Vairocana Buddha, ca. 1410
Watch
GUEST:
My husband has a lot of interest in all kinds of the Chinese cultural things. And this is a Buddha, so he has a lot of interest in that kind of thing.
APPRAISER:
And he was advised to buy this by someone?
GUEST:
He always look at the Buddha things, and it has a lot of Buddhas there, and he will show that kind of Buddhas to his friends like a group.
APPRAISER:
Oh, yeah.
GUEST:
Yeah, and the friends will tell him if this Buddha's worth it to buy, or this one is really, really interesting.
APPRAISER:
Well, they were good friends.
GUEST:
Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
And what did he pay for it?
GUEST:
About $30,000.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, and when did he buy that?
GUEST:
It's an auction house online.
APPRAISER:
What time period?
GUEST:
It is at the beginning of this year.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's an image of Vairocana Buddha, right. It's a rare image. And it's also a Yongle one from 1402 to 1424.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And it's a beautiful example of these gilt Sino-Tibetan bronzes. In the hand of the Buddha there's an object called a vajra, and that represents a thunderbolt. It's a symbol of instant enlightenment. The other hand is in a position of benediction.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And then he's seated like in a yogic position. They were made as gifts from the Chinese empress to various clerics in Tibet. Often they're signed, but sometimes... in fact this one actually is signed, which I just noticed.
GUEST:
Yes, that's Chinese characters.
APPRAISER:
Yes, bestowed during the Yongle reign. And in fact, I didn't see that signature initially when I saw the thing, but I just saw that it was a really beautiful bronze.
GUEST:
Thanks.
APPRAISER:
Well, that signature actually changes what I was going to say in terms of the value. Did you have any idea what the value was of it?
GUEST:
No, I have no idea for that.
APPRAISER:
Well, this bronze, it's really good quality, very finely done, perfect proportions, very, very elegant. This bronze is worth between $150,000 to $200,000.
GUEST:
Wow!
APPRAISER:
Yeah, he had good friends.
GUEST:
Okay, thank my friends.
APPRAISER:
If there was no signature on it, I would have said $100,000 to $150,000 anyway. But with the signature, $150,000 to $200,000.
GUEST:
$150,000 to $200,000?
APPRAISER:
Yup, yup.
GUEST:
It's good. (laughing) It's excellent!
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.
