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Jim Taylor has lived in the same house for more than 35 years. He loves to collect items that have been passed down to him by his family. Some items have more sentimental value than monetary value. Collector Inspector Harry Rinker pays Taylor a visit about to find out which is which.

Figure A

Here's a multifaceted collectible--an autographed Gene Autry TV ad (figure A). It doesn't just have one value but has different values to different collectors. For the TV series collector, it's worth $200 to $300. For the Gene Autry collector, the value jumps to $300 to $400. The autograph helps the value for the Autry collector.

Figure B

Taylor's father was married in this straw hat (figure B). Rinker suggests lightly misting it with a spray bottle filled with water two or three times a year to keep the straw from drying out. That's good advice for old baskets and other collectibles made of straw and fiber.

Figure C

This photograph is of Taylor's cousin (figure C). Rinker suggests putting the cousin's name on the back of the photo so future owners will know who is in the picture.

Figure D

Figure E

Here are photographs of Taylor's grandparents. His grandmother is Josephina Gufantti (figure D) and his grandfather is Miseali Bianchini (figure E). Taylor enjoys these every day because they're displayed in his home. Rinker suggests taking advantage of today's computer technology to scan the images to disc and pass them down to children and grandchildren.

Figure F

This violin (figure F) isn't in playable condition, but Rinker thinks it could easily be restored. As is, it's worth $65 to $85, but if fully restored and restrung, it could sell for $275 to $300. The reason for that is simple—a brand new violin with inferior quality sound can cost up to $800. Restored violins often have a warm, mellow sound, and people will buy these rather than a new one with a lesser-quality sound.

Figure G

Here's a coffee urn from the 1960s (figure G). Taylor has kept the original box and it's in great shape. It's worth about $35 to $45 now, and the price is going up.

Also in this Episode

Collector Inspector : Episode CTI-105
•	1950s and '60s Collectibles
•	Family Collectibles
•	Re-Purposed Collectibles
•	Crossover Collectibles

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