Teco Vase, ca. 1910
GUEST:
Now, I got this vase from my mother when we built our home.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
She gave it to me, but before then, I can remember it as long as I've lived that it was on my grandmother's front porch. My grandmother gave it to my mother when she built her home. So Mother passed that on to us, and it's been on my front porch for at least 18 years. And then one day, a friend who has a little antique shop came by, and before she got in the front door, she turned and looked, and she said, "Why is that on your front porch?" And I said, "Because that's where it belongs." It had umbrellas in it, it had canes in it. All the old folks kept it on their front porch. And she said, "You bring that in. That is a Teco." And I did not know, had never heard of Teco pottery. And she said, "I'm sure it's a Teco. Let me see if it's signed or what." So we carefully turned it over, and it was Teco. So I did bring it in the house and kept umbrellas in it, and canes, and so forth. And I am curious if I need to put it back on the porch.
APPRAISER:
Put it back on the porch.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
Okay, I think we can solve that question.
GUEST:
All right.
APPRAISER:
You don't know where your grandmother got it.
GUEST:
No. My family is from Maryland.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
And I'm pretty sure she bought it in Baltimore.
APPRAISER:
Well, it is Teco. Made around Chicago, but sold at a lot of different places. Particularly interesting to collectors are large pieces like this. We know that Frank Lloyd Wright used a lot of Teco in, in some of his installations. Teco being a, a uniformly green piece. What's nice about this is the size, and the strap handles, which are applied. Typically, Teco is molded. These are hand-applied handles. And the piece is in nice condition with the exception of some chips around the base.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
That doesn't help. But when you get Teco as big as this, those don't matter as much. Roughly what had you thought it to be worth?
GUEST:
This friend said that she thought it could be from $6,000 to $8,000.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, I think at auction...
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
...a vase like this would sell between $15,000 and $20,000.
GUEST:
(laughing) Oh, my goodness. It stays in the house. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
It's gonna stay in the house?
GUEST:
It's gonna stay in the house.
APPRAISER:
I think that's an excellent idea.
GUEST:
(laughs) Oh, my g... How much?
APPRAISER:
Between $15,000 and $20,000.
GUEST:
$15,000 and $20,000.
APPRAISER:
At auction, mm-hmm.
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.