Queen Anne Highboy, ca. 1770
APPRAISER:
This is the first Philadelphia highboy that I've seen on the Antiques Roadshow.
GUEST:
It's been in our family for a long time, for about 200 years now.
APPRAISER:
Did it descend right from the original owner?
GUEST:
I believe that it did.
APPRAISER:
And I understand they were Quakers.
GUEST:
They were Quakers, which explains why the piece is so plain and that the only adornment that they were allowed was the little heart on the bottom, from what I understand.
APPRAISER:
It's a classic early Philadelphia highboy made in the Queen Anne style right about 1766, so probably made for Mrs. Taylor. And it may have been possibly a dowry... a wedding dowry gift. And it has classic black walnut which you see in the drawer fronts, classic Philadelphia midmoldings which extend from the lower section, and then this heart-pierce skirt is shaped really perfectly. It sort of runs into these cabriole legs with angular knees which you see in Philadelphia in this period and these what we call Spanish or Flemish feet. And the interior, just to look at this drawer, you have here yellow pine, which is typical of this Philadelphia region. And yellow pine was used throughout the Middle Atlantic states, in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia and further south. And you have these great dovetails here, and here are the cabinetmaker's marks to lay out this drawer. These are the original chalk marks right in the center drawer. Have you ever had the highboy appraised?
GUEST:
It was appraised when we got it as part of my father's estate, and that was about ten years ago and they appraised it at that point for, I believe, $25,000.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, actually this is a really rare example of Philadelphia highboy, and it also has its original brasses, which is great, this incredibly intact condition. And if I were estimating this for auction, I would put $40,000 to $60,000 on it.
GUEST:
Wow, that's great.
APPRAISER:
It's a great, great highboy.
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.
