Folk Art Carved and Painted Working Model Carousel, ca. 1900
Watch
GUEST:
I brought this carousel or merry-go-round, or actually it was fashioned after what they called a "flying jenny." I bought this about 25 years ago from an antique shop. It had been there about a year and every time I saw him at a show, or went to the shop, I admired it. It was more than a schoolteacher's salary could afford, but he called me around Christmastime and said the man who had consigned it really wanted to sell it, and I was the only one that really showed a lot of interest and so I made an offer and he accepted it.
APPRAISER:
And how much was that offer?
GUEST:
It was a good bid; it was $500.
APPRAISER:
Really?
GUEST:
That was about a half month's pay for my teaching at that time.
APPRAISER:
It came with a history of the maker. It was made by this gentleman-- Malik, was his last name.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And 90 years later, it ends up at an antique shop.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And I say 90 years because it says on the paper that it was consigned by his great-grandson. In terms of a carousel, we call this a menagerie, because it has not just horses, it has two goats, it has two deer... On the other side we see lions, we see tigers, and those were the more sophisticated carousels that had two of each of these different characters.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
So it's beautifully done. A lot of times, when we go into the 20th century, and when we would see these model carousels, they're made from scrap parts from toys and they're typically made of tin. These are all carved and painted wood. Let me show this wonderful finial that went on top. It's a beautiful carved eagle, and that broke off on the way here.
GUEST:
Yes, I'm sorry.
APPRAISER:
It's just a very easy repair. It's just a little glue, will work fine. And... We will also show Uncle Sam over here, and on the side, we see a band of musicians. It's really just terrific. All carved and painted wood. This over here is what we call fret work, and it's cut out with a jigsaw. Inside is a clockwork mechanism that was probably salvaged from another item, and we're going to see the flying jenny do a little flying. (music playing)
GUEST:
And Uncle Sam moves.
APPRAISER:
Uncle Sam is moving.
GUEST:
And the musicians move.
APPRAISER:
And the musicians are moving. So, how do we value this? As a piece of folk art, carved and painted wood, it's a model of a carousel, it has two audiences. It has the folk art collector that would love to own this, but we also have carousel collectors that would love to own this early representation of a carousel. So we have two people possibly competing for this piece. So I'm going to say, retail, $8,000 to $12,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my, thank you! 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.
