Treasures from the past

Talk about it

Cloquet’s Martha Withoff remembers sitting at the dining room table during World War II, doing her homework with her mother’s gold Wahl Eversharp lead pencil.

“You had to sit in the chair and when you were done with your homework, you had to give it straight back to her and she would put it back in her purse,” Withoff said during an antique appraisal session Tuesday at the Carlton County Historical Society museum in Cloquet. “But it didn’t have an eraser. Can you imagine trying to do your homework without an eraser?”

Folks came from all around Carlton County Tuesday, toting valuables from the past that ran the gamut from cookie jars and glassware, to German dolls, spoons from Norway, paintings and more.

Superior Estates appraisers Wayne Madison and Rosemary Bjornaas were democratic and diplomatic with their appraisals, giving each person in line at the museum their educated opinion on the various items.

There were some interesting treasures on display, and lots of memories shared.

Terry Maki brought in a curved knife that belonged to his uncle, who had served in India during World War II.

Cromwell’s Jerry Letty came with a brass telescope he figures has been in his family since the 1920s, engraved with the word “Celesta.”

“It could refer to a ship [that the telescope came from],” Letty hypothesized and Madison agreed, suggesting he take it to the Maritime Museum in Canal Park.

Mickey Hunter carried a large drawing or painting of a Native American scene with a teepee that he believed to have originally belonged to his father’s grandmother that Madison thought could sell for between $500 and $700.

“He told me I should get three appraisals, though,” Hunter said, adding that Madison suggested he take the painting to the monthly antique appraisal at the Duluth Depot and show it to Jerry Sershon there as well.

As for the golden pencil, the two appraisers told Withoff that the pencil almost certainly dated from the 1920s, and likely came as part of a set with a gold pen and gold pocketknife. They estimated the value of the pencil alone at around $150, but suggested that Withoff also investigate the value of the gold itself.

CCHS Director Rachael Martin said she is hoping to have more antique appraisal sessions at the museum in the future.

Tags: carlton county, cloquet