Associated American Artists Prints, ca. 1940
GUEST:
I brought some prints that I've had for about 20 years. They're from the Associated American Artists. They've been in the family for a long time. My great... a great-aunt had them.
APPRAISER:
What do you know about Associated American Artists?
GUEST:
Well, when I first got them, you know, I didn't have a personal computer, didn't really have any way of finding out anything. I was watching your show a few years back, and a girl had something similar, and she had hers appraised, and I was like, "I have got to see what... a little bit more about these."
APPRAISER:
Well, Associated American Artists was a gallery that was formed in 1935 by a man named Reeves Lewenthal. And Reeves Lewenthal decided that art should be for the middle class, not just the super-wealthy. So he, with his populist approach, came upon the idea of commissioning artists to do a series of prints that he would sell by subscription. He only commissioned about four artists a year. And the ones that you have came out of 1939, 1940, 1941.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Reeves Lewenthal, with Sylvan Cole and Estelle Yanco, would choose a variety of artists, all American artists, and one of the most famous was Thomas Hart Benton.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And the print that we have here is Thomas Hart Benton's Slow Train to Arkansas, which is a rather important work.
GUEST:
Is it really?
APPRAISER:
The painting itself is important.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
And the print is very well known. This work, when it comes on the auction market individually, sells for $4,500.
GUEST:
That's good.
APPRAISER:
Then here we have Reginald Marsh, and this work, when it comes individually on the auction market, sells for approximately $1,500.
GUEST:
Good.
APPRAISER:
The... Luigi Luccione is a Vermont painter, and he did these beautiful prints. And this etching sells for approximately $100. Ernest Feeney, if this were to come on the market, this would only make about $50 at auction. So you have 40 works here.
GUEST:
40, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Mostly they're in excellent condition. Together, we're talking about a value for the group of 40 of approximately $48,000...
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
...at auction.
GUEST:
That's great. That's unbelievable. I cannot believe that. I had no idea. I mean, I really had no idea.
APPRAISER:
It's exciting.
GUEST:
That is so exciting. I mean, who'd have ever thought?
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.