Weller Sicard Covered Jar, ca. 1905
Watch
WOMAN: Well, I bought that from a friend as a Christmas gift for my husband.
APPRAISER:
And how long ago was that?
GUEST:
It was about 20 years ago.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh. And what do you know of it?
GUEST:
I just know that it's Weller pottery. Mm-hmm. And that the glaze is done by Sicard.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And that's all I know.
APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, it is, as you're saying, a piece of Weller-Sicard pottery, done by Jacques Sicard. Jacques Sicard pioneered these iridescent glazes, which cover this piece, and was hired by Samuel Weller to come to Zanesville, Ohio, in about 1903 to ply his craft there. He kept his process a secret. Supposedly, he had to fire these pieces seven times to get these iridescent glazes. But Samuel Weller was notorious for hiring people, learning their secrets, and then firing them. So Jacques Sicard was a smart dude.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
He kept it to himself and his assistant and worked there for about four or five years before retiring. So, uh, I, I like this piece for several reasons. And, first of all, let's say, how do we know it's Weller-Sicard? It's not the only iridescent pottery out there. Number one, because there's no mark on the bottom of this, only a production number. But if we look on the side, over here, it says "Sicard," and over here, it says "Weller." So we know it's a piece of Weller-Sicard. That's one way of knowing. Number two, it's a molded form. We know this is a Weller-Sicard form.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
I wish I had some silver mitts. You know, those gloves you clean silver with?
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Because there's so much color in the top of this piece, especially in this part of the lid right here. There's shimmering scarlet and, and midnight blue and emerald greens. This thing would really glow with some silver polish cleaning it off. So that all said, it's a beautiful piece of Weller-Sicard. And you knew what it was when you bought it. What did you pay for this?
GUEST:
It would have been under $500, because I wouldn't have paid more than that.
APPRAISER:
Okay, that's a good rationale. (laughs) On today's market, a piece this rare and this clean-- especially if we can bring up the color-- at auction, somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500. So it's a very nice piece.
GUEST:
That's... good, thank you. Okay, I'd seen the vases, but I'd never seen one with the cover, so...
APPRAISER:
That's because the covers tended to break over the years. It's really, really hard to find one.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
I'm not kidding.
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.
