1965 Charles Schulz Peanuts Strip
Watch
GUEST:
My father was living in Santa Rosa and going to Santa Rosa Junior College in 1964, '65, and the beginning of '66, and he also was working at a museum there. So either by taking a class from Schulz's wife, possibly, or perhaps by meeting them at the museum, somehow he met Schulz's wife, and she invited him to dinner, where he met Mr. Schulz. And I guess they talked and, and perhaps even disagreed about politics a little. (laughs) Uh, my dad was a real liberal and had liberal strong feelings. But they got along real well and enjoyed each other's company. And at the end of the night, Mr. Schulz gave him this "Peanuts" strip to take with him. So, it got put into his trunk, and then, unfortunately, my father ended up going to Vietnam and passing away soon after that. So it's been in a trunk, 50 years. And, um, it was recently found, and my uncle and aunt said, "Oh, you should, you should have this trunk." And so that's how I received it and how he received it.
APPRAISER:
Oh, wonderful. So let's see how it's marked. 1965, United Features Syndicate. And it shows two of the main characters, Charlie Brown, obviously, and his dog, Snoopy. And this is part of a charming little vignette where Snoopy is ice skating, and he sees his future fiancée, the beagle of his dreams.
GUEST:
(chuckles)
APPRAISER:
And so here he is, waiting for her to come. Sadly, uh, by Valentine's Day, they, broken up, but...
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
This is really a fabulous panel, and so it's signed by Charles Schulz. We have a little, probably, water that got on the signature. And so it's a little bit smudged, but it's still an original piece. Do you have any idea what it's worth?
GUEST:
I, I really don't know. I, I was thinking it would probably be at least $1,000? But I, I don't know. Especially with the water damage.
APPRAISER:
This particular one is very interesting, because you have all of this heavy ink, and the printers hated these because they couldn't saturate well on newsprint. It really pops. It's a real collector's piece. In this condition, even with the little problems here, conservatively, at auction, this would bring between $15,000 and $20,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. (laughs) That's amazing.
APPRAISER:
And I have to tell you, because it's so graphic...
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER:
...it could even bring up to $30,000. Which is what I would say...
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER:
...you should insure it for.
GUEST:
That's amazing. (exhales): I can't believe it. (chuckles) I can't believe it, I wish my dad could have known. (laughs) (sniffles)
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.
