Commemorative Marquetry Box, ca. 1850
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GUEST:
This belonged to my great-great-grandfather, and his name was Captain James H. North, and he was originally from Charleston, South Carolina. He went to Antarctica and got shipwrecked down there. He also was on the USS Niagara, which was one of the vessels that laid the transatlantic cable successfully. And the third thing he did was he was with the Confederate navy. He ran the blockade on the Little America over to Europe, and then he went over there to procure some ships for the Confederate navy. And supposedly, this was given to him by his crew, and this was the USS Niagara, but I kind of have a question about that. What I think it is, is maybe from the ship that got shipwrecked down in Antarctica.
APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, let's start with North. He had a long career, as you say, he was involved with the navy and shipping for many years before the Civil War, and he was really part of Cyrus Field's crew that laid the transatlantic cable. And I think you told me he was awarded a gold medal, right, for that?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Your ancestor, at the outbreak of the Civil War, was sent by the secretary of the navy, Mallory, for the Confederate government to act as an agent in England for the British government to supply ships to the Confederacy. That wasn't real successful. The box here is a real curiosity. It's a great side-wheeler, and this is typical of an ocean-going ship. Kind of threw me here because it has the British naval jack, and the American flag, and then how 'bout the pennant here, you know what that stands for?
GUEST:
I'm assuming U.S. Marine or, I don't know, that's kind of throwing me.
APPRAISER:
Well it sort of threw me for a minute, too. I think it might be U.S. Mail. The U.S. Mail service had a transatlantic service for about ten years before the Civil War. The front of the box is decorated with this great, spread-winged eagle, 13 stars, all inlaid in different kinds of wood. The great standard here, a patriotic shield. This side of the box has a British lion, symbol of the British empire. And this side has another scene. I think it might be Northern European. I think that this box was made by some master woodworker. And I'm wondering if it might be a gift to him, perhaps by his crew, or maybe he commissioned it himself...
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
To sort of reflect on his career before the Civil War. There's nothing here that talks about his Confederate service at all. My guess is it was made before the Civil War, in the 1850s. This is not the Niagara, doesn't look anything like the Niagara, and it's probably a generic ship.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
I showed this to a couple people at the folk art table, and we all agree it's a fabulous piece of folk art. And we all seem to think that a good auction estimate range would be about $6,000 to $8,000.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
We think about 20% of that value is value that's added because of who it belonged to.
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