Beatles collectibles bring good news

Like a lot of people in the area, Holly Bickford was looking forward to spending the day at the Antiques Roadshow last August.

“I was fortunate enough to win two tickets so my husband and I went,” Bickford wrote me. “We enjoyed seeing the new convention center, had a great time waiting in line seeing what other people were bringing and chatting, and of course it was great seeing the appraisers from the show.”

Bickford got information about a vase she’d inherited from her mother. No treasure there.

“The vase wasn’t worth much,” she said. “In a way it was a relief. She gave it to me for my 50th birthday. I eventually came to love it but then worried about it being really valuable.”

She loved being on the set of the show, but Bickford’s second impression was a little different.

“The only disappointment came with my appraisal from Kathleen Guzman,” she said.

Bickford had seen collections on episodes of the Antiques Roadshow so she gathered five of her favorite Beatles items.

“I thought I did a pretty good job, I had about five items and had them all together to quickly bring them out,” Bickford said. “I was thrilled that I was getting Kathleen.”

When it was her turn in front of Guzman, Bickford started bringing out her prizes.

“I started lifting the items out of my cart,” Bickford said. “She grimaced and hollored, ‘You are only supposed to bring two items! That’s why the line is so long!’”

Bickford was embarrassed so she only brought out a rare Beatles album and a jacket for her chance to show and tell. And she got good news.

“She picked up the jacket, looked closely at it and told me it was in excellent condition and that it was rare,” Bickford said. “Same for the album.”

In spite of being rattled by the cranky appraiser, Bickford came away with good news. Both items are worth several hundred dollars.

“It was a blast,” Bickford said. “I’d do it all over again.”