1933 North Dakota School of Mines Figure of Maria Martinez
Watch
GUEST:
This was a piece that was made by my grandmother, who lived in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and this was done during the 1930s.
APPRAISER:
This is Maria Martinez. She was a Pueblo artist from New Mexico. She was a favorite of my grandmother's. Do you think your grandmother ever met Maria?
GUEST:
She may have. I rather doubt it. I probably would have a picture if she did. I just know that it was someone she greatly admired.
APPRAISER:
I have seen a lot of works that were done at the North Dakota School of Mines, which is also referred to as UND, for University of North Dakota. I've never seen anything like that. First of all, it's not a vessel. The North Dakota School of Mines was set up mostly to discuss and promote the clays-- of which there were many-- the very good clays of that state. This here is done by an artist, your grandmother, who is not particularly known as one of the most famous artists at North Dakota, but she made this as an homage to another potter. Maria Martinez was very famous, and she was famous for a really long time, so there were lots of photos taken of her and circulating that she may very well have seen, and she may have done this from photos. I just wanted to show the signature here from your grandmother, the date of 1933, both marks from the University of North Dakota. And I love this. I think this is so fantastic and so rare. Your grandmother's signature is on the back as well. The collectible appeal of this is the fact that it's a UND figure, it's a big UND figure, it's a western UND figure, it's something to do with a completely different potter who's very well known and well collected. For all that, if we put this at auction, very conservatively, it would be $5,000 to $7,000.
GUEST:
Goodness. Isn't that wonderful?
APPRAISER:
I would think that if you sold this retail, or in a good day at auction, it could certainly go up to $10,000 or more.
GUEST:
Oh, wow. She'd be very proud. I'm very proud.
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.
