Richard Plunkett, area antiques dealer and appraiser, is offering his expertise to help support the Community Center at the Meadow Mall in Boothbay Harbor.

Every Tuesday until the end of April, Plunkett will be at the center from 10 a.m. until noon, providing appraisals for items that area residents wish to bring. The appraisals are priced at $5 for each item up to nine items and $3 per item for 10 or more items. The appraisal fees are donated by Plunkett to the center.

Interesting items are brought to the center in the hope that their owners might learn more about their origin and value. In the two weeks since the service started, items have included a musical jug, a Japanese tea set, cameos, an art nouveau lamp and a wooden box for an antique journal.

Plunkett also encourages those who are curious about a larger possession to take a picture of the item and bring the picture to the center. He welcomes all types of antiques and collectibles, except for stamps, coins and gems.

Those bringing items to the center will receive information about the item’s origin and a historical overview, aesthetics of the piece, current market value and advice about insurance.

Nancy Conley brought items to the center recently because, as she explained, “In the future I may want to downsize and it will be helpful to know.”

Plunkett is currently celebrating his 53rd year in the antiques business. “Everyone has an interesting story,” he said about the people he meets through his business, The Wizard of Odds and Ends. The business operates from two locations, one in Beach Haven, New Jersey and the other at the Head Tide store in Alna. 

During his 53 years in business, Plunkett has seen items become more and less popular for collectors. “Younger generations are now collecting mid-century items.”

Collectors are focusing on “the industrial look of the 1950s to the 1980s,” he said.

He also explains that, in order to be an actual antique, an item must be at least 100 years old. Collectibles, on the other hand, “can be anything that has been produced within the past 50 years.”

Plunkett will hold an open house on April 30 and May 1 at his  Alna location between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day. There will be a harp and lute concert and snacks will be served.