Treasure Hunters Roadshow coming to Albert Lea

Published 3:50 pm Saturday, February 27, 2010

Treasure hunters are coming to town.

The Treasure Hunters Roadshow will be at Americas Best Value Inn in Albert Lea Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

During the event, treasure hunters expect to see more than 1,200 residents bringing in their collectibles.

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“We look at everything from vintage musical instruments, war memorabilia, coins, currency, toys, dolls, trains and more,” said Matt Enright, vice president of media relations for Treasure Hunters Roadshow.

“We act as a middle man between collectors and sellers,” Enright explained.

“The Treasure Hunters Roadshow is a place where anyone in the community can connect with collectors from around the globe. Our treasure hunters make offers based on what our collectors are willing to pay. When someone decides to sell, they get paid on the spot and our treasure hunters send the item to the collector at their expense,” Enright said.

“People will get a true market value of what an item is worth,” he added.

Enright gave an example of a man who had a Gibson guitar that was never played and who was told by a music store owner it was worth $60,000. Treasure Hunters Roadshow was able to contact a collector who paid $100,000 for the guitar.

Other interesting recent finds include Johnny Cash’s bed and a letter from George Washington, Enright said.

Treasure Hunters Roadshow was last in the area in September of 2008. “It was a great show,” Enright said. “Minnesota has been very good to us.”

He said one thing people get really excited about is the fact that they can bring in broken jewelry and get money for it. Treasure Hunters offers free testing for gold to determine its karat weight. Gold is purchased based on the day’s current gold value.

Enright said Treasure Hunters was in Cleveland Ohio this past week, and many people were walking away with checks for $600 or more, just for old jewelry.

“Over 80 percent of items people bring in are actually purchased,” he said.

Enright said Treasure Hunters Roadshow has its own television show coming out this fall.