Frances Tipton Hunter Illustrations, ca. 1940
APPRAISER:
Terrific little illustrations. Are you an illustration collector, or... what's your experience with them?
GUEST:
No, about 26 years ago at a rummage sale, charity rummage sale, I found these, and I liked them so well, especially the large one, which reminded me of my father-- he died when I was eight-- and I just cherish that one.
APPRAISER:
Oh, that's very sweet. What did you pay for the pieces?
GUEST:
The small one was seven, and then I paid... no, the large one was seven and the small one was three.
APPRAISER:
Now, seven dollars and three dollars.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Well, they're wonderful examples of 20th-century illustration by an artist named Frances Tipton Hunter and we can see her signature in the lower left and lower right on this piece. She was born in 1896 and died in 1957 and studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Art. What's interesting to me about illustrations and the illustration market in general is that while it's specific-- and, to many people, illustrations are just covers-- they're really time capsules of a specific time and place and way of being. And I think your idea of thinking of your father when you saw this piece is really something that comes through with the great illustrators. And I think that one of the reasons that illustration is becoming more and more popular is because of that nostalgia for a time. And I would be dating these based on the details, based on the costume, based on the whole style of the furniture to probably around the '30s or '40s. She was a known illustrator who was represented in all of the major magazines of the time-- Collier's, Saturday Evening Post-- not unlike Jessie Wilcox Smith, who worked very well with children. I think they're lovely, they're in very nice condition, there's not really evidence of fading-- so you must be keeping them somewhere dark-- and I think your ten-dollar purchase, if my math is right, is probably worth about $1,500 to $2,500.
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.