Lisa Johansson-Pape Table Lamps, ca. 1960
Watch
GUEST:
These white lamps I saw at a thrift store over 15 years ago. I wasn't really looking for lamps. I thought they were cool and they're glass. It wasn't until I moved into my recent place where somebody pointed out that, hey, they actually may be legitimately old and worth something, and it made me curious ever since.
APPRAISER:
So what did you pay for them?
GUEST:
Probably no more than nine dollars each.
APPRAISER:
What part of the country were you when you got them?
GUEST:
Uh, back in the Atlanta area. I'd go to thrift stores all the time just to explore and treasure-hunt. But I don't really collect anything particular, and these just stuck out.
APPRAISER:
Who do you think made them?
GUEST:
I don't know, there's no sticker, there's no mark. There's nothing I could find.
APPRAISER:
They're designed by Lisa Johansson-Pape. She was Finnish.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
She was born in 1907. She was a pretty great designer, um, in terms of, uh, decorative arts, but particularly lighting. It's funny, because I spoke to a colleague of mine here at the ROADSHOW who is a specialist in the period in which these were made. And he said in the 1980s...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...these were the modern lamps that people were looking at.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
It was just sort of, they were kind of a signature thing.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
She was trained, um, at the art, one of the art schools in Helsinki. She actually made lamps, glass lamps, during World War II.
GUEST:
Hm.
APPRAISER:
And then in the 1950s, she started to collaborate with a very famous company called Iittala, which is still in existence today. It's a
Finnish company. And as best as I can figure, she probably designed these in about 1954.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And then I think that they were produced as late as 1969. I'd say a circa date of 1960. They came in two sizes.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And yours is the larger size!
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
They're in very good shape. It's, you know, it's a, an opaque glass.
GUEST:
Are these a specific shape for the design?
APPRAISER:
I think that you could probably call them a mushroom. She did other things. There's another, there's a Finnish word for onion. She
definitely liked, um, a stylized, streamlined fruit and vegetable inspiration. These probably did have paper labels on the bottom.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And they probably said "Iittala." Because they're the larger size...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
..in a retail venue, these would sell for between anywhere from $2,000 to $3,000.
GUEST:
Wow. For the pair or each?
APPRAISER:
For the pair.
GUEST:
Pair? Wow. Wow! (laughing): That's a great $20 investment.
APPRAISER:
Fantastic. Fantastic.
GUEST:
(laughing)
APPRAISER:
And, you know, they're so, the design is so interesting...
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
...that I think already, even in the '80s, they were being copied or they were inspiring other designs.
GUEST:
Yeah. Wow. Wow, that's... Great eye. Great eye from a very good friend.
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.
