Marquesas Islands Paddles & Club, ca. 1890
Watch
GUEST:
When I was in my...sophomore in high school, I went to get a haircut. And the barber had these behind the counter. And he brought them out and wondered if anybody wanted to buy them. So I says, "Yeah, why not?" I wasn't married, I didn't have anything to do but go to school. So we arrived at a price, and I took them home, and I've had them ever since.
APPRAISER:
So what did you pay for them?
GUEST:
It was either eight dollars or $20.
APPRAISER:
So at least... the max investment is $20.
GUEST:
Yes, it is. We've shown them in our house for all of our married life on a wall in the family room.
APPRAISER:
Well, what have you told people they were?
GUEST:
Well, I said these were boat oars, I thought, and… maybe even for real shallow water they could be used in the mud. And then this I thought was a war club.
APPRAISER:
All right. This group of objects are all from the Marquesas, which is Polynesia, in the Pacific.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And I can tell you now that these pieces... let's start first with these paddles. And I want to point out the carving we have down here, and I've never seen a paddle that has this extension on the bottom.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And actually it's a functional thing. It's to push off the rocks.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
So this was made... definitely made to be used. You have these two Marquesan figures up here, and they protect the individual that owns the piece. We see the same thing on the club. This form really dates back to Cook's second voyage, 1772-1775. Now, this one is a little bit later. I think this is late 19th century. It certainly started out as a war club. And again, we see the head. This would protect the individual holding this piece. Now, the wood is an iron wood. The wood is called “toa”, okay? Toa, which also means "warrior." Now, the club itself is called “U'u”. And as we said, we've seen this form before. It is started out as a club, but then it becomes more ceremonial, an indication of status and power in the group. And I can tell you that your investment probably paid off.
GUEST:
Oh, good.
APPRAISER:
These two paddles, they would be $500 to $700 each. And then this club in the center is $1,500 to $2,500.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And those would be good retail prices.
GUEST:
Okay.
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.
