Antiques appraiser to appear at public library
By Angela Greiner Contributing Writer

PHOTO SUBMITTED Hudson Resident Gary Sohmer, a nationally recognized appraiser of 20th century pop culture artifacts, is appearing at the Public Library on Saturday Aug. 11 beginning at 2 p.m.

Hudson - Attention, rockand roll fans and 1950s and 1960s collectors. Gary Sohmer, a Hudson resident who is also known as "Wex Rex, the King of Pop Culture," will be at the Hudson Public Library Saturday Aug. 11 providing verbal appraisals of antiques.

Sohmer appears as an appraiser in collectables, memorabilia and toys on the PBS television program "Antiques Road Show."

The event will begin at 2 p.m.

Sohmer, who knows the value of more than 100,000 useless objects, is looking for some different 1950s trinkets. He specializes in pop culture of the 20th century including: P.T. Barnum, Mark Twain, cartoons, music, theater and films.

Sohmer explained that he really hopes someone brings in a Jimi Hendrix handbill from his 1968 performance at the Carousel Ballroom in Framingham.

"It might be worth thousands of dollars," Sohmer said.

Show business is not a novelty to Sohmer, who started his career working with bands, including his own, on Lansdowne Street in Boston.

"It makes your ego feel good, but it does not necessarily pay the bills," Sohmer of his prior career path.

So, as a side gig to make extra money, he began to buy and sell what he described as "weird things."

This led him to establish a business that was housed on Main Street in Hudson from 1984 to 1992. He had a lot of fun with the business.

"[The store in Hudson] had the coolest weird stuff that ever existed," he said. "It was a wild environment."

Sohmer explained that in the 1970s and 1980s before the Internet revolution, people would try to sell collectables for whatever they could get. For a small commission, Sohmer's store became the place in Hudson to get a fair deal on buying or selling.

After several years in the business, Sohmer closed his shop and went into appraising, buying and selling by appointments only in Framingham. It was 11 years ago that he became involved with the PBS series.

Sohmer was pleased to be asked by the library to participate in its upcoming event. He and his family often use the library and he has donated items in the past for various fund-raising events.

The antique appraisal will be hosted by the Hudson Public Library and is tied into the summer-long "One Book, One Hudson" reading program.

Debbie Bachman, the children's librarian running the programs, explained that the adult book, "Prize Winner in Defiance, Ohio" took place in the 1950s and portrayed the culture of the time. She thought it would be fun for the community to bring in some of their treasures from that era.

"It is exciting to have a knowledgeable antique appraiser in town willing to come and be part of the program," Bachman said.

Although the summer is more than half over, the library's calendar is still full of events for August. For more information about the upcoming appraisal or other library programs, contact the library at 978- 568-9644.