Sam Snead Hats, ca. 1980
GUEST:
Well, I got these hats at the Greenbrier Resort at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, when I worked there. I worked there about eight years, from 1994 to around 2005. And during that time, they was remodeling Sam Snead's shop, and the ladies that was redoing it in there gave me these hats.
APPRAISER:
And did you know Sam Snead?
GUEST:
Yes, I did. Most any time you seen Sam, he had one of those hats on.
APPRAISER:
So you have two great pieces of history here. Sam Snead won his first professional tournament at the Greenbrier in 1936. He was a pro golfer for five decades, and he won 82 tournaments. These hats were made for him. It says right here, "Made exclusively for Sam Snead." And this one is signed by him. Now, you want to know value. In 2013, the estate of Sam Snead sold a number of his hats. The other auctions that have sold Sam Snead hats like this have sold between $200 and $600 a piece. And the ones that were sold at the estate of Sam Snead sold for $1,000 to $1,500 a piece. So Pete, here's what we're going to do. We're going to split the difference between them. And I would place an insurance value of the two hats for $1,000.
GUEST:
Well, that's good, that's real good.
APPRAISER:
Do you wear them?
GUEST:
No. No, I have stuck them on my head, but no, I've never wore them.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
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.