Scrimshaw Powder Horn, ca. 1875
Watch
GUEST:
This piece was purchased in North Dakota 30 to 40 years ago.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
By family members. It cost $300 when they bought it. They were there at an art gallery for Charles Russell artwork.
APPRAISER:
The artist Charles Russell, right?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
The painter and the sculptor, right. This is really neat. I love to see the size of this horn. But what, of course, is the important part, right? The meat of the subject really is this wonderful figure of the cowboy with a hat, lassoing a horse, right? And look at the artistry. The work is really great. As a folk object it's wonderful. I'll tell you, by the time this horn was made, the need for a powder horn to put down...gun powder in and load a gun was over. So these horns are more decorative at this point in the 1870s or 1880s. And these horns generally bring a little less than the ones that were really used for action. But this is...so maybe this had powder and maybe it didn't, I haven't smelled... No, I don't smell any. Do you smell any?
GUEST:
No, no.
APPRAISER:
Have you tried? I don't smell it. But it's a wonderful object. At the folk art table, we've all admired it, and we admire the size. And this... this horn is worth between $2,500 and maybe $4,000, easily, okay? And it's not bad.
GUEST:
No, not at all for a $300 investment.
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.
