Lifelong learning course will analyze antiques

A three-session course titled “Antiques, Appraisals, Auctions,” sponsored by the Rappahannock Community College Educational Foundation’s Rappahannock Institute for Lifelong Learning, will be held on March 5, 12, and 19 (Mondays), 2-4 p.m., at the Mathews Memorial Library in Mathews Courthouse. The dynamic auctioneering and teaching team of Larry and Linda Makowski will define the term “antique” and explain “fair market value” and “market levels of trade.”

In addition to answering the questions “”When should you get an appraisal?” and “Who can give you one?” the Makowskis will consider the design periods by which antiques are classified, the methods of construction, and the origins of jewelry design. They will tell students “everything you ever wanted to know about auctions”—of real estate, vehicles, equipment, and personal property—and will promote them from the status of novices to that of experienced and knowledgeable bidders.

Larry Makowski is an Accredited Auctioneer of Real Estate (AARE) with offices in Baltimore and Gloucester. He and his wife hold Certified Auctioneers Institute and Certified Estate Specialist designations from the American Marketing Institute, and boast a combined total of 57 years of auctioneering experience. They are both gemologists, and were trained through the American Society of Appraisers to evaluate fine and decorative art, machinery and equipment, gems and jewelry, and personal property. As well as teaching classes and conducting seminars for various clubs and organizations, they have presided at a number of fundraising auctions for art museums and schools.

Advance registration, with a tuition payment of $35, is required to take this course. For more information on “Antiques, Appraisals, Auctions” and other upcoming courses, or to register, please call Sharon Drotleff at the RCC Educational Foundation office (804-333-6707, or toll-free at 877-722-3679), or e-mail her at sdrotleff@rappahannock.edu.