1897 Theodore Roosevelt Signed Letter
Watch
APPRAISER:
It's fairly clear from this picture that you've brought in a Theodore Roosevelt document, and I see the signature down here, clear as can be. Could you tell me how you acquired it?
GUEST:
Sure, this is actually, it's my husband's piece, and he's quite a history buff and particularly interested in Theodore Roosevelt. It was most difficult to find documents from the time that he was with the police department in New York.
APPRAISER:
Yes, of course. And when did he acquire this, your husband?
GUEST:
Just within the last couple years.
APPRAISER:
In the last couple of years, yes. The thing that I find so interesting about it is that it shows Roosevelt's keen eye for revising a letter. It's a draft, as you know. It's a draft for his resignation. Apparently-- your husband would know better than I-- but his term as the head of the police commission was kind of rocky because of all the corruption in New York and everything else. And so his letter of resignation sort of demonstrates what a perfectionist Roosevelt was. And you come across some of his handwriting. He describes here that he's been "hampered by unwise legislation," and he inserts it, "so-called bipartisan law." So he's including the mayor in his, if you will, resignation speech and perhaps, saying to the mayor, that it's not all... it's not all my fault. He says it's the law's fault. He says here, "Experience has been working with all," and then he adds in, "the rich and the poor" to show his democratic nature, if you will. Although he was a Republican. This little reproduction in color has nothing to do with the value of the letter, but by itself it's worth less than $50. Have you any idea of the value? Did your husband impart the value to you?
GUEST:
You know, he wouldn't tell me what he paid for it, but he did say that he probably paid too much.
APPRAISER:
Do you know where he got it?
GUEST:
He apparently had gotten it from a gentleman who this was in his family.
APPRAISER:
He didn't buy it from a retail store?
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
No. Well, in auction values, I would say that it is in the neighborhood of $25,000 as an auction estimate. Roosevelt has been fairly sought after in recent years, and this is a particularly important part of his political career.
GUEST:
Very good.
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.
