English Chippendale-style Side Chair, ca. 1910
Watch
APPRAISER:
So, tell me about this chair.
GUEST:
Well, this chair has been in our family since the 1920s. It was originally my great-grandparents', and we have always speculated about it, my mom always called it the Chippendale chair. So I think we'd like to know, if possible, how old it is, and whether it is related to Chippen... the famous Thomas Chippendale, as my mom thought it was.
APPRAISER:
Okay, so we would look at this chair and the first thing we would call it is Chippendale-style.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
This chair was actually most likely made in England.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And interesting, you say 1920s?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
It was most likely manufactured somewhere between about 1900 and 1920.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
But stylistically, it is right out of the design book by Thomas Chippendale.
GUEST:
Mmm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
So you've got this wonderful carved crest rail, and then moving down this really nicely carved back rest, moving down with these foliate scrolls, and further scrolls. And then after the upholstered seat you've got the wonderful carved seat rail, again with shell carving, and these carved cabriole legs, down to leaf-carved scrolling feet as well.
GUEST:
Yes, okay.
APPRAISER:
So I'm going to turn this around real quick. And on the back you have this absolutely wonderful custom brace that somebody had made. And you can actually see in a couple of areas where breaks had occurred through here.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
So someone had this custom brace made to support the back rest, which is really--
GUEST:
Yeah, we wondered about that.
APPRAISER:
Yeah. But then interestingly, one of the ways that when we look at a chair to see how old it is, is we immediately go to this area here.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And in the 18th century, this, this would have been three parts. It would have been-- this is called the splat, and then this rail would have been broken up into two parts. You would have had the rail, and then you would have had a thin piece of wood right here called the shoe where the splat would fit in.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
So, immediately, when we saw this chair, we all turned it around, we go right to this place, and we know that it is not 18th century, it's later.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
All signs point to it being early 20th century. I think if I saw this in an antique store today, in this condition, I think a good collector or decorator would love to have it, and I'd expect to see a price between around about $750 and $1,000.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
All right?
GUEST:
Yes, thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
Well, thank you for bringing it in today, it's been a joy to look at.
GUEST:
Thank you.
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.
