Carved Wooden American Eagle, ca. 1850
Watch
GUEST:
Right now he's a little older than me. It's probably close to 100 years old, or maybe even a little more. It's been in my mother's family since I was about seven years old. And I don't really know too much about it, because when you live in a house with something, you don't pay attention to it. But then as I got old and started to mow lawns and things like that, my mother got into the lawn decorating business. She thought she was an artist. So she used to put it on her front lawn, and her most important instruction is, "Don't run over the bird." (laughs) And then after she passed on, I took it.
APPRAISER:
I think that in all likelihood, it may have stood atop a flagpole, or possibly could have been mounted on a building, like a public building, a courthouse, above a doorway. The thing that I think we should call attention to is the overall quality of the carving And certainly it's, I would think, 100, 150 years old. This is carved out of a soft wood, and I think the origin of the bird is most definitely American. I would attribute it to a carver probably perhaps somewhere in the Northeast. Certainly the person who carved it was talented. They spared no time and expertise in carving every detail of the bird. The unusual thing about it is that when this is up high, you wouldn't see the top of the wings. Didn't stop the carver from carving them as well. It's beautifully detailed, beautifully proportioned, and the thing that we like about it is that in spite of its damage here and there, that is evidence of it being in the weather for many, many decades. I think at some point they've repainted it with probably gold radiator paint or something.
GUEST:
Probably.
APPRAISER:
But if you look carefully, you can see vestiges of the original gilding and gesso. So it's all there. I think as the market continues, interest in Americana, interest in the American eagle, the icon, you know, the symbol of our country remains very, very strong. So eagles are hot, there's no doubt about it. I think for auction purposes, I would estimate its value certainly between $6,000 and $8,000.
GUEST:
It's a splendid bird. To me, it's worth $100,000, really.
APPRAISER:
That's right. Well, you know, there's no price for sentiment.
GUEST:
It's not going anyplace now.
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.
