Silk on Silk Embroidery
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GUEST:
Well, this was passed down to my wife and myself by her mother approximately five years ago. And as long as I can remember, it's hung in her dining room.
APPRAISER:
Do you know anything about it? Where it's from, or...
GUEST:
Unfortunately, I don't. But I would imagine that she probably purchased it 20 to 25 years ago.
APPRAISER:
Well, more than likely it's English rather than American. In the past, we've had several American samplers that were very similar, the difference being the American ones that we've had, even though they're of same quality, same age-- this is probably done between 1800 and 1830-- more than likely you had a professional artist who did the drawing, who did the faces and most of the painting.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
If it were American, we had one that was from Philadelphia that we knew the provenance on and we knew the age and we knew who made it. It was appraised for $30,000 to $40,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
However, this being English makes a huge difference in value. As an English sampler, it would probably sell for about $3,000 to $5,000 at retail.
GUEST:
Great.
APPRAISER:
So it pays to be American.
GUEST:
That's terrific, though. I think it deserves more than the cardboard box it came in.
APPRAISER:
Absolutely.
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.
