NARRATOR: Major funding is provided by, Alex Cooper Auctioneers, since 1924 has been serving the Mid-Atlantic states, featuring monthly gallery antique auction sales, our staff can assist clients with the disposition of their valued possessions.

Alex Cooper Auctioneers.

ROSS KELBAUGH: Coming up on "Chesapeake Collectibles".

You have brought in a grouping that is amongst the most exciting that I have been able to look at today.

GUEST: This a Jacob Glushakow oil on canvas painting, he's a local Baltimorean artist.

G. AMORY LECUYER: This has become one of the most collectible models of Rolex watch out there in the market today.

GUEST: I brought a book by Mr. Whitney Young, that was presented to my father when he was working with United Way of America in New York City.

ED MORENO: But this is really the height of American silver-plated production.

You have a coffee pot, a teapot, hot milk uh, jug, a sugar, a spooner, a creamer, and then you have a couple of mugs.

[theme music playing].

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ P. RAAB CHRISTHILF: Well thanks for coming in today.

GUEST: Thank you.

P. RAAB: Tell us what you've brought in, let's take a look at it.

GUEST: This is a Jacob Glushakow uh, oil on canvas painting, he's a local Baltimorean um, artist.

Um, I think he passed away in 2000 but I believe he also painted for about six decades.

My husband and I acquired the painting from a, a personal artist of his collection um, a couple years ago, um, and I, I think immediately uh, my eyes drew right to it.

Um, and I felt some sort of connection as my family grew up in Baltimore and I'm sure went to Hollins Market.

P. RAAB: Are you from that area, were you, did you ever live down there?

GUEST: I personally did not, but I spent most summers as I was growing up with my uncle and my aunt.

P. RAAB: And they lived down in this area?

GUEST: They lived close to the area.

P. RAAB: Oh, so then it means even more to you then.

GUEST: Yes.

P. RAAB: Well, uh, uh, we're glad in "Chesapeake Collectibles" to have Baltimore and Maryland memorabilia obviously, and that's why I was so excited about it.

Years ago, when I worked with another auction house, we sold his estate and they were many, many paintings.

He's a wonderful guy I mean he's, it, he's an interesting, was an interesting character too.

Born in 1914 on the ship.

There was a Baltimore to Bremen steam ship line, that's why Baltimore has such a large German population.

GUEST: Mm-hm.

P. RAAB: Irish and German, they came down from Philadelphia of course, and after the yellow fever epidemic of 1793, but also there was this Baltimore to Bremen steam ship line which just brought tons; Baltimore is a port of entry, so tons of Germans came in, he was one of them, he was born on the boat, on the ship, on the way over and he was one of 11 children.

GUEST: Wow.

P. RAAB: So, he was from a big family.

Um, he has a wonderful uh, eye, a wonderful sense, uh, he's a keen observer of Baltimore life out in the, in the, I guess second and third quarter of the ninth, of the 20th century.

If you look at the painting you can see there's the cabbage here, there's, there's, there's bits and pieces, there's trash right there.

This you know is produce right here, someone is looking in a big bin there, I don't know if it's garbage or not, but I mean he's really picking up, you know, here's a mother and child coming in the, the butcher, or whatever the store owner is and the stalls on either side, I mean it's just a wonderful, it's almost photographic in the way that it depicts, that he depicts the scene of Baltimore that were, was so endemic to Baltimore at that time.

The different markets you know, uh, Hollins and, and, one in, uh south Baltimore, I forget the name of it, but anyway the different markets that were uh, in Baltimore at the time.

And I guess the, the, similar, similar to the way people bought food in all the cities you know.

GUEST: Mm-hm.

P. RAAB: So, it's, it's a real slice of Baltimore, the architecture here, the uh, old market place right there, I mean he's really captured; this is a Coca-Cola sign I think right here with the red.

GUEST: I can tell.

P. RAAB: So, he's, he's, he really has an eye for detail, you know, which is exciting.

The whole um, I don't know, the whole scene is charming, all of his work was charming.

It, a lot of his other artwork he would show the destruction of Baltimore in the inner city, the, the buildings that were falling down, a lot of them were of the ruins of Baltimore before inner harbor came, I guess in the early '60s and bulldozed all that area down.

GUEST: Mm-hm.

P. RAAB: So, to show, and this is still extant of course, this is Hollins Market as you said before, so this is still extant this, this, uh part of town, so this is probably a scene that is uh, probably still there today.

Anyway, have you had anyone give you any ideas of value on this?

GUEST: No, not, not at all.

P. RAAB: Not at all.

GUEST: Not at all.

P. RAAB: At auction what we found is that his paintings, this kind of large painting, a nice painting and framed, were selling for about $1,000 to $1500 each painting and so I think that that uh, idea of value maybe, if you wanted to insure it, I would double that, say 25, $3000 something like that.

If you went to sell it you could expect $1,000 to $1500...

GUEST: Wonderful.

P. RAAB: In return.

GUEST 2: Fantastic.

P. RAAB: I know, they're lovely paintings.

I hope you don't let it, let it go because it's really a great painting.

GUEST: No, not at all.

P. RAAB: But thank you for bringing it in, it's fun.

GUEST: Thank you.

GUEST 2: Thank you.

P. RAAB: Thank you.

♪ ♪ GENICE LEE: Welcome to the show and what have you brought in for us to take a look at?

GUEST: Well, thank you, I brought a book by Mr. Whitney Young that was presented to my father when he was working with The United Way of America in New York City.

GENICE: And have you ever had this book assessed before?

GUEST: No, I, this is the first time.

I found it when I was going through my father's personal archives.

GENICE: Well I think it's great that you took the time to carefully go through your father's personal effects, I know that a lot of people are doing that right now and a lot of times things like this are thrown out because people are in a hurry, so I'm glad that you're taking the time and were able to bring it on the show and share with us, so let's talk a little bit about the book that you have.

I love the fact that this is also a part of what you brought in.

Typically, advertisements around these books get thrown out and so you have the advertisement for the book as well, um, the book is signed on the inside, and you told me that it was signed to whom?

GUEST: It's dedicated to both my mother and father.

GENICE: Okay, so it was to both parents, not just one.

GUEST: Yes.

GENICE: Okay great, and so we have this, this book written by a gentleman who's known for his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, also for his involvement in the March on Washington, he also was the executive director for a number of years for The National Urban League and so during that time, after looking at this document, I believe you said that's when you thought that your father was able to get the book from him in New York.

GUEST: That's right, my father was working for The United Way of America at that time and he was working with a lot of communities around the mid-Atlantic and I believe that they began to collaborate together on different issues that they had in common for their concerns.

GENICE: Okay, well I, the book is in good condition, I like that it has the original paper sleeve and cover on it and again this advertisement that talks a little bit about the book before it was sold, how much it would sell for and where you could also purchase it at book stores.

So that, that advertisement says that this book could be purchased for $5 at the time, well I'm happy to tell you that the book now, with the signature in it would sell for $350.

GUEST: No?

Unbelievable.

GENICE: So um, take care of keeping everything together and success to you as you continue to go through your dad's things, who knows what else you may find, but uh, thank you for bringing it on the show today to share with us.

GUEST: Oh, thank you very much.

And I hope I can give it to The Urban League or to a museum that would be interested in having these papers.

Thank you.

♪ ♪ (studio chatter) ED: Thank you for bringing this wonderful silver-plated tea service, tea and coffee service to "Chesapeake Collectibles".

How long have you had it and how did you come about?

GUEST: Well, I've had various parts for quite some time, maybe as much as 25 years.

ED: Oh.

GUEST: And so, I've been collecting this for a while but I collect Victorian silverplate and um, this is one of my favorite parts of the collection that I have.

ED: And these of course are, are kind of well-known because of the fox finials.

GUEST: Exactly, that's what attracted me, yes.

ED: Okay um, this was made by the Wilcox Silver Company, uh, you actually have a fairly early piece which is kind of interesting, the company was formed in '65 and, your, you have a piece right here that is dated '69, 1869.

GUEST: Yep.

ED: So, this is the first, first couple years of the company.

Later on, towards the end of the century it was absorbed by the International Silver Company, but this is really the height of American silver-plated production.

You have a coffee pot, a teapot.

A hot milk, hot milk uh, jug.

GUEST: Okay.

ED: A sugar, a spooner, a creamer, and then you have a couple of mugs.

So, it's a totally great service along with a centerpiece, I'm sure you, you've assembled this over time.

GUEST: Right.

ED: And unfortunately, silverplate is not as valuable as it probably could.

The great thing is that it hasn't been re-plated, this is original patina.

GUEST: Mm-hm, yep.

ED: It is the great engraving on it, the modeling is fantastic, uh, it's unfortunate, it is an aesthetic that is really, totally typical American and it's a wonderful piece uh, any idea of the value, value?

GUEST: Um, I really don't, I don't it's, it's.

ED: Again, not highly valuable but it's a wonderful, wonderful set.

Um, this you could find at auction maybe for $500, $600, $700.

GUEST: Okay.

ED: So, it's, it's, it's not insignificant, it's a pity that it's not more because I really, really like it, so, thank you for bringing it to the show.

GUEST: Oh, excellent.

Thank you, and thank you for the appraisal, yeah.

ED: Super.

GUEST: Uh-huh.

♪ ♪ (studio chatter) G. AMORY: Welcome to "Chesapeake Collectibles", tell me a little bit about what you've brought for me today.

GUEST: Well in the late '80s, early '90s I had an opportunity to buy, I always wanted a Rolex watch.

G. AMORY: Okay.

GUEST: And I found one, and it was a Rolex Submariner, because I used to scuba dive.

G. AMORY: Okay.

GUEST: And I thought, "Wow, that would be nice to have."

G. AMORY: Alright, what, what'd you buy it for?

GUEST: Oh yea, it was about $600 back in the late, late... G. AMORY: In the '80s, '90s?

GUEST: Late '80s, early '90s.

G. AMORY: Well, let me tell you, what we've got here is a, we do have the Submariner, one of the most popular brands, uh, uh, models that Rolex makes.

But what distinguishes this is on the dial, Submariner is in red.

GUEST: Mm-hm.

G. AMORY: And this is a watch that has emerged over the last several years as being particularly collectible.

Um, there's certain types of works, we're not going to open up the back uh, here because we don't have the tools to do that, but uh, depending on what works were inside um, today, this watch is worth somewhere between $20 and $25,000.

GUEST: Oh, wow.

G. AMORY: Yes, and when I heard that you bought it for 600, even in the late '80s and '90s you should have paid considerably more than that.

Uh, but it has become one of the most collectible models of Rolex watch out there in the market today and while, that's the story that accompanies it, it's, it's just, it's that value difference that we've seen increase in, in certain wristwatches over the years.

GUEST: You said 20 to 25,000.

G. AMORY: 20 to 25, I've seen them go higher than that.

But thank you for bringing it out.

GUEST: Well.

G. AMORY: It was just a wonderful time.

GUEST: It is... G. AMORY: I love seeing a good, good wristwatch.

GUEST: Welp, so do I.

(laughing).

G. AMORY: Okay.

♪ ♪ ROSS: Welcome to "Chesapeake Collectibles", you have brought in a grouping that's amongst the most exciting that I have been able to look at today.

And you have a very personal story to be able to tell us.

How did you acquire all of these artifacts and your personal story.

GUEST: Well, as a child I always had an interest in space and it started when dad pointed out Sputnik in the backyard flying overhead, and the satellite, and at that time, I had a little dime store turtle who quickly became "Sputnik" and when Sputnik passed away, my parents even had a gold ring made, of a turtle, and this was poor Sputnik and I wore this Sputnik ring as a good luck charm for all of astronaut training.

And it all started when I was a high school biology, chemistry and physics teacher, and um, it was in August and I was getting ready for school and I heard on the radio that President Reagan was going to send a teacher into space.

And when I went to my high school, my principal said, "Kathleen, this one's for you."

I'd mountain climbed on every continent and, and he said, "Well," you know, "you've done the land, space is what's left."

And so, I applied, as did almost 12,000 other teachers and so then there was a down select to 112 and from the 112 became the 10 of us.

And it was through a two-week conference, we met a lot of the Apollo astronauts, a lot of the judges went through um, NASA headquarters, Goddard Spaceflight Center.

We were told that nothing was by chance, that every breakfast, lunch and dinner there actually was a NASA person, it was orchestrated that there was someone next to us to make sure that we, when we returned from space, could communicate the experience to anyone.

So I was thrilled to become one of the 10, and to go through the astronaut training, and there's the picture of the 10 of us and that's the KC-135, and you can see the parabola, we did, we did about 20 parabolas in um, in 40 minutes and um, we experienced weightlessness and we had fun and in fact when we got the video it was, we were laughing and giggling we were like a bunch of kids at recess in a schoolyard.

We had so much fun being weightless.

The journey had its highs and lows, you know, losing, losing Christa and, and losing, being there at the Challenger crew and had just, I was there you know, when the accident happened and I'd just even finished talking to her parents.

And Christa and I were really close, we're about two or three months apart in our age and um, and it was just an extraordinary experience, you know, beyond the, beyond the um, astronaut training, and when I arrived home from one NASA event I got this package and it was from this um, Maryland, uh retired, fighter pilot, test pilot and he wrote this book, "Voyages Into Airy Regions" and he sent me his command fighter pilot, test pilot wings and it was really touching, in the letter, you know, he said, that he said, "I've taken these wings as high and as far and as fast as I'm able and it would be nice if you could take them the rest of the way."

ROSS: Mm.

GUEST: And it was just things, many, many stories like that.

And after NASA I had gone to uh, Westinghouse and Westinghouse had built, in Baltimore, had built the Apollo camera and so they had invited Mike Collins, the Apollo astronaut to um, to give the keynote speech.

So, since I was working at, at NAS, at Westinghouse and they knew my NASA background, they had me reduce that Apollo mission down to 10 minutes.

So right before we were to go on stage I said to Mike, I said, "I reduced the Apollo footage to 10 minutes, do you want to take a look at it?"

And he said, "No," he said, you know, "I, I know the mission," and he said, "I'm good."

So, we're sitting there on stage and it's show time, there are all the Westinghouse employees and he leans over and he says to me, "Kathleen, I want you to narrate it."

Well, there's no way you say no to Mike Collins, so I don't know, before I knew it, I stood up there and I said, "Well, I'm going to show you Mike's home movies," and I said, "his vacation to the moon."

And so, everybody laughed and I felt really you know, calm.

And so, then we went to the VIP dining room at NASA, and NASA had given us these Apollo food tubes.

So, I hid the Apollo food tube under his napkin, so he picks up his napkin and he says, "What the hell is this?"

And I said, "Well you of all people should know what it is."

And he said, "Yep I do" and he grabs a sharpie and he puts, writes on here, that you can see, "Kathleen owes me a martini."

And in fact, he actually wrote it, in, when he autographed the book, you know, "Kathleen owes me a martini."

So about two or three years later, at a space conference, there were open bars all around and there was Mike, talking to people, I went over to the bar, I got a martini and I went over and I said, "Mike, I deliver on my promises."

And so, it kind of had really good closure.

ROSS: Hmm.

GUEST: And really touching moments, my birthday is in July and NASA had a party for me in the backyard of a NASA executive and Christa had presented me with this plaque and it says, "Good friends are uplifting" like we, we were very close.

And on the back of it she writes, "We already have a lifetime worth of memories.

Love, Christa."

And so, and then what was really sad, after the accident coming home and seeing even this Christmas card from her.

It was great talking to you at JPL, I do think a mini-reunion should be scheduled for some time I'm looking forward to seeing you at Marshall, you sounded wonderful, have a happy holiday.

Love, Christa."

And it was um, this little girl who dreamed of going into space and thought it would never happen that here I was at Johnson, you know, wearing a flight suit and, and going through astronaut training, it was just an extraordinary experience and the astronauts, you know, get all the credit as their boarding the orbiter, but it's the, it's the, it's the engineers, the scientists, the people that are working 24/7 to make that flight, that journey happen.

ROSS: Have you ever had all of this, and you had binders full of your whole career with all this, have you ever had it appraised?

GUEST: Never.

To me it's priceless, but I have no idea.

In fact, through all the binders and you should see what I have at home.

I would have, it would have been, I'd of need a U-Haul truck to come here.

ROSS: Oh, so basically for me shooting from the hip on all of this, I mean it's so historic, to be able to place a value I mean is it 30,000, $50,000, as you say it's priceless um, I'm almost embarrassed to try to put a price on it.

GUEST: I was just blessed to have met, you know, all of the Apollo astronauts and to get their insight and I remember talking to Eugene Cernan, and we were flying here, flying there, you know, giving a keynote here and there and I said, "Gene," I said, "This is all like a kaleidoscope and it's all reeling and I can't even process all that's happening."

And I said, "One day this is all going to be over," and I said, "Does the experience diminish?"

And it was really touching what he said, he said, "No, Kathleen," he said, "It actually becomes..." he said, "More, more relevant."

And he said, "Because you're gonna realize there were people that was, were as qualified and many more qualified and by the grace of God you got selected and you actually," you know, he said something, it's not really a burden but, but you have, you have to give back, you have to share, you know, why you've been chosen and experienced this.

ROSS: Well, I want to thank you for bringing this in to share with us and all of our viewers and particularly for me, because I want to be able to touch history.

GUEST: Oh my gosh, well thank you so much for understanding and for sharing, thank you.

ROSS: Thank you, thank you, thank you very much, very incredible story.

GUEST: It was a pleasure meeting you.

ROSS: Thank you.

♪ ♪ GENICE: Welcome to "Chesapeake Collectibles", so what have you brought in for us today?

GUEST: Thank you, um, I brought a photograph of my grandmother.

Um, I came basically to find out about the frame to see if it was handmade.

My grandmother was in approximate early 20s before she had any of her kids and uh, she was born in 1895 and way before my time obviously.

But uh, the photograph was from my grandmother to my mom and then when my mom passed away, she wanted it to go to her youngest sister and my aunt passed away about a year ago and now it's mine.

And I used to spend summers with my grandmother at her farm in Maryland.

She lived in Forestville, Maryland and at that time Forestville was farms and dirt roads and such like that, not like it is today, and she had a full-time job with the federal government.

She ran elevators and also maintained her farm with my step-grandfather.

GENICE: Well, great.

Um, what I loved about when you brought this photograph to me, number one that it was a member of your family.

GUEST: Mmm.

GENICE: And that you had very fond memories of spending time with her.

GUEST: Mm-hm.

GENICE: And so there we have her posed quite elegantly.

And then the frame, as you said...

GUEST: Yeah.

GENICE: This beautiful, walnut, Victorian-style frame with all of this carving, these flowers, just add the elegance to the photograph and a lot of times we just don't see these pieces, as far as the framework, with all of the, uh, wood seemingly being one piece that's carved out.

And so I was just very intrigued and drawn even more to the photograph because the frame enhances it.

GUEST: Yes, I think so too, mm-hm.

GENICE: So of course, people are most curious when they come on the show, about value.

GUEST: Mm-hm.

GENICE: So with the photograph and the frame I would say together they would range anywhere from $450 to $525.

GUEST: Okay.

GENICE: And we are just so glad that you brought in this beautiful frame and photograph of your family member to share with us.

GUEST: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

GENICE: And please continue to enjoy it.

GUEST: Thank you so much, and thanks for having me.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Major funding was provided by... Alex Cooper Auctioneers, since 1924 has been serving the Mid-Atlantic states, featuring monthly gallery antique auction sales, our staff can assist clients with the disposition of their valued possessions.

Alex Cooper Auctioneers.

GUEST: We had a fantastic time today, it was, we met lots of people, we were interested in what they brought and we were flabbergasted by the value of the watch.

GUEST 2: Absolutely, I'm always surprised by things I see on "Chesapeake Collectibles," especially when they're mine.

GUEST 3: I found it extremely fascinating and I especially enjoyed talking to the other contestants or people that brought items in.

GUEST 4: If you are looking to find out a little bit about your past, it's a great place to do that.

GUEST 5: I definitely enjoyed myself and would encourage everyone to come down and try this.

I plan to come back again the next time there's an opportunity.

(overlapping conversation).

GUEST 2: I can only speak for myself but this is a bucket list item for me, I've never missed an episode and I always said, "Wouldn't it be awesome if we could come on down and take part in your wonderful show."