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Every home contains an object whose origins and value have somehow become a mystery.  It is difficult to discard, sell, or give away something that you suspect could be worth a lot of money or that has an interesting past.  We may find what we believe is an artifact or fossil and throw it in a drawer, where it languishes for years.  Is this a fossil from a dinosaur or just a rock?  Is that painting over your great aunt’s mantel an unknown masterpiece or something she bought at Woolco?

The Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur has assembled a group of experts to answer your questions. Discovery Day will be held Saturday, July 24th, from 10 am to 1 pm.  Bring your mystery objects to the Museum at 700 Procter Street and discover the identity and value of your hidden treasures.

Object categories include Art, Fossils, Collectables, Antiques, Jewelry, Glassware, Gold, Silver, and more. This event is being provided at no cost as a public service. Free admission to the Museum is included during the event.

The Museum of the Gulf Coast contains 39,000 square feet of exhibits and proudly displays many items that have washed up on McFaddin beach after large storms, including a mammoth tusk, mammoth molar, and 3 Clovis Points carved by native Americans over 10,000 years ago.

Says curator, Robert Fong, “Come to the Museum, even if you don’t have an object, and talk to our experts. We’ll show you some common fossils that wash up on the beach, and the next time you see one you’ll recognize it.”

How often have you said to yourself, “One day, I’m going to find out what this is really worth.”  Here’s your chance.

Discovery Experts include:

Deborah Mahan – Art Expert

Barbara Wilson – Collectables, Antiques, Art

Dana Hancock – Jewelry, Gold, Silver

Andrew Rock – Dinosaur & Reptile Paleontology

Deanna Flores – McFaddin Beach Fossils, General Fossils

Paul Burch – Collectables, Antiques

Deborah Mahan has lived and worked as an artist for more than 50 years. She has worked in many fields of art including commercial and book illustration, portrait and fine art painting, sculpting of fine porcelain and large public works, textile design, custom design in the automotive industry, architectural design, and restoration painting and sculpture.  Some of her more well-known clients include Disney, Warner Brothers, Lennox, Valspar, Audi, Target, the Discovery Channel, Peter Maxx, and Charles Schultz. Her current work involves designing Catholic Church Sanctuaries and Adoration Chapels, and restorations of Catholic statuary and paintings.

Andrew Rock is a graduate student at Sam Houston State University studying paleontology. He specializes in dinosaurs, other reptiles, and animals that lived more than five million years ago. He can tell what type of animal a fossil belonged to and about how long ago it lived. He says that every fossil and rock is individual and has a story to tell.

Barbara Wilson is a fine artist by trade.  She graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Graphic Design. Barbara has been in the resale business for over 25 years. Her resale store, BAW Resale and Interiors on Calder in Beaumont, is the largest resale space in Southeast Texas.

Dana Hancock has been in the jewelry business in Midcounty for over 20 years. Dana is a certified jeweler and received her degree from Paris Junior College. She is known for her custom jewelry creations. “Assessing the value of jewelry, gold, and silver is a service that is in high demand in the jewelry business.” Her jewelry store Dana’s Custom Jewelry, is located on Saba Lane in Port Neches.

Deanna Flores is a current graduate student at Sam Houston State University. She is working on a master’s thesis about McFaddin Beach, focusing on the unusual amount of archeological and paleontological material that washes ashore there. Deanna earned her bachelor’s of science in zoology at North Carolina State University. She worked as a research assistant for three years at the North Carolina Museum on Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC.

Orange city councilman Paul Burch has been conducting estate sales in the Orange area for over 20 years. He is an avid collector of antiques as well. “I often research items we are going to sell to make sure we are properly representing the value of an estate. I enjoy learning about pieces, I have not been exposed to in the past.”