Austrian Silver Gilt & Enamel Compact, ca. 1930
Watch
GUEST:
I found it at an estate sale, just local, in town.
APPRAISER:
And how long ago was that?
GUEST:
Maybe ten years.
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
I love little boxes, and this one's really pretty. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
All right.
GUEST:
And I paid about ten dollars. It's silver and enamel of some sort. I, that's literally all I know. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
Well, you're right about that. The, the casing of it is made of silver, silver gilt. We look inside, it has a gold finish. And there are three different types of enamel on it. The back plate is finished in what we call guilloché enamel. The metal underneath, which is silver, has been given this pattern through engine turning. Then it's covered in this translucent enamel, kind of the color of tea, I would say. There's a little bit more guilloché and what we call champlevé enamel around the sides. But the top is what I want to really look at. The center is a thin slice of natural agate, which picks up the color also of the guilloché. And then it's surrounded by a border of what we call plique-á-jour enamel. And plique- á -jour is a French term, of course, and it translates best as "the light coming through it," rather like a stained-glass window. This, by the way, I would date about 1930, '35. It has this kind of Art Deco flavor to it. It's a little bit too small and a little bit too delicate to be a cigarette case. And it's the wrong period and a little too big to be a snuffbox. So I think it's a compact.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
There is a little tiny mark on it that says "made in Austria" and another little mark that says "sterling," which you would expect to see if it were made in Austria and sold in the United States. Ten dollars is, is a fabulous buy. And I think today, in a good auction, the bidding would start, or the estimate would start, at $1,000.
GUEST:
(softly) Whoa.
APPRAISER:
And go up to maybe $1,500.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So, it's, it's a great object and a great find at ten dollars.
GUEST:
Wonderful. Awesome. (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.
