Folk Art Cane, ca. 1890
Watch
GUEST:
Well, I brought a cane. I bought it online a few years ago. I'm not a cane collector, but when I saw all these fantastic creatures on it, I had to have it. I think there are 35 of 'em. They just jump right out at me. I just collect things that appeal to me and, uh, aren't terribly expensive.
APPRAISER:
The first thing I like to do when I evaluate a cane is to actually pick it up.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And I do that because of the fact I like to feel the weight of it.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
That tells me a lot about the cane. And this is very, very light. And it tells me that this is probably carved of white pine...
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
...or possibly basswood. Both woods are indigenous to North America and both are easy to work.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So it was, uh, the carver's wood of choice, uh, typically.
GUEST:
Okay, makes sense.
APPRAISER:
And let's take a look at this marvelous piece of art here. (chuckles) Starting with the top, where you have this wonderful, uh, crocodile or alligator.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
You have rattlesnakes.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
You have several of these detailed horny toads.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
All species that are indigenous to North America.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And going down the cane, we see more snakes, more lizards. We have this wonderful spider here. There's negative space underneath the legs.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
So he just didn't carve it as a lump on the piece of wood. He actually got under the legs and delineated each leg.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
You go right down to the bottom, the metal ferrule...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...is still intact, which would have been put on most canes to help protect the bottom so it wouldn't splinter. When we look at a cane like this, we try to identify it as part of a body of work.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Because someone who made this cane clearly wasn't an amateur.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
We don't know who the carver is.
GUEST:
(exhales)
APPRAISER:
That's the interesting thing.
GUEST:
You'd think that you wouldn't stop with just one.
APPRAISER:
He didn't, but I haven't seen one. He probably was working in the trades, possibly in a carving shop...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...probably around 1890, 1900.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
It's very complex. You see these snakes, it really looks and feels like the snake is wrapped around the vines.
GUEST:
Ah, yeah.
APPRAISER:
Is engulfing the cane. We look at canes and we sometimes judge them as good, better, best.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And I, I think, clearly, this falls into the best category.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
Cane collectors, some of them like the idea that they're polychrome-painted.
GUEST:
Yes. Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And cane carvers, it's my theory...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...my belief, that some of these carvers did not paint them intentionally.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
Because you had this thick lead paint back in the 19th century.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And all of this detail would just disappear.
GUEST:
Disappear, sure.
APPRAISER:
If it was painted. In terms of valuation, do you have any idea?
GUEST:
No. Um... I didn't pay a lot for it. And, uh...
APPRAISER:
What did you pay?
GUEST:
I paid $250 sh, plus shipping, I think. I noticed that it had horned toads.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
And it had alligators. And the alligators are more Eastern, Gulf U.S.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And horned toads are arid desert. And they meet in Louisiana. So I thought maybe it was a Louisiana cane.
APPRAISER:
It's hard to pinpoint it that way. Some of these are the experience of the carver.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Where he grew up, where he is now.
GUEST:
Could have migrated.
APPREAISER: Yeah, it's a combination sometimes. I think in today's market, a fair retail valuation for this would be $6,000 to $8,000.
GUEST:
(chortling) (chuckling): Oh, my God. I had absolutely no idea. Oh! Great. That's fantastic.
APPRAISER:
Yeah.
GUEST:
Thank you.
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.
