Samuel Mulliken Shelf Clock, ca. 1790
Watch
GUEST:
I inherited it from my, uh, father. Uh, he died in 1990, and it was in his estate, and I, he inherited it from his father, probably in the late '70s sometime. I know that it's made by a clockmaker named, I think, Samuel Mulliken, or some descendant of his-- I'm not quite sure-- And that somehow, his family sort of ended up as clockmakers in Concord, which is where my grandparents lived and kept the clock for a while.
APPRAISER:
Well, you're right about that. Samuel Mulliken came from a long line of really well-known and respected clockmakers. And what you have here is a Massachusetts shelf clock, and it's really a, a wonderful piece. The condition of it is very good. Up here, there's two holes.
GUEST:
Huh.
APPRAISER:
Where there originally would be little brass finials. Also, there's a little patch here. The glass is also replaced. But really, not a big deal in terms of the value of this clock. It's a mahogany case. It stands on these wonderful ogee bracket feet, which are perfectly original. It has this beautiful scalloped apron in the front, and it extends to the sides, as well. It's signed here by Samuel Mulliken, on the dial, which is always nice to have, because we know who made it. It's a sheet-brass dial, and it's a time-and-strike movement, and that's why you have two winding arbors. One powers the time, and one powers the strike. It's a two-weighted mechanism. It really is a fantastic piece. Do you have any idea of the value?
GUEST:
No, it was, it was appraised in my dad's estate for, I don't know, $5,000, maybe $10,000, something like that.
APPRAISER:
How long ago was that?
GUEST:
1990.
APPRAISER:
1990? I feel that appraisal is a little low today. I would say a clock like this should be insured for around $75,000.
GUEST:
Seriously?
APPRAISER:
Seriously. It's, it's that good.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
When it came out of the bag, I couldn't believe it.
GUEST:
Wow, I love it, so...
APPRAISER:
Congratulations.
GUEST:
Thank you.
APPRAISER:
What are you going to do with it?
GUEST:
I'm going to put it right back on its shelf and get it insured for a little bit more.
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.
