Cigar Trade Sign, ca. 1890
GUEST:
My great-grandmother worked for the Hummel cigar factory in Slatington, Pennsylvania, and all of my life when I went to my grandmother's house, I could see this cigar hanging at the top of the stairs and I asked my mother how long it had been there. She says, "I don't know. It's been there all my life." So we figured it comes from my great-grandmother. And I believe the factory went out of business at the turn of the century, somewhere around in there.
APPRAISER:
Well, without knowing that history, I made a judgment that this trade sign was somewhere from the last half or maybe last quarter of the 19th century. As you know, cigars are in. For what reason, I'm not sure, but at any rate, they're chic again so I think as a result of that, things having to do with the cigar-making industry, they're attracting new collectors. There are a lot of people out there looking for such material, and I think this is a splendid little trade sign. Originally this sign, I assume, hung on the wall in this manner. And you can see that this is beautifully carved. It has its original painted surface. It also is inscribed with the name of the company, and this person has even gone to the extent of lighting the cigar, at least with paint, and it even has a little glow around the end of it. People love this kind of material. Trade signs in general are very collectible now in this country, particularly ones in original condition and in this case, very specifically the fact that it's a cigar... this is it. Um, valuing it, I think if we were to attach a value to it, I wouldn't be surprised if it were to bring $1,500, $2,500...
GUEST:
My word.
APPRAISER:
Or more. It's one of those things. All we need are a couple of wealthy cigar collectors that have to have it, and now it's suddenly not so much a matter of "What's its worth?", it's, "Hey, what can I afford to pay?"
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
So it's one of those splendid objects that, um... it's whimsical, it's in great condition, it's Americana.
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.
