Crazy Quilt, ca. 1895
GUEST:
It's from my mother's side of the family. And it's from her aunt and uncle. So it'd be my great-aunt and uncle.
APPRAISER:
Well, this style of quilt is called a crazy quilt. And it actually can be a family history quilt, as well. You date a crazy quilt by the ages of the fabric. So the newest fabric is probably the date that it was made. And this quilt has fabric all the way back to the 1860s in it. What's wonderful about this quilt is, it's made in the opulent era, the 1890s. And the newest fabrics in the quilt are from the 1890s. And there is so much American history in this quilt. The ribbon here talks about President Harrison, who was president of America in the 1890s. This is actually Columbus Day, October 21, 1892. So it was a big historical event.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
There's hand-painted things. Like, this piece right here, actually, the rosebud, the roses, and the forget-me-nots, are all hand-painted. There's embroidery all over the quilt. And if you look, every block has some type of stitching around the block or on top of the block. We get a lot of crazy quilts in, we, we see a lot of them. And the average price we give is $400 to $600. But this quilt is what I would consider over the top. And these reasons: the beautiful fabrics, all of the historical things, the, the portraits, even, that are on it in silk. She's just absolutely lovely. She's 1870s or early '80s.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And so it's probably more of a family history than you realize.
GUEST:
I think it was my grandmother's brother's wife's. I think they traveled a lot in the Midwest area. And they must have chronicled it this way, instead of taking photographs, like we do. It's almost like this is, like, a photo album. I thought it was interesting up here the hose company ribbon up here for, I think, fire hose, because my great-uncle was a fireman in the St. Paul Fire Department.
APPRAISER:
Have you ever had this quilt appraised before?
GUEST:
Mom had it appraised a long time ago, probably back in the '80s or something. It was like the $3,000 to $5,000 range, or $5,000.
APPRAISER:
Well, the condition of it is almost flawless. I did not see any type of rips or tears in the silk. There is no deterioration. For insurance purposes, I would put a $5,000 value on insurance purposes.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Yes. (laughs)
GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. I had no idea that these were cigar...
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.