Late 18th-Century George III Tambor-Front Desk
Watch
GUEST:
We have what I was told was a late 18th-century, early 19th-century architect's desk. I got it in Georgetown.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
In D.C., I was walking along the street one day, it was in the window, I fell in love with it, I thought it was beautiful, I thought it was graceful and charming and very interesting. And later on, my husband went back and bought it for me as a commemorative gift when my daughter was born.
APPRAISER:
And where do you think it's from?
GUEST:
I was told it was English.
APPRAISER:
Okay, it is English, and it's from what's called the George III period, which ran from around about 1755 through until 1820, although towards the end of George III's life he went mad, so his son, the prince-regent, took over. But it's George III, and it does date from around about 1780 through 1800. It's made of mahogany, and it's got this tambour top. It is not an architect's desk. An architect's desk would be much larger, and there would be no tambour. It would just be completely flat, so you could roll out large sheets of architectural drawings. So you have a tambour front which opens here, as we slide it up... there we go. And what's nice about this is this slides out here, and then we have what's called a ratchet reading stand. It clicks up, and it's a really nice touch to the piece that you've got this letter inset, ratchet reading stand. It would be called anything from a tambour front desk to a bureau, writing desk, a secretary, many different terms for it. What's quite nice about this desk is the construction. The secondary wood here is mahogany, as is the case.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
And with most English furniture, oak is the secondary wood on it. Mahogany at the end of the 18th century was hard to get hold of. So for someone to use it as a secondary wood, at the time was sort of a big deal. The marbleized paper lining was probably added at a later date, but it doesn't really affect the value. There are some condition issues with it. Do you see these little pierced fretwork corner brackets?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Those are associated. I also think, down here, that either it had brass caps or casters, one way or another. The legs sort of stop rather abruptly. How much did you pay for it?
GUEST:
$2,000.
APPRAISER:
You paid $2,000 for it retail. Okay, I would give you an auction estimate of around about $2,000 to $3,000. If you were to see this in a retail setting, in its current condition, it would maybe be $3,500 or $4,000. And with minor investment and cleaned up, it could be as much as $5,000. When you bought it in the end of the '70s, the English market was doing very, very well. At the moment, this traditional English mahogany furniture is not doing that well, hence the lower value.
GUEST:
Well, I would never sell it anyway.
APPRAISER:
Well, good.
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.
