Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker Coat, ca. 1970
GUEST:
I went to an estate sale in Malibu, California, and the lady in line told me that it was the home of Carroll O'Connor.
APPRAISER:
Wow. Of Archie Bunker fame.
GUEST:
And I went in the house, I went upstairs, and the master bedroom closet was filled with men's clothes. It was actually his daughter-in-law that was having the sale. And I said, "These couldn't possibly be your father-in-law's clothes." And she said, "Yeah, my mom never threw anything away." Even though he had passed 15 years ago. I bought it because I was just going to give it to my dad. He was a big Archie Bunker fan, and I thought they were the same size.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm. What did you pay for it when you bought it?
GUEST:
I think about $40.
APPRAISER:
So this was quite a while after Carroll O'Connor had passed. Is that right?
GUEST:
15 years. His wife just passed away about a year ago, and so they had the estate sale about three months after she passed away. It just, to me, takes me back to a time when my whole family was together laughing and having a good time.
APPRAISER:
All in the Family, man, that show it just kind of redefined America. It took all of America's, like, hang-ups and values, it put them in a jar and it shook them, and it broke down racial stereotypes, it broke down sexual stereotypes. It helped social justice in our country because we're all sitting there on the couch, and we're watching this guy in this jacket just changing America by being a bigot, and everybody could see the humor in that. He was actually based off of Norman Lear's father. What do you do with it now? Do you have it displayed?
GUEST:
Oh, no. I keep it in my living room closet, and in the morning when I walk my dog I just throw it on, because it's kind of warm. And I just use it to walk my dog.
APPRAISER:
It's not a costume made piece. It's actually a purchased piece, so perhaps there may have been one or two others as a backup. But this was Archie Bunker's, and Carroll O'Connor took it home. And whenever you find provenance like this. You got it from Carroll O'Connor's daughter-in-law. And then here's photos of him wearing it. Here he is with Edith on the show, Jean Stapleton.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And there's the coat. You look at it up here, and what's cool is it even has his little flag lapel right there. That was a big social commentary unto itself on the show. The condition is fabulous on it. It hasn't been beat up. I love this shot here with Sammy Davis Jr., and there's the coat hanging behind it. In that episode, when Sammy kissed Archie at the end of the show, that broke the laugh record on that TV program. It's an icon. I feel that at auction this is worth $10,000 to $15,000.
GUEST:
No! No! You are kidding me!
APPRAISER:
No, I'm not. I love it myself. I'd wear it walking the dog, too.
GUEST:
You are kidding me!
(laughing)
APPRAISER:
Probably on this, I would put $20,000 insurance appraisal on it.
GUEST:
$20,000 for insurance?
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.