Anyone who's watched the very successful PBS show Antiques Roadshow knows the fantasy: You stumble upon some precious relic at a yard sale: "Wow, it's worth that much?" You find some forgotten lamp in the attic or rescue a priceless painting from a dumpster and learn its sky-high value from an expert: "I had no idea." The Navajo blanket your poor old grandma left you is a national treasure worth half a million: "I can't believe it. I'm amazed."

You know the Roadshow is not about to come to town soon. Gary Krela, owner of Old Town Antiques downstairs from our offices in Eureka, had to drive all the way to San Diego to have his oversized cuckoo clock assessed on the show.

So, how do you get your very own Roadshow moment? It's not quite the same thing (you won't be on TV), but the Humboldt Arts Council offers what might prove an approximation with its Appraisal Faire and Collectors' Sale this Saturday at the Morris Graves Museum of Art.

From 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. the MGMA Rotunda becomes appraisal central. Four antique experts, Denise Harr from The Antiquarium in Los Gatos, photo expert and collections curator for the Humboldt Group Collection Dave Swisher, and Eureka dealers Bruce Pettit of Heritage Antiques and Coins and Wendy Petty from Annex '39 Antiques, will be on hand to offer educated opinions on the history and potential resale value of whatever you might bring in. It's a fundraiser for Morris Graves Museum programs, so there's a $15 per item fee with a bulk rate: $40 for three. 

The same day starting at noon in the Thonson Gallery you can pick up a treasure at the Collectors' Sale where local and out-of-the-town dealers and private sellers offer everything from photographs, antique tools and vintage lace to Humboldt County ephemera and Beatles memorabilia. Ten percent of your purchase price goes to HAC, again supporting various arts education programs.

The Humboldt Arts Council's Appraisal Faire and Collectors' Sale runs from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at the Morris Graves Museum of Art, 636 F St., Eureka. For more details call 442-0278 or go to www.humboldtarts.org.