George Reynolds Pocket Watch, ca. 1865
Watch
GUEST:
My wife bought a file cabinet at a thrift shop here in El Paso about ten or 11 years ago, and the cabinet happened to be locked when we got it, so we took it home and got a locksmith to open it, and I was digging around in it, trying to see what was in it and make sure all the slides and stuff worked, and I heard a clunk and looked back at the slides in one of the drawers and there was the watch.
APPRAISER:
It's made around 1860, 1870. It's 18-karat gold. And you can see this incredibly detailed dial, which is one of the characteristics, this multicolored gold dial. The case, as well, is very highly decorated, to the edges, to the band here. It was made most likely for the South American market. Despite that, all the ones that I've seen have all been made, or certainly signed by, English makers. This particular one is signed by George Reynolds from Liverpool. Although they use English movements, the cases, et cetera, are European, most likely Swiss. Then you have this gorgeous engine turn reverse. This particular design we do see turning up from time to time. The condition of this one is significantly nicer than many others. Because it's 18-karat gold, the engine turning on the reverse will wear, et cetera, and they will get dented. Now, you can open up the reverse. It has a hole in the back. This is to wind the watch. Now, the way this watch was made, and particularly around this type of 1860 period, rather than the reverse entering straight into the movement, it actually comes through the front. So the front hinges up in this way, and this is how you set the hands. You'd have a small key, which fits into the central arbor here, and you'd change the hands directly. These hands are also quite wonderful. They're called serpent hands. I don't know if you noticed how they have this...
GUEST:
I've never seen watch hands like that before.
APPRAISER:
Quite unusual, I have to say, but normally on this model there would be this type of serpent hands. And then I'm just going to unclip it from here... Now here we have the dust cover on the inside. This is the dust cover, which protects the movement, as the name suggests, from dust. Here we have the movement, signed "George Reynolds" to the underside, and at the top, "Liverpool." Again, very classic of this type, but we do see these coming up from time to time. They have started again in popularity because of the decoration behind it. Can you remind me how much you paid for the filing cabinet?
GUEST:
As I recall, my wife paid about $20 for the cabinet.
APPRAISER:
Okay, I think at auction, a watch like this is going to sell for about $2,500.
GUEST:
Oh, that's nice. That's nice.
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.
