1940 Charles Taylor Bowling "West Texas Tank" Oil
Watch
GUEST:
I received this from my stepfather. He passed away two years ago. And he had found it at a flea market, and he really liked it.
APPRAISER:
And where was that?
GUEST:
I think down in Nacogdoches, Texas.
APPRAISER:
How long ago was that?
GUEST:
My mother said probably about ten or 15 years ago.
APPRAISER:
And what do you think he paid for it, approximately?
GUEST:
She goes back and forth from five dollars to ten, $15. She doesn't really know, she doesn't remember.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
He just liked the painting.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, Charles Taylor Bowling was born in Quitman, Texas, in 1891 and died in Dallas in 1985. He started painting kind of late in life. He worked as a draftsman and a civil engineer. But when he got sick in his mid-30s, he had a long convalescence, and he started to paint when he was recovering from this illness. And afterwards, he went to the Dallas Art Institute and studied art. And he also got very involved with, with lithography, making prints. And he eventually bought his own printing press and printed prints for himself and other artists. He's really known as a Texas regionalist. And regionalism, when you're talking about art, is art that realistically depicts small-town America, a rural America, usually in the Midwest or the South. So this is a perfect example. It's oil on canvas, but the canvas has been backed by a board. On the reverse, it has a title from the artist, which is, "West Texas Tank."
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And it also has a price of $35, which I assume is from 1940. So he's in many Texas collections. I would say his reputation is probably more local in Texas than maybe nationally. But do you have any... do you want to make a, a wild guess as to what you think this might be worth?
GUEST:
My mother said this morning $150, maybe.
APPRAISER:
Well, I think it's more than the $35 on the reverse. And I think, if it were to be sold at a retail gallery, it would be about $25,000.
GUEST:
Really? No way. I had no idea.
APPRAISER:
"Way," as they say.
GUEST:
(laughing) Wow! Thank you so much. That's shocking. That means a lot. I mean, he had no idea, I'm sure.
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.
