Collectibles and Family History Objects Saved and Protected During Disasters - Tips Shared on Art an

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Collectibles and Family History Objects Saved and Protected During Disasters – Tips Shared on Art and Antiques Radio Program Santa Barbara New Press Radio KZSB 1290 AM interviewed Scott M. Haskins, Author and Expert, this morning with veteran host and art appraiser Elizabeth Stewart on the “Art and Antiques Radio Program” Given the abundance of very destructive disasters in our area recently (two wildfires and the Montecito mudslide since last December) the focus of the program was preparing for disasters. Not a very sexy subject but it is compelling when you think about the items in a household that tell the family’s history and there are collectibles that could be worth more than the house. Of course, none of the discussion was canned advice from a website. Personal stories were abundant, and it was a lively and fun interview, not drab or philosophical at all as you might expect with Elizabeth Stewart who is really fun in real life. Great tips were shared in this radio interview of saving collectibles from disasters with author and expert, Scott M. Haskins. Fine Art Conservation Laboratorieshas a division of its services that focuses on disaster response. Since the Thomas fire last December,they prepared about 60 insurance proposals for clients. Of course, each client has a property full of smoked or muddy items and in all, we estimate that we’re talking about the clean-up of about 7,000 – 8,000 art related objects.They have been working with Service Master and ServPro, mostly in the Santa Barbara area. They’ve also worked with Rainbow International. The question always arises whether an item is “worth” the money and effort to bring it back into “pre-accident” or “pre-existing” condition. That question is more easily answered when it’s a collectible that you buy in a store, auction or gallery. But what about the items that can’t be scheduled on an insurance policy that tell the family’s story to later generations and the “things” remind us of those memories? In effect, the items we pass down contain our memories to retell the stories and pass on the heritage of our families. There are ways to be prepared for a disaster with family treasured documents and heirlooms and we discussed and told stories about personal examples. Elizabeth also interviewedLuke Swetland after my interview. He is the President and CEO of the


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