1969 John Lennon & Yoko Ono "Bed In" Sign
Watch
GUEST:
I bought it in an auction about 27 years ago.
APPRAISER:
And the next question is, how much did you pay for it?
GUEST:
Believe it or not, it started at $300, the bidding, and I got it for $400.
APPRAISER:
Well, we put your magazine out here to set the context for it because it just looks like a scribble on a piece of paper. But we do see that there's John Lennon and Yoko Ono signatures on it with his little face that he would draw with he and Yoko. But the more important thing about this piece is not just the signatures; it's the fact that we have this photo of it sitting at their Bed-in in 1969. They were protesting the Vietnam War and wanted peace. They were going to have the Bed-in in New York, but because of his cannabis conviction, he wasn't allowed back in the country, so they decided to go up to Montreal. And during these days there, they had a number of guests come. They had Timothy Leary, and Murray the K is one of the people that came to visit. So this is the sign hanging on the wall over here saying that Murray the K comes on Monday. The most important thing is that recently, a couple of pieces have sold from the same Bed-in room, and the most prominent one is the one that said "Hair Peace" that was on the window that we can just barely see on the corner, upper right corner there. And that one did very well. I would say at auction, conservatively, given the context on this, they would probably put anywhere between $50,000 and $75,000 on it.
GUEST:
My God!
APPRAISER:
The "Hair Peace" sign that was 22 inches by 28 inches that we see on the window was a bit more prominent-- it was on the wall right behind the bed-- that piece sold for $187,000. Yeah. So things have changed since you bought it back in 1982.
GUEST:
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Anything that you can tie back to this particular event.
GUEST:
Thank you, I'm in a state of shock. That's great news. Thank you so much.
APPRAISER:
I saw your knees go out a little bit there for a second.
GUEST:
They did, they did, Laura.
APPRAISER:
I'm glad you held on.
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.
