1877 Japanese Imari Charger
Watch
GUEST:
A Navy chaplain who was stationed in the Far East brought it back before World War I as a gift to my husband's four great-aunts. My husband's parents got it from the aunts and I, we got it from his parents.
APPRAISER:
Okay-- just as a large dish, it doesn't have that much importance. This is a size we call a charger, and it's made in Japan. This is Japanese Imari. Imari is porcelain that was made in the kilns of Arita, Japan. And they went all over the world from there. What's unusual about this piece is, first of all, the decoration. Very unusual to find mountain scenes...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...in Imari decoration. Mountain scenes are what you see on porcelain that comes from scroll paintings, derivative of what's on the scroll paintings.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And more interesting, even, than that is that this has a date of production-- 1877 is in that calligraphy.
GUEST:
I didn't know that.
APPRAISER:
And it's decorated by hand-- all this is hand-painted-- and here you have some enamel decoration in the borders. These are called lappets, and they circle the entire charger. And then there was some, a blue rim and then there's gold, gilt, over the...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
...the blue. And you can see where some of this gold has been rubbed off.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
From handling. The gold isn't in the porcelain. It's on top of the glazes. All the other s, decoration that's here is basically underglaze and, uh, very well-kept. I think it's amazing that it's in such good condition. There isn't a scratch on it. You'll see there's a, a little fishing boat here.
GUEST:
Yep.
APPRAISER:
There's actually, even, a man on a bridge, which you may be familiar with from Chinese porcelain. It's the most unusual Imari decoration I've seen, and I don't think we'll ever see another one.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Uh, and it's the biggest size that there is.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
I would say that a typical Imari charger of this size could be worth anywhere from $700 to $1,200.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
This one, between $3,000 and $7,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
Yes. And that's an auction value.
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.
