Charles Schulz Drawing & Letter
Watch
GUEST:
I grew up in Minneapolis, where Schulz lived, and when he was starting the comic strip, he would go to various organizations and talk, and as he drew, he would rip them off and toss them in the corner. And so those of us who were fans would go and get them after he finished speaking.
APPRAISER:
And you said besides this marvelous, big Linus, you have two others?
GUEST:
I have two more. I have one of Snoopy in the weeds-- I don't know if you remember, he had weed claustrophobia or something-- and then I have one of Snoopy mimicking Lucy, walking after her. I got them in 1955 or '56.
APPRAISER:
And then you have this letter from Charles Schulz.
GUEST:
After the Charlie Brown's Christmas show came out, I just thought it was so wonderful, I wrote him a letter. I had made felt Snoopys for friends to hang on their Christmas tree because everybody loved Snoopy, so I sent him one and told him that I hoped he would hang Snoopy on his tree. So he sent me the letter back, which was very nice of him.
APPRAISER:
We don't see too many letters from Charles Schulz. They are usually typescript. It's wonderful that it's on his original stationery, signed by him, with a little doodle of Snoopy saying, "It looked just like me!" Letters like this, personalized, will bring about $1,200 to $1,500.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Absolutely.
GUEST:
Oh my goodness! And it's been in a drawer for years.
APPRAISER:
Well, take it out and frame it!
GUEST:
I'm going to!
APPRAISER:
Now, let's talk about this drawing. In 1946, he was in the Art Instruction, Inc. It was his first job after he got out of the war, and he had a hard time breaking into this area, so when you say he went to schools and drew and spoke, he really did try to promote comic art and illustration to a new generation of younger kids, and people like you, you were so impressed by it.
GUEST:
Right, we loved it.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's a lovely, big example, a really bold, incredible signature, and at auction, this piece would be worth $7,000 to $9,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my God. Wow, that's amazing. Truly amazing. And I see people going, "Wow," but truly... (laughing) I never thought it could be that much.
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.
