay, thanks so much.” Gloria nodded at Addie and shuffled out into the hall.
Andie watched her leave, a smile spreading on her face. It had felt good to help the woman. She’d had a brief moment of hoping the silver box might have been one of those rare finds she’d spent her life searching for, but helping the woman get a fair price had its own rewards. If she ever ran into this Carruthers person, she was going to give him a piece of her mind.
Outside the doorway, another resident was lingering.
“Well, what did she say?” the woman asked Gloria.
“You were right. It is worth a lot more.”
The woman glanced in at Andie. “Do you think she’d look at my mother’s figurines?”
Andie could hardly refuse the woman. “I’d be happy to look at them.”
“Oh! I see you’ve found her.” Rita wheeled up to them and looked up at Andie. “I hope you don’t mind, but I told Gloria and Mae that you were an antique expert. I told them their things are much more valuable than Damien said. That guy is a snake.”
Goria flushed. “It’s not that I didn’t believe you, Rita, but Damien seemed so sincere.”
“Yeah, he can be very persuasive, and I realize you can’t actually shop around.” Rita turned to Andie. “What Lobster Bay needs is a good reputable antique dealer these folks can come to.”
Rita had a point. Apparently there was a need for someone to take in antiques here in town. It wasn’t as glamorous as working for a prestigious auction house, but Andie was starting to think that Lobster Bay had a lot more to offer than New York City, and her time at Christies had proven that prestige might be overrated.
Chapter Twelve
Maxi’s excitement over showing Jane and Claire her cottage faded as soon as her friends arrived. Something was wrong, something they didn’t want to come right out and tell her. She could tell by the awkward way they were acting.
“This place is adorable!” Jane exclaimed as she handed Maxi the lobster dip she’d brought.
