Ever heard the saying, “One man’s trash is another’s man’s treasure?” Well, Liberty County residents can put this old adage to the test next week at the Treasure Hunters Roadshow.
“We had a woman in Missouri who brought in an old Japanese toy robot, which she had purchased at a garage sale for $1,” said Mike Delong, Treasure Hunters Roadshow vice president. “As soon as she came in with it, our toy expert’s eyes just lit up. After a few phone calls to toy collectors, we had an offer on the table for $1,500.”
THR purchases antiques, collectibles, coins and historical documents for collectors. Company employees will examine items residents bring in, dating the items, identifying their places of origin and assessing their value. If an offer is made, the individual bringing in the item has no obligation to sell. If the person agrees to sell the item to THR, 10 percent of the offer will be deducted for authentication services.
The company will visit Hinesville Nov. 30-Dec. 4. The free show will be open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday at the Country Inn & Suites on Gen. Stewart Way.
“It’s really awesome to see the rarity of some of the items coming to these shows,” said Matthew Enright, vice president of media relations for THR. “I love the stories
behind the items. That’s what makes it fun.”
“We will pay what the collector is willing to pay,” he continued. “We have over 10,000 collectors in our database.”
 Enright said the company employs the services of antique and collectible experts, such as people who have owned antique malls or worked in minting companies, to examine and assess items brought to the road show.
“They have specific backgrounds,” he said. To help their experts detail an item’s history, folks should bring any documentation they have with them, Enright said.
“It’s unlimited to the amount of items,” he added. “They can bring it by the truckloads if they want to.” Enright said road show experts conduct free gold and silver testing on jewelry.
THR is especially interested in coins minted prior to 1965, paper money pre 1934, gold coins, investment gold, platinum, silver, toys made before 1965, dolls, trains, war, sports and advertising memorabilia, fine art, jewelry, watches, Tiffany (such as lamps), comic books and musical instruments pre-1970.
“Guitars seem to be a big hot ticket item on the collectors’ side right now,” Enright said. One of THR’s recent acquisitions was a vintage guitar bought for more than $100,000, he said.
“We had a gentleman from a recent show walk out with over $126,000 for his coin collection,” Enright added.
 For more information, call 217-726-7590 or go to www.treasurehuntersroadshow.com.