1921 Delle Miller Oil Painting
Watch
GUEST:
This is an oil painting that I acquired in 1984 in Tulsa at an estate sale.
APPRAISER:
And what did you pay for it?
GUEST:
$600.
APPRAISER:
We see that the artist's name is Delle Miller and that this was painted in 1921. And in 1921, this Kansas-born artist was painting, along with other American women artists, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Cape Ann. And Gloucester was an iconic artists' colony from the 19th century all the way up until the present day. It's an Impressionist painting. It's just incredibly beautiful. I'm very excited to see it, because we don't see that many women artists on the market. And, in fact, I could only find one record of sale for her, and it was pretty insubstantial. When I compare it to other male artists who have come up for auction in the last five or ten years-- and especially the artists she studied under, like Arthur Wesley Dow and Hugh Breckenridge-- she just stands right up to those other male artists who were painting at that time. If this were in a retail setting today, I would think that it would bring about $25,000.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
It's amazing.
GUEST:
My knees are buckling.
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
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.
