1884 Anna Pottery Frog Mug
Watch
GUEST:
I actually got it at a rummage sale.
APPRAISER:
A rummage sale in where?
GUEST:
Central Illinois.
APPRAISER:
And what did you pay for it at the rummage sale?
GUEST:
Five dollars.
APPRIASER: So why did you buy it?
GUEST:
Because it has a frog in it.
APPRAISER:
Because it has a frog in it.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
It was made by one of two brothers, either Wallace or Cornwall Kirkpatrick, at the Anna Pottery in Anna, Illinois.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And so you bought this in central Illinois. The Anna Pottery is way down in southern Illinois. The Kirkpatrick brothers moved there in 1859 from Ohio, and they established a pottery that was then in business there until around 1900. And their everyday line of work was making utilitarian pottery. But both the brothers had this sort of quirky sense of social commentary, and then they made these. It says, "Cairo's Most Distinguished Musician." Of course refers to Cairo, Illinois, right?
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Which is downriver, on the Ohio, from Anna. But what they're referring to is not Mr. Shiplor, but it's the frog inside the mug that they're referring to as "Cairo's Most Distinguished Musician." That's their sense of humor. It's very, very typical of what they did. What's atypical is the frog itself. You see there, the green paint?
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
Very few of these were ever painted.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
They were painted after the piece was fired, so it's sort of called cold-painted. It's just a marvelous little example of the work of Anna's sort of satirical or fun pieces of pottery. A good auction estimate for this, think about $1,500 to $2,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh! (laughs) For my little frog! (both laugh)
APPRAISER:
It's a great, great mug. And thank you for bringing it in.
GUEST:
(laughing) Well, thank you very much!
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.
