Child's Square Piano, ca. 1855
GUEST:
I picked it up in an antique shop about nine years ago because I like toys, and there it was.
APPRAISER:
As a toy.
GUEST:
It came with a little story that said it was made in about 1700 in Germany for a little girl in Holland, I believe.
APPRAISER:
And I notice sort of a little skepticism in that story.
GUEST:
Well, yeah.
APPRAISER:
One of the ways that we often date a piece, and specifically a keyboard piece, is to first stand back and look at what we call the casework. At very first glance it's very easy to tell that this piece, of course, is not an 18th-century piece but, in fact, 19th-century, and from these tapered legs, the typical grain painting on the outside, I would put it at about 1850 to 1860, what the furniture experts called "empire." This grain painting was to simulate rosewood, a poor man's version. Rosewood would have been very expensive at that point. It's a child's instrument, actually. You had mentioned that it might be a toy. The inside structure is cast. It's a professionally constructed instrument and I think not a toy but in fact a student instrument for probably a very well-to-do young child to practice on. It plays, and it's in actually remarkable condition. Some parts of it are missing. The music stand, which would have swung out here. And the keys have been not refinished, but over painted. I think a good restorer could bring the keys back to original condition. You bought it at an antique store. Can you tell me how much you paid for it?
GUEST:
Couple hundred.
APPRAISER:
If I had this in an auction today, I would estimate it in probably the $1,500 to $1,700 range, and I would be hoping for that collector who's dying for this period square piano in this form. I have never seen one of this size before-- in a child's instrument-- and it's a thrill to see it here.
GUEST:
Yeah, it's a cutie.
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.
