J. & E. Stevens Calamity Bank, ca. 1885
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GUEST:
This was my grandfather's bank, and there was a card in the box that said, "Happy New Year, 1911." And it's from northern Ohio, I know.
APPRAISER:
Have you ever had it appraised?
GUEST:
The only thing we did was take it to a blacksmith to see about getting it repaired since it's broken, and he was more interested in the box than in the figures. He said the box would probably be worth about $150. And that was about 20 years ago.
APPRAISER:
Mechanical banks were very popular throughout the late 1800s. This particular bank was produced anywhere from the late 1870s into the 1890s. It was very susceptible to damage because of the sensitive gear mechanism on both figures. When the button was depressed, the two outside figures would swing around and attack the center player. It seems to be retaining a lot of its original paint. What's also very unusual is the presence of the original box. Do you have any idea of its value?
GUEST:
$500?
APPRAISER:
That would be very interesting. You might even want to add a zero and then double it and then add some.
GUEST:
Oh, my...
APPRAISER:
Yes, in its present condition, even with the damage, at auction, we'd be talking anywhere from $12,000 to $17,000, including the box.
GUEST:
(laughing) oh my gosh.
APPRAISER:
By itself, the box is $5,000.
GUEST:
Oh, wow. My grandmother would be very happy. She never threw anything away. Oh, that's fantastic.
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.
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