1934 Gibson LC Acoustic Guitar
Watch
GUEST:
My husband's father, when he was... I believe he was a teenager, he bought it. And they lived in Nashville, and then when he passed away it was given to my husband. My husband has given it to me to make sure it goes to one of my sons who is a musician, but when he's older. I know that there's one like it in the museum in Nashville, and that's all I know. And that on that little piece of paper at the museum it said it was a reversed inlay Gibson, and that's what I know.
APPRAISER:
This is called a Gibson LC. And when the World's Fair was happening in 1933, Gibson made guitars, they made mandolins, and the thing that was different was they put these pearloid or plastic-- it looks like mother of pearl, but it's actually plastic-- on the fingerboards and the headstock, and they were very showy. And people loved them, and they were really popular. And this particular model has a number up inside of it, 939.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And in my research, it looks like that it was made in 1934. They went out of production by the late 1930s. They made a couple after the war started, but then they quit making them. It was a very popular model, so they made a lot of them, but you don't really see them in that good a condition generally. When this guitar was produced, this was the second most expensive model that Gibson made.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
The thing that appeals to me about a guitar like this is the fact that this body size has a certain sound. And a lot of guys that play blues and fingerstyle guitar love the sound that comes out of these. I think one of the reasons it sounds like that is because you've got a spruce top, which resonates really good. For people who look for things that everybody else doesn't have, this is just a fabulous guitar. One of the other things that we think about today with instruments like this is whether or not it has any endangered species on it, like ivory or Brazilian rosewood. And these inlays, I think, are probably Indian rosewood. They may be Brazilian, but they're a very minor part of the guitar, the construction of the guitar. And the new federal guidelines on that would not prohibit anybody from selling an instrument like this. One of the things that plays into value is condition. It's what I call a player's guitar. It's been played. It's got a few scratches. I've checked around and phoned one of my colleagues who deals in this every day, and he said that a price range on this, probably for insurance purposes, is going to be about $4,000 or $5,000.
GUEST:
Very good.
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.
