Navigational Cane, ca. 1860
GUEST:
I inherited it from my father and it's been in my family for many, many years, as far as I know. My family originally was from Connecticut, and they were deep-water sailors. And it may have come from that or it may have come from their travels overseas. And aside from that, I don't know very much about it at all.
APPRAISER:
Well, we see a lot of canes, and this is a really unusual one. Do you know when it was made?
GUEST:
No, I have no idea. I would guess, strictly a guess, somewhere in the mid-1800s.
APPRAISER:
You're right. Probably mid- to late 1800s. And what's amazing about this is that it has all these interesting features. This top is made out of horn, and then it's fitted with a compass--
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
--inside. And then, this part unscrews... and it keeps going... and... it's a wonderful telescope. So that tells us that this was probably made by a nautical instrument maker, because it's so finely made.
GUEST:
Mmm.
APPRAISER:
This is shagreen, or sharkskin. This is sailor's macramé. And this wood is called Malacca, and it's not an American wood, of course. And so that tells us it was probably made in England. It's really hard to say, but they were sold up and down the Eastern seaboard of the United States.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
Now, this is a pretty unusual piece. Most of them are not as complicated as this piece. This would probably sell between $3,500 and $4,000.
APPRAISER:
Well, my daughter will appreciate that, because she's going to inherit it.
APPRAISER:
Well, she's a lucky girl.
GUEST:
She is that.
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."
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