1956 Gretsch 6120 Guitar with Case
Watch
GUEST:
My father bought it in 1956 from a little shop in Greensboro, North Carolina. So he's had it since it was new. He had recently taken his collection of guitars and had split them up amongst family, and this is the one that I wound up with. He used this guitar for many years playing in local bands in North Carolina. He played in a band called The Spectaculars, and while he was with The Spectaculars, they actually cut a record called "Boo-Da-Rac-Ka-Sacky." Sales weren't spectacular, but the band was spectacular.
APPRAISER:
All right.
GUEST:
And he taught guitar for many, many years, so music has been a big part of his life always. Now it's mine and I don't play the guitar, I don't know much about it, so I'm hoping you can tell me.
APPRAISER:
Fred Gretsch was always known for making fancy guitars, visually flashy guitars. It's got the orange finish. This is a 6120, that's the model. Most people, when they think of Gretsch, they think of Chet Atkins, because that's a very famous player. It's a Chet Atkins model. Chet Atkins was an iconic endorser of Gretsch, played Gretsches his whole life. This particular guitar looks to be made out of what we call birch, probably veneer. Top, sides and back. The neck is maple, the front board is rosewood.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
Pretty common wood for what we call electric acoustic arch tops of the day. This is a Western motif model. Everything from the beautiful wood-branded G in here. And this one has the beautiful strap with the metal buckle, all in the Western motif.
GUEST:
Is the case original, as well?
APPRAISER:
The case is original also. They wanted the guitar to stand out. The white, or cream-colored case with the leather band. When we saw you walk into the show, we said, "There's a Gretsch." We knew it from a mile away. You have very slight corrosion on the pickup covers and then on the bridge, which means the guitar was used, but he took very good care of it. This has stayed in amazingly good condition. This guitar, new, was probably around $500 to $600, I'd be guessing.
GUEST:
He said he paid $400 for it.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. And there was a time when this guitar peaked a little higher than it is now. But even in today's market in a retail store, I think that this is easily a $7,500 guitar to an $8,500 guitar.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So, and a very, very nice example and I'm so glad that you brought it in to show it to me. That's a great return on the investment, isn't it?
GUEST:
That's awesome. Thank you so 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.
