1922 Folk Art Blacksmith Shop Model
Watch
GUEST:
There was a couple of fellows who came to Alabaster, which is about 20 miles south of here, in 1922. They came in with a carnival and decided to stay in Alabaster. A Mr. Simpson, who owned a curb market in Alabaster, befriended them and gave them room to practice their trade as cobblers. They made this as an appreciation gift for Mr. Simpson and presented it to him 12/30/22, it's dated. As a child I delivered papers in downtown Alabaster. We were from a poor family, didn't have any toys. And I would look at this thing for hours-- I loved it. He had it on display. It was just about head high for me. About ten years ago a fellow came into my office and he started telling me about this little blacksmith shop he had purchased. And I stopped him and I said, "You don't need to tell me "about that blacksmith shop. "I've looked at it for hundreds of hours as a child. "And if you ever want to sell it, I'd love to have an opportunity to buy it." Well, about two years later he came back and said, "That blacksmith shop's in my house, nobody ever sees it. If you'll display it in your office, I will sell it." We paid $500 for it.
APPRAISER:
People bring stuff to the folk art table all the time that are handmade, that are not as successfully executed as this is. When I started looking inside this thing and I saw the forge and how much trouble they'd gone to make everything in there, there's even a little fan in there that looks like it was made in one of those factories back in the '20s.
GUEST:
External blades, exactly.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. It's amazing detail. I would say for insurance purposes you should probably go in the $3,000 to $5,000 range.
GUEST:
That's great, that's great.
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.
