SAN MARCOS -- In a scene reminiscent of a well-known PBS television program, the San Marcos Civic Center was overrun with antiques Saturday.

This was Patricia Knutson's sixth consecutive year exhibiting her collection of antique dolls and other wares from the early half of the 20th century.

"I enjoy meeting the people," she said. "We all share a love for this, both people displaying and buying."

Knutson was an inaugural participant of the annual antique sale and appraisal when it began at nearby Walnut Grove park.

"Sharing our knowledge is such a joy," she said.

That shared passion keeps her coming back bringing a bit of everything, but antique dolls are her specialty. Knutson proudly showed off her best.

"This is a Patsy doll, and she is from 1931," Knutson said. "Next to her is the Tony doll from 1949."

Hollywood Dolls from the '40s and porcelain baby dolls sat alongside antique handcrafted linens, children's toys and a 60-year-old washboard.

Attendance has increased over the years, Knutson said. Since the sale and appraisal began, it has moved from space within a barn to the spacious San Marcos Civic Center. Knutson said she notices the growth in terms of sales and traffic.

"Here, there are many vendors in different rooms everywhere. Plus, there's dealers inside," she said, as she pointed to the auditorium where four appraisers performed their work. "This has expanded so much."

Her prime spot next to the entrance and the auditorium was helping Saturday's sales, Knutson said. Just beyond her table was the registration area for the appraising. A line 10 people deep was only the beginning of the wait.

The evaluation of antiques and other assorted older materials for a $7 donation drew larger crowds than Lou Anne Grabo from Carlsbad expected. She was there with antiques from her parents' estate.

With four appraisers whose expertise ran the gamut, Grabo said, she had no issue with the long wait to hear her number "166" called to have an expert assess her parents' collection of antique ivory carvings.

"I have to figure out what to do with them," Grabo said. "When my parents died, I had all this stuff. I wanted to know what the ivory specifically is worth."

An appreciator of PBS' "Antiques Roadshow," Grabo was awaiting her own hidden treasure moment often repeated on the popular program.

She's had the ivory for five years and upon hearing of the San Marcos antiques fair and appraisal, Grabo said, and she knew it was time to move on a long-standing project.

"I've asked antique shops, and no one seems to know about this ivory, so I thought I would come here and get some answers or direction as to where to go," Grabo said.

"I believe it is worth a lot," she said. "I heard the collection goes for $10,000 and I have the whole collection. I don't know how I should sell it or keep it. I'm just taking a chance. I don't know how long it's going to be, but I've got the time, and it'll be worth the wait."

Vendor Steve Wood, a self-proclaimed urban archeologist, was surrounded by antique items, from his $400 1930 single cigarette dispenser -- that now houses gumballs -- to the 1929 50-cent slot machine. Both still work.

"They're just beautiful," Wood said. Pointing to the slot machine, he was encouraging visitors to give it a spin. "It took four of my 50-cent pieces. So if you have 50 cents, you could win them back."

His antiques are all acquired through estates, he said. His purchases remove a stressor from a family's time of grieving, he said, and he lets families know what they have and its value and readies the antique for keeping or selling.

"I preserve the item that the family has saved all their lives," Wood said. "Many take it back and keep it, and others make it available to the public through auction or sale."

His entire collection Saturday was from a single estate. Wood said his favorite is the slot machine.

"This goes for $15,000," Woods said. "But we don't want $15,000, we want to sell it. We'll probably get $5,000."

Wood said the sale has a good reputation in the community.

"It's pretty well known throughout North County, and I have a pretty eclectic display of items -- very mysterious, old pieces across a lot of genres," he said.

From the diverse clientele walking through the San Marcos Civic Center Saturday, Wood was in the right place.

"There's a collector for everything under the sun," he said.