English Arts & Crafts Sideboard attributed to Leonard Wyburg, ca. 1905
Watch
GUEST:
Well, it was a piece that our parents purchased at an antique auction in Southern California back in the late '60s, early '70s. And when they purchased it, they took it home in the back of a Chrysler Imperial. I think it's English from the turn of the century, but I don't really know much more about it.
APPRAISER:
Well, the piece is English, and it really is a very typical piece made in the English Arts and Crafts style. There was a company in England that was very successful and very influential throughout all of Europe called Liberty. And in fact, Liberty & Co. became known in France and continental parts of Europe as having a style of its own. It was a department store and a manufacturer.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And they employed a number of designers, but one of them was named Leonard Wyburd, and Leonard Wyburd was the in-house designer for Liberty's until the early 1900s. In that period, he brought in a Moorish influence. And on this cabinet, we can see these bottle glass windows, which is a very typical Leonard Wyburd style of bringing in a Moorish Spanish element and incorporating it into what was then kind of a new, fresh style. There's a lot of elements on here that are typical of the English Arts and Crafts style. This really classic arch, very long, very narrow, broad arch is very typical of Arts and Crafts period furniture made in England. Another Moorish element is this column here. The column gives it a really wonderful kind of lightness. It's a very big, tall, heavy cabinet, but these very thin, elegant columns really help to lighten the cabinet up. Also, this very long, thin crest. Other elements that we have in this cabinet are the hammered copper straps and hinges. The lock plates, all these French lever locks that were typical and we know that are original. Do you remember what was paid for it?
GUEST:
$175.
APPRAISER:
The cabinet today is not as popular as it was a few years ago.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
But at auction I would estimate the value at about $3,000 to $5,000.
GUEST:
Awesome, that's great.
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.
