Duncan Phyfe Sewing Table, ca. 1805
APPRAISER 1: Can you tell us a little bit about how you first came to own this fine sewing table?
GUEST:
Well, I'm an antiquer from a long time ago.
APPRAISER 1: Okay.
GUEST:
And that was my love, always just scouring the antique shops. When I saw it and I saw the hairy paw feet, I just lit up because I knew I had
seen it somewhere in one of the antiques magazines.
APPRAISER 1: Well, it was actually made by Duncan Phyfe.
GUEST:
Duncan Phyfe.
APPRAISER 1: Exactly, in New York.
GUEST:
m-hmm.
APPRAISER 1: About 1805 or 1810. And it's probably one of his greatest masterpieces.
GUEST:
It is?
APPRAISER 1: Duncan Phyfe, as you may know, came from Scotland in the late, latter part of the 1700s, around about 1798, and had a huge group of wealthy clients who he made furniture for-- some of the wealthiest merchants in New York at the time.
APPRAISER 2: This is one of the finest pieces of Federal furniture that I've ever seen. So you really made my day and Leslie's day... (chuckles) ...by
bringing this.
APPRAISER 1: This top with canted corners, this rectangular top, opens up and it reveals this wonderful writing area. This has an adjustable board with the original red baize and gold-tooled leather. So it's so incredible that that's survived in this condition. And over on the side, you have this removable mahogany tray for pens with a pewter-covered inkwell. All the secondary woods here are mahogany. It's incredibly made, with these very fine dovetails.
GUEST:
Look how, how fine...
APPRAISER 1: And on the front of the piece, you have a drawer fitted with these Regency-style lion's head brass pulls, probably made in London and imported here into New York. And this drawer actually, if you pull this out, you can see the wonderful poplar, typical New York wood, on the underside, which is very green when it's unoxidized.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER 1: The construction's so tight that even though this is from 1805 or 1810, there's no oxidation-- it's really quite incredible. These flanking legs, cabriole legs, with roundels here, with molding in the front and these hairy paw feet, and they're raised on their original brass casters. The finish on it is so wonderful and untouched, and I'm so glad you never-- you never cleaned it.
GUEST:
No, some things you know not to.
APPRAISER 1: Exactly.
APPRAISER 2: Do you realize that, what the value of this is?
GUEST:
It's big money.
APPRAISER 1: You think it's-- certainly in the five figures, right?
GUEST:
Oh, yeah.
APPRAISER 1: Okay.
APPRAISER 2: Well into the five figures, right.
GUEST:
Yeah, without any trouble, yeah.
APPRAISER 2: Well, this, this sewing table is probably worth in the area of around $100,000, and it could bring even higher.
APPRAISER 1: On a good day.
APPRAISER 2: In excess of, on a good day, over $120,000.
GUEST:
Well, all these wonderful things you've said...
APPRAISER 1: Thank you.
GUEST:
...I felt, when I saw it in the antique shop, I knew it was one of these wonderful things.
APPRAISER 1: Right-- you mentioned earlier that antiques have helped change your life and possibly save you from an illness you had.
GUEST:
Well, I had cancer 23 years ago, and if I hadn't, hadn't had the hobby of antiquing, I think I would be gone now. But antiques have kept me,
the running and looking for them, the finding and researching, it just carries you all the time-- it lifts you. You have no time to get sick or die.
APPRAISER 2: You really don't.
APPRAISER 1: Well, you lifted us, and thanks for bringing this today.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
