20th-Century Signed Bandleader Photos
Watch
GUEST:
In Sioux Falls, they had an Army airbase. And my dad was a banker, my mom was a baker, and on the weekends they would work at the Arcoda Ballroom, where they had big bands come in and entertain the troops. My dad sold tickets, and my mom was a coatcheck girl. And when she was done doing that, she danced with the soldiers.
APPRAISER:
During World War Two.
GUEST:
Yes. And my dad, when he went to pay them, because he was the treasurer, he had them sign an autographed picture for him so he would have that for himself. And this is his collection.
APPRAISER:
But you never heard about this collection until years later.
GUEST:
Right. I really hadn't heard about it at all until just before he died I heard about it.
APPRAISER:
But did they talk about those times at the Arcoda Ballroom?
GUEST:
Oh, they had a wonderful time. They just thoroughly enjoyed it.
APPRAISER:
When you saw this, you recognized who these people were immediately.
GUEST:
Oh, yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
Here we have Tommy Dorsey, who's best known for "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You." Played with Frank Sinatra. We've got here Count Basie, best known for "One O'Clock Jump" in those days. Because we're talking 1943-44, right?
GUEST:
Yep.
APPRAISER:
And we have Glen Gray, who is not as well known, but Casa Loma Orchestra. And here, Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington at that time probably best known for "Perdido." And we have here Cab Calloway. 1943, he was starring with Lena Horne in the movie Stormy Weather.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Which was fantastic. We have Lawrence Welk without bubbles.
GUEST:
Yes!
APPRAISER:
Pre-bubbles. And then of course Jimmy Dorsey, Tommy's brother, who wrote, "I'm Glad There Is You." And then over here, we have Louis Armstrong. So when you saw this grouping, what did you think?
GUEST:
I thought they were wonderful. They were all before my time, but I just love their music.
APPRAISER:
So you want to know value.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And anything else?
GUEST:
How I can preserve them, because I know what they're in right now is not good.
APPRAISER:
They've been in this notebook for years.
GUEST:
Yes. Since probably '43, '44.
APPRAISER:
Wow. And there are a total of 58 of them. We have a lot of other bandleaders, some as well known and some not quite as well known. Well, let me talk to you a little bit about value. Each of these would have an individual value that would run probably between $50 for some of our lesser known, up to probably about $500 for your better known. But they're worth more as an archive, because they were all given to your father. A lot of times when they're personalized to someone, it doesn't mean that much, but because you have such great provenance behind them, the whole is actually worth more than the individual parts.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm, great.
APPRAISER:
Now, they've managed to survive these years, and they're in very good condition. I would take them out and I would back them with archival paper so you can have them last another 70 years.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
In terms of value, for the entire group, I'd put an insurance value of at least $15,000 on the group.
GUEST:
Wonderful.
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.
