Longtime antique appraiser Michael Amosson once helped a man earn $335,000 for a stack of 150 old letters bearing signatures of the major generals of the Civil War. The man thought they were worth about $5,000.

“It was life changing,” Amosson says. “He had no idea what he had. I’ve talked to him on the phone a couple times since then, and he seemed to be very happy to have stopped by my booth for an appraisal.”

Amosson will be a featured guest at this weekend’s Home and Landscaping Show at the Colorado Springs Event Center. It runs Friday through Sunday. Attendees can bring up to two items for Amosson to appraise for free.

“I love to be able to resolve the mystery somebody has about something they own,” he says. “I like to give them good news, and sometimes the news isn’t so great, but at least they get to know. It’s also very fun to see all the treasures that come in.”

About 6,000 to 9,000 people attend each year, says Tiphani Ruark, senior account executive for RJ Promotions, the company behind the show.

“People come to get updates and figure out what new innovations they can do on their home,” she says, “and to see improvements they can do in their backyards and landscapes.”

A few other reasons to stop by:

– Todd Davis, the host of HGTV’s “Room Crashers,” will be at the show on Saturday. He’ll present several seminars, host a question and answer session and sign autographs.

– Large, walkable 20-feet by 20-feet backyard landscapes created by four landscaping companies.

“It’s one of the most interesting and bigger draws of the event,” Ruark says. “It’s definitely one of the most beautiful aspects of the show. It puts you in a serenity type of state.”

– About 140 vendors and dealers displaying hot tubs, furniture, decks, roofing, garage additions, fireplaces, sunrooms and more.

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2-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Colorado Springs Event Center, 3960 Palmer Park Blvd., $6, $3 ages 11-16, free ages 10 and younger; 1-800-756-4788, rjpromotions.com/event/colorado-
springs-home-show.

Something else: Free Saturday seminars with Todd Davis of HGTV’s “Room Crashers” – 11 a.m., “Adding Value to Your Home”; 1:30 p.m., “Lifestyle Influencing Design Style”; 
3 p.m., “Empowering Homeowners.”

JEN MULSON, THE GAZETTE, 636-0270, 
JEN.MULSON@GAZETTE.COM