1859 Presentation Kukri Knife
Watch
APPRAISER:
This kind of a single-edged, curved-bladed weapon is the national weapon of Nepal, and it's called a kukri. And it's a fairly average one, but it does have a plaque that's on there.
GUEST:
It does, yes.
APPRAISER:
And you knew a little information about that plaque.
GUEST:
Supposedly this is a war souvenir from the Sepoy Rebellion that occurred, like, 1857 to 1859. When a major rebel of that battle was taken captive, the major who obtained this kukri then presented it to the first viceroy of India, presented as, uh... Proof, I guess, that the battle was over.
APPRAISER:
Well, you know, that information is all true. This was the first major revolt for Indian independence. They talk about Nana here. He's a character called Nana Sahib, and Nana Sahib was a Maratha leader from Central India. And he was disenfranchised by the British. And the British basically took his state away from him.
GUEST:
He was very upset, I guess.
APPRAISER:
Exactly, and he sent a character named Azimullah Khan to England to try to get his rights restored. And Azimullah Khan came back from England and he said to Nana Sahib, he said, "How can a country "that's as poor and as desolate as England rule India?"
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And he talked Nana Sahib into a major revolt. And one of the generals here was this Tantia Tope. And in 1858, he was driven into Nepal, where he probably captured this weapon. And then in 1859, he was captured by this Meade that, who's on here.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
It's the kind of thing, if you look at it, it's not much to speak of, but that inscription makes this thing and makes it actually pretty much a national treasure for someone of Indian origins.
GUEST:
Oh, dear, yeah?
APPRAISER:
In fact, they hunted tigers with these things.
GUEST:
Oh, did they? They got that close with that small of a knife?
APPRAISER:
Yep, yeah, yeah. The Gurkhas were fearless people, and... You had purchased it?
GUEST:
Yes, we purchased it in Colorado about ten years ago at a regular antique mall.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. Really? Wow.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And what did you pay for it?
GUEST:
$300.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, I think that was very reasonable. I think it, conservatively, is worth a retail value of probably around $3,000.
GUEST:
That's very good.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
My husband will be really happy.
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.
