'American Pickers' star comes to Hoffman Estates
Michele Clifton was one of the few people who stumped Frank Fritz on Friday, when Sears employees brought both trash and treasure to the Hoffman Estates headquarters for the "American Pickers" co-star to judge.
She produced a beautiful ruby-colored glass cylinder about 4 inches long with brass screw caps on each end.
There was an apparent heating element under one end, and family lore says it was a cigarette lighter or other accessory from a Pierce-Arrow, a luxury car made in New York into the 1930s.
But Fritz and Brian Meyer, an appraiser who sells antiques at Oakton Street Antique Center in Elk Grove Village, were skeptical.
Fritz saw some powder inside the mystery item. Meyer suggested it looked like a perfume bottle or jewelry holder, took photos and promised to check with someone who might know.
Still, both men liked it.
"I love the color if nothing else," Fritz told the Schaumburg woman.
Fritz, whose show is on the History Channel, is part of a campaign called American Treasures that Sears is running on its Craftsman tool Facebook page. People can upload photos of their treasures through Aug. 12, and Fritz comments on ones he finds interesting.
For many of the few hundred Sears employees who lined up Friday, the value of the treasures seemed secondary to the chance to meet Fritz.
Scott Dyvig of Elgin brought his whole family and wasn't even disappointed when told that his very thick 1941 chemical engineer's handbook was worth less than $10.
"It's valuable to me - I'm a chemical engineer," he said. Besides, his 3-year-old son, Charlie, was thrilled to see the star of one of his favorite shows, although Charlie refused to discuss why he's a fan.
Others didn't bring anything, they just lined up to meet Fritz, get a signed portrait and have their own photo snapped with him.
Fritz says there are some vintage Craftsman tools that are true collectibles, but the Sears items that showed up Friday boasted mostly sentimental value. A chrome Kenmore toaster from the late 1940s or early 1950s might garner $25. And an electric drill from the same time period less.
One of the show stoppers was an aluminum cigarette case and lighter that looks like a military Jeep pulling a trailer that serves as an ashtray. The label says it was made in the U.S. Zone in Germany, probably soon after World War II.
"I'm sure it would work," said Fritz. "It's cool, very cool. I've never seen anything like that before. There's a lot of lighter collectors out there."
Meyer's quick fingers found a record on his laptop of such a Jeep's selling for $350 in 2006, but since that was the only one he found, he couldn't say whether the value has gone up or down since then.
Matt Reed, a computer programmer who lives in Geneva, said he has no idea how his late father, James, got the cigarette case.
Sears spokesmen were not eager to talk about the most valuable item an employee brought Friday - a 1920s prophylactic dispenser from a men's room in a gas station or movie theater. It was judged worth as much as $1,900.
"People just don't know," said Fritz. "They want to know if it's just junk or worth a lot of money. They don't want to sell something for $20 and find out later it was worth a couple hundred."