Tiara Collection
GUEST:
I saw Miss America in 1965 and I want to be a princess, and so I get to wear one every year on my birthday.
APPRAISER:
And…
GUEST:
Today is my birthday!
APPRAISER:
I picked out just a few. The box was so big. I picked out a few that I found a little more interesting. The one that has actually real diamonds is this one, and those are cultured pearls. It's probably made in India. It's not in gold; it's in silver. It's probably 1950s or '60s. This one is also probably made in India, but the stones are not real. I like this one even though it's not diamonds and precious material. I think it's closer to an actual one of the period, 1890, but it's probably from the 1930s. Then you have this one, which are not real cameos. Wants to be from the 1880s, but is again much later. I would say this probably dates from around 1910, 1920s. But I have two that I liked, and these are small. They're hair combs. This one, beautiful, probably 1870s, enameled. My favorite is this one. This is the earliest, it's 1860, Italian, has real coral. It's a great example of Victorian jewelry. I think this one, the one that has the real diamonds, is probably worth between $1,000 and $1,500.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Yes! This, I think just as a look, maybe $150. This one, because it's closer to the period, maybe $200. This, just for effect, maybe $100. This one, maybe $100. I love this comb-- I would say $150. But this one, because it's the oldest and pure style, pure Victorian, with coral, I'm going to say in a shop, you may pay as much as $500, $600 for that one.
GUEST:
I wear that one a lot.
APPRAISER:
Do you?
GUEST:
Just to go to the grocery store.
APPRAISER:
Well, I think you're fascinating that you collected them, enjoy them, and wear them, and happy birthday!
GUEST:
Thank you.
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.
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