1849 Ohio Carved Powder Horn
Watch
GUEST:
It belonged to my grandfather. My mother's father was born in the mid-1800s, and actually helped settle part of Southern Oregon. And he was a sheep farmer. And he traded a sheep for the powder horn.
APPRAISER:
And that would have been?
GUEST:
Probably just about the turn of the century.
APPRAISER:
It's a really splendid piece of American folk art. Beautiful jewel of a powder horn. Most of them have relatively little if no decoration. However, in this case, I think they kind of pulled out all the stops. It's my thought that the man who decorated this probably did it on commission, and his name is Samuel Dunwoody, June, 1849. So as we turn it around, they've placed this clock dial very prominently on the horn. And then we have this "Mercer County, Ohio." So that could be useful if we were to try to do some genealogical work, and see whether the date of 1849 has some significance for the family, or an event, or it may just be when the horn was finished. So as we turn this around here, very prominently, at the top of this arch, is the American eagle with stars, a wonderful patriotic emblem. And below that is this gentleman who is very formally attired in a top hat. There's a gentleman standing next to him, there's a peacock in the background. And the quality throughout is so consistent and so beautiful. What a powder horn! Made for utilitarian purposes, but also meant, I think, to impress. Whoever carried this horn was proud of it. And it would seem it didn't get a great deal of service, because it still has a freshness, a beautiful quality about it. I think in an auction situation, the estimate would be between $10,000 and $15,000.
GUEST:
Whoa.
APPRAISER:
It's so beautiful. It's the best one I've seen on the show, there's no doubt about it.
GUEST:
Wow, thank you.
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.
