East Fishkill Library Friends Group

Holds its Second Annual Antique Appraisal Fundraiser

What do a silver buckle, a mah jong set, and a child’s wooden sled have in common? They were all items appraised by Ronald A. DeSilva at the East Fishkill Community Library on Saturday, October 23. Mr. DeSilva appraised about 100 items during his five hours there. Most people were pleasantly surprised to learn that their vase, quilt, or painting was worth more than they would have guessed. Among various interesting items he saw an Art Deco rectangular blue pitcher, a metal children’s toy that made an acrobatic monkey swing like a modern day gymnast, and a kerosene lit compass that had been made in a Brooklyn shipyard in the 1880’s. One person brought in an Italian violin in such disrepair that the strings were attached to nothing, but as it had been made in the 1700’s, this was understandable.

This event was the second one hosted by the Friends of the East Fishkill Library,

a fund-raising organization for the library. People paid $10 to have one item appraised and $25 for three items.

Though Mr. DeSilva went to college in Rhode Island majoring in foreign languages, it was his minor in Baroque art that whetted his appetite for antiques. A member of the American Society of Appraisers, he is a former assistant vice-president at Sotheby’s. In 1975 he opened his own antiques business in New York City, but returned to the auction world when he was appointed director of American Furniture and Decorative Arts at Christie’s.

Mr. DeSilva, who lives in a house built in 1759, was very interested to hear of the local homes of many ticket holders whose homes were built in the 18 th or 19 th centuries.

The Friends Group hopes to invite Mr. DeSilva back next fall for a third Antique Appraisal Day. His final word about antiques to everyone was, “Don’t put that piece into a box in the attic to collect dust. Display it so that you and everyone else can enjoy it.”