German Cup and Saucer, ca. 1855
Watch
GUEST:
I bought it for my parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. My mother said she wanted something frivolous.
APPRAISER:
Well, I guess this is frivolous. How long ago was that?
GUEST:
It was in '87.
APPRAISER:
Well, it really is very, very fascinating. It is a German cup and saucer, German porcelain. But I think what is particularly fascinating about it is the decoration on the cup. So let me just move this over. What we have on the front here is this wonderfully hand-painted scene of Indians. I think what is most fascinating about it is the fact that Germany, in the 19th century and still today, was and is very, very fascinated with the American Wild West. In the 19th century, a great many Germans went to America into the Wild West to explore the country. And this is obviously a commemorative cup that was made around 1850. Now, we'll get a little more clue as to where exactly it came from, from the saucer. The inscription on the saucer reads-- and I'll translate it, because it's in German-- "L. Sommer to his dear brother Ferdinand in commemoration, 1857." Now, these two symbols on the side here are German fraternity symbols. There are fraternities in Germany. There are two fraternity symbols, meaning that L. Sommer belonged to one fraternity and his "brother" Ferdinand belonged to the other fraternity. Now, how much did you pay for this cup and saucer when you first bought it?
GUEST:
$200-- I thought that was kind of frivolous.
APPRAISER:
That was frivolous, but I think you did a wonderful thing. If this came up for auction, I would fully expect it to bring in the range of $1,200 to $1,800. Thank you so much, Joyce.
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.
