Acoma Water Jar, ca. 1900
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GUEST:
Well, I like to go visit a little shop up in Edwardsville, Virginia, that's a second-hand shop. And this was outside. And so I liked the pattern on it, and I snatched it up immediately.
APPRAISER:
So you don't know anything about it.
GUEST:
Not a thing.
APPRAISER:
It comes from western New Mexico, from somewhere in the area of Acoma Pueblo, which is west of Albuquerque.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
It may have come from Acomita or one of the surrounding areas, but that's the area in general it came from.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
They were water jars, they're storage jars. It probably was made between 1890 and 1910. It's pretty dirty, needs to be cleaned up. It's got a lot of black on it.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
It has some little paint splatters. I guess if it was outdoors, I'm glad it's here, period but...
GUEST:
(chuckles) Yeah, I've only had it since last summer.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's a beautiful pot and real elegant and the designs are real sophisticated. I'm sure they have meanings to the potter and they may have had meanings in the pueblo where it was produced, but I don't know what those are. It does have a problem.
GUEST:
(laughing): Yes, it does.
APPRAISER:
(chuckling): And, uh and, uh… aa-and the problem happened when?
GUEST:
On the way here. (laughing)
APPRAISER:
Yes. The first part of the problem is, is in this bag, and-and I guess the best way to-to tell the story would be to, uh... the bottom fell out.
GUEST:
(laughing): Yes, it did.
APPRAISER:
And it is a great thing, but that causes problems.
GUEST:
Yes. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
But what did you pay for it?
GUEST:
$4.50.
APPRAISER:
Okay, if this came up at auction with the bottom out-- and you still even have it-- but I mean with the bottom gone...
GUEST:
Gone.
APPRAISER:
...$800 to $1,200.
GUEST:
Wow! (laughs) Not bad for a...
APPRAISER:
Not bad.
GUEST:
...for a snag, huh?
APPRAISER:
Now, if you decided to fix the pot and you took it in and you had the bottom repaired and had it cleaned up, you're talking probably $1,400 to $1,600 at an auction pretty easy.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
If it was a beautiful pot, clean, no damage to the bottom at all, and it came up at auction, it would easily bring $4,000 to $6,000.
GUEST:
(laughs) Well, thank you.
APPRAISER:
Well, thanks for coming.
Appraisal Details
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