Émile Gallé Pitcher, ca. 1884
GUEST:
My mother-in-law gave it to me for Christmas of '95 or '96. We were living in Colorado at the time. She carried it out on a plane, and when I opened it on Christmas Day, there was a note with it that just said, "I think this might be good." Other than that, she just smiled. She got this little smile on her face. And never told me anything else about it. And unfortunately, she died in 1998. So there's no way I can ask her anything about this now.
APPRAISER:
Well, mothers know best.
GUEST:
They do?
APPRAISER:
I think so. The piece you have is a Gallé pitcher, made in France. And Émile Gallé was one of the world-class designers and glassmakers.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
A big name in the industry. And this piece is made about 1884.
GUEST:
Wow!
APPRAISER:
It's one of his early, early works. It has all the bells and whistles. We can see here this medallion, or cartouche, and it has a full-figured knight on a horse. The enameling is all fired-on enameling, and it's overall enameling in a Persian design. This work is similar to a couple other great makers of glass, Harrach and Lobmeyr. But this happens to be a Gallé piece. And we have the full marking of the Gallé mark, France déposé It's a wonderful piece. We all at our table thought it was just... Fabulous, so excited!
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
And it's in wonderful condition. Where did you display this piece in your home?
GUEST:
You don't want to know.
APPRAISER:
Oh, I do.
GUEST:
Okay! (laughs) I have high cathedral ceilings in the bathroom in my master bedroom. And there's, like, a shelf, up very, very high. It takes a ladder to get up there, so I put it up there, in the…
APPRAISER:
In the bathroom.
GUEST:
In the bathroom. And then I had to blow dust out of it to bring it here.
GUEST AND
APPRAISER:
(both laugh)
APPRAISER:
Well, it's worth $8,000 to $10,000 retail.
GUEST:
Are you kidding?
APPRAISER:
I'm not kidding. It's a wonderful piece.
GUEST:
I can't believe this, I mean... (gasps)
APPRAISER:
I'm, I, I, I'm just thrilled for you. Thrilled for you.
GUEST:
(voice breaking): I really, really can't believe it. I guess it won't stay in the bathroom anymore!
GUEST AND
APPRAISER:
(both laugh)
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.