Converted Russian Cufflinks, ca. 1905
Watch
GUEST:
In the early '70s, my aunt actually gave me those for Christmas as a gift, and explained to me that they originally had been cufflinks that my grandfather was given by the tsar in Russia. My family is Latvian, we came here in the 1950s, early '50s, and my grandfather actually worked in Russia for a while in the early 1900s. And evidently, the tsar gave gifts to the people who did work for him.
APPRAISER:
It was common, but an honor, to be given a gift by the tsar of Russia. The tradition of gift-giving was a significant and important one in Imperial Russia, and still remains so today. And any number of people who did some significant service for the imperial government might have received a gift.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And the double-headed Russian imperial eagle was the symbol of the government. But presumably he didn't give earrings to your grandfather.
GUEST:
The story is, my aunt changed it into earrings.
APPRAISER:
And did she wear them?
GUEST:
No, she gave them to me, and I wore them.
APPRAISER:
That's a very common thing-- pieces get converted. In this particular case, there is evidence, in fact, of the conversion. If you turn them over, you'll see where the backs would have been attached.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
There are some incised numbers on the back that are very difficult to see, but are typically the inventory numbers of the maker. Oftentimes, these numbers are obscured by dirt over the years.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
So they're, they can be very difficult to see, even under magnification. As a gift from Tsar Nicholas II, these could have been made any time during his reign from 1894 to the downfall in 1917.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Most likely they were made around 1905, 1910. But the original backs are gone, which may have had additional markings on it that would have given us the real info.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Even as earrings today, in the very form that they are now, I would say, uh, in a retail setting that they would be worth $5,000 to $7,000.
GUEST:
Wow, how wonderful.
APPRAISER:
If they, if they were converted back to cufflinks, it wouldn't be original condition, of course, as cufflinks.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
But they would be closer to their original condition. They would probably be worth $12,000 to $15,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my God.
APPRAISER:
I think that there's evidence on the back by the little numbers that they, in fact, were probably by the jeweler Carl Fabergé the imperial jeweler of Russia. Uh...
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER:
And, in fact, uh Tsar Nicholas II kept a little book of his own collection of cufflinks. And we could compare it to that to see if anything like that appears.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
But one would have to study them a little more carefully. As Fabergé cufflinks, even converted, in a retail setting, they would probably be sold for $40,000 to $50,000.
GUEST:
(laughing): Oh, my God. Unbelievable. (laughing): I'll probably take better care of them now.
GUEST AND
APPRAISER:
(both laughing)
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.
