French Paste & Silver Brooch, ca. 1890
Watch
GUEST:
My mother bought it at a rummage sale in New Jersey 40 years ago. And about ten years after that, she took it to an antique show and asked a jeweler about it. And what she remembers the jeweler saying was that it was from France. He thought maybe 18th century. And used the word "paste" describing the stones or something, but I really have no idea what that means.
APPRAISER:
Paste is actually glass. So these particular stones were made to look like diamonds. It is something that would have been referred to as a maquette. This was probably a model that was made out of paste and silver for a piece that would later be made in diamonds and platinum.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
So it's quite special in that respect. We don't see a lot of these in existence anymore.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
The gentleman whom your mother spoke with was correct in that the piece is French. It has French hallmarks that indicate silver. I think there was a little discrepancy potentially with the 18th century comment. I would personally date this to probably about 1890.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
How much did your mother pay for this piece when she purchased it?
GUEST:
She said five dollars. Five dollars.
APPRAISER:
Well, despite the fact that there is one stone that's fallen out, which you do kindly have in the box, fantastic, this piece in the marketplace today would be worth upwards of $800 to $1,200.
GUEST:
Yay. That's great.
APPRAISER:
Congratulations. It's spectacular.
GUEST:
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.
