An eye for collectibles: ‘Antiques Roadshow’ appraiser moves business to Davenport

It’s not surprising that Grant Zahajko’s ambitions did not fall far from the tree, but even he might not have imagined himself as an “Antiques Roadshow” appraiser who has planted himself in smallish Davenport, Washington.

Zahajko, 47, grew up around MBA Seattle Auction House, a third-generation family business now managed in nearby Renton by his father and brother. Launched in 1966, MBA specializes in estate sales and auctions of fine art and antiques. Zahajko (pronounced Zuh-HI-co) appraises and sells items ranging from celebrity autographs, jewelry and maps to historic furniture, art pottery and sports trophies.

These days, the better parts of the auction trade have become a worldwide business. Conversely, Davenport, the seat of Lincoln County, has about 1,700 residents. The county, dominated by wheat farms, houses fewer than 11,000.

And “Antiques Roadshow” is a celebrated public-television program with more than 9 million viewers each Monday evening. Modeled on a four-decade-old British program, the “Roadshow” is in its 21st season. This year’s appraisal sessions, source of the highlights that make up the TV show, have just begun with Zahajko as an established veteran.

His own business, Grant Zahajko Auctions, has settled into the former J.C. Penney building at 510 Morgan St. (U.S. 2) in Davenport’s central business district. He and his wife, Gina, have been moving in stages from the Seattle area since last fall.

Grant fancies historical American stuff, especially paper goods – ephemera – such as rare photo images, maps, industrial manuals and catalogs or sports cards, memorabilia and equipment. A real-estate broker, Gina collects nothing.

He arranges their sales, collects the items and does the auctioneering. She handles the finances, the record-keeping and the computer system that processes online bidding.

Their seventh Davenport-based auction, dedicated to sports cards and memorabilia, closed Saturday night. The 1936 Berlin Olympics gold medal belonging to the men’s basketball team captain was the main attraction. It was expected to sell for $100,000 or more.

In the 1980s, boys, in particular, spent their money on baseball cards, not Pokemon, and Zahajko was right there with them. But unlike his peers, when he graduated from Woodinville (Wash.) High School, he skipped college and opened his own baseball-card shop.

“I collected the cards that were available at the time,” he said. “But I found I was often more interested in buying vintage cards, memorabilia and sports equipment. Then I sold them through Sports Collectors Digest, well before eBay, and on eBay in its very beginning. Both allow a seller to reach the top collector who may live 3,000 miles away.”

Of course, Zahajko remembers his first big deal.

“I bought a box of 1986-87 Fleer NBA cards at Pay N Save,” he said, “and it included the Michael Jordan rookie card. Eventually, I sold it for $800. Recently, one graded PSA9 sold for more than $30,000.”

But when the card shop’s lease was up, his dad asked him to join the family business, and he did. Although most auctioneers learn by going to school, it wasn’t long before Zahajko picked up that rare skill by being on the scene.

He stayed with the firm for more than 20 years, expanding his knowledge of quality items and their value, until circumstance led to change and a business based on his own interests.

Early in this century, his wife’s parents had moved to Wenatchee, prompting the Zahajkos to take a closer look at the other side of the mountains. Five years ago, they built a vacation home near Lake Roosevelt. Then, as technology broadened the auction world and elevated prices, insight paid them a call.

“At my last high-end sports auction in Renton, there were only four guys in the room,” he said. “So we looked into buying a building in Eastern Washington. We bought one right down the street from here. But right away, we knew it was too small. So then, we bought this.”

They began moving into the vacation home and opened for business in Davenport last fall. Since then, there have been six auctions, dating to a Dec. 3 sale that focused on sports, entertainment and historical items. Subsequent offerings have included luxury accessories, fine and decorative arts, entertainment memorabilia and, on May 20, an auction of toys, pocket watches and collectibles.

Last August, in that final West Side auction, Zahajko made the sale of his career, bringing down the hammer on a rare baseball card for $160,000. From the well-known T206 set of the early 20th century, the card, one of a dozen known examples, misidentified obscure pitcher Joe Doyle as Laughing Larry Doyle, standout second baseman for the New York Giants.

The owner consigned the card after hearing Zahajko, a qualified expert on those historic cards, on an “Antiques Roadshow” podcast.

Zahajko joined the “Roadshow” crew in 2011.

“They were looking for new collectibles appraisers,” he said. “Someone recommended me, and I worked two cities the first year and three the next.” Since then, he has appraised either sports memorabilia or collectibles in four cities or more.

People who have been involved, even local volunteers, acknowledge that the program’s operational success is based on its well-defined organization and high standards.

Currently, the “Roadshow” visits six cities a year, videotaping enough appraisals to create a trio of one-hour shows from each. The 18 programs, produced for PBS by WGBH in Boston, air the following year. Programs from last year’s cities were shown early this year. Followers apply for pairs of tickets, which are allotted at random. Each ticket-holder may bring two items for a free appraisal.

Antiques Roadshow came to Spokane in 2007 and 2015.

Roadshow appraisers are invited volunteers, not employees. They receive no payment and follow strict guidelines in exchange for an opportunity to entertain viewers and exhibit their expertise. Some have become minor celebrities. Regular viewers know that the Keno twins appraise antique furniture, Noel Barrett may know everything about very old toys, and the prints and posters man, Nicholas D. Lowry, wears outrageous checked suits. Seattle appraisers Rosalie Sayyah (Rhinestone Rosie) and Kathleen Bailey have been on the show for years.

This summer, Zahajko will work four consecutive events, starting with last weekend’s visit to Green Bay, Wisconsin. In coming weeks, he’ll head for St. Louis, New Orleans and Portland. He appraised sports memorabilia in Green Bay. At the other three stops, he’ll man one of the collectibles tables.

In the usual set-up, he said, there are 70 appraisers in 26 categories. As a rule, two experts handle sports-related items, and there’ll be five tables for collectibles for what amounts to a 13-hour workday. Depending on the venue, 4,000 to 6,000 people will attend. Each appraiser may examine anywhere from 50 to 100 items.

Zahajko said that when appraisers spot an item worth recording, they sequester the owner behind a curtain – a makeshift green room – and the appraiser tries for a spot on his producer’s pitch list.

“If they accept my pitch,” he said, “I have about 45 minutes to do additional research, confer with other appraisers and send off photos to (outside) experts.” If accepted, the item, its owner and the appraiser will go forward for either a four-camera set-up and an extended interview or one of the newer single-camera, over-the-shoulder shots.

Last year in Fort Worth, Texas, Zahajko had what he calls his best “Roadshow” appraisal opportunity.

The son of 1936 Olympics basketball standout Joe Fortenberry brought in his father’s gold medal, an action photo and his uniforms. Fortenberry, at 6-foot-7, was an imposing star of AAU basketball, a semipro alternative to professional leagues that allowed amateurs to play and work for their team’s industrial sponsor.

In a segment that was shown in January, Zahajko estimated the package would sell at auction for between $100,000 and $150,000.

His estimate and the subsequent actual sale of a teammate’s damaged medal undoubtedly informed the expected sales range for the similar medal in his auction that ended Saturday night.

On July 29, Zahajko Auctions will hold a fine and decorative arts sale that will include quite a bit of pottery from the prominent Archie Bray studio in Montana, as well as an L. & G.J. Stickley stand and artwork by Alexander Calder and Le Corbusier. Books, manuscripts, prints and autographs will be auctioned on Sept. 9.

What gives an item extraordinary value?

“Is it historic, or is it rare?” Zahajko said. “Particularly in the case of sports cards and autographs, there’s a sliding scale based on condition, like the coin industry has had for years. And condition is everything.”

These days, almost all sports memorabilia with price potential have been graded. PSA, SGC and Beckett lead the field for cards. A division of PSA/DNA and James Spence (JSA) authenticate autographs. All charge a fee.

“When something’s graded, its authenticity and condition are established,” Zahajko said, adding that long-established foundations provide similar services for the work of major artists. “Certificates or letters of authenticity are an absolute necessity on a valuable piece.”

And when it comes to autographs, Zahajko said, supply and demand are driven by name recognition, in any field and regardless of lifestyles. “Even in artwork, the bigger the name, the greater the response.”

That partly explains why demand and prices remain extremely high for autographs by Babe Ruth, baseball’s greatest star, even though they are far from scarce. The same applies to boxing great Muhammad Ali. On the other hand, actress Marilyn Monroe, perhaps their greatest rival, seldom signed, a fact that firms up the prices.

Items themselves aside, nothing may have changed the auction business more than digital communications. Zahajko utilizes eBay Live Auctions, which opens the bidding to a worldwide audience.

“We can reach 150 million people who can bid online in 190 countries,” Zahajko said. “Internet auctions have allowed people everywhere to have incredible collections, the ability to find the things they collect.”