The Treasure Hunters Roadshow is stopping in Cape Coral this week, providing residents with the opportunity to sit with experts and find the value of a variety of items.
Treasure Hunters Vice President of Media Relations Matthew Enright said they have been holding the roadshow for about a decade now to provide people with the opportunity to bring stuff in that they think may have value. He said the roadshow travels to about four different countries throughout the year.
Enright said there are a few house rules for people to follow if they plan on attending the show, which is being held at the Hampton Inn in Cape Coral. The first piece of advice is to keep an open mind, he said, because you never know what kind of value an item may have.
“That is the most important thing,” he said.
Enright also advises people not to clean anything before they bring it to the roadshow because it may degrade the value of the item they are having appraised. He said it can especially harm coins if they do not know what they are doing.
“We represent collectors across the world,” Enright said about the items that individuals may sell as well. “They can cash in on some stuff that they have sitting around.”
There is no limit on how many items a person can bring to the show and there is no admission cost. Some of the items to bring include silver, gold, coins, paper money, jewelry, dolls and toys, comics, sports memorabilia, rare finds and autographs.
Enright said when an individual first arrives, they will have to register so they can be given a number that corresponds to the right expert for the item they brought.
The average time from when an individual sits with the expert until they leave is 15 minutes. He said if someone brings more items, they can expect to be there longer.
Some of the items that are brought to the show, he said, makes it quite fun because they get to see some cool stuff. In Nashville, Tenn., someone brought in Johnny Cash’s bed, which Enright said was very cool.
He said sometimes it is the story that is tied to the item that makes it more interesting. A gentleman, who carried around in his pocket a rare gold coin from the 1800s as a good luck charm, said his life changed after he attended the roadshow.
Enright said he attended the show and tossed the coin on the table and asked how much it was worth.
“It was worth a lot more than we anticipated,” he said about the $126,000 that someone paid him for the coin.
“We have had some really weird stuff to some of the coolest stuff you will ever see,” he said.
An electric chair from the New York State Penitentiary was another item brought to the show from St. Petersburg. He said the chair was really an eccentric piece.
The Hampton Inn and Suites is at 619 S.E. 47th Terrace. The doors will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 1-4, and from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on June 5.