Tiffany Studios Geometric Table Lamp, ca. 1906
Watch
GUEST:
After an auction, I had gone back to pick up some other items that I picked, and I had become friendly with the auctioneer's daughter, and she said somebody reneged on a purchase of a Tiffany lamp. Long story short, my spouse basically said, "Get the lamp."
APPRAISER:
When was that?
GUEST:
2017. I paid $11,000, including auctioneer's premium.
APPRAISER:
And what do you know about it?
GUEST:
I know it's a Tiffany lamp. It was originally an oil lamp. It's been electrified. It has the hallmarks. And that's all I know.
APPRAISER:
What we have is a Tiffany Studios lamp. And one of the things that I was hoping to find when you brought this today was that the shade and the base had come together. And this is a perfect fit. It fits perfectly into the arms of the base. What I was looking forward to seeing was the interior of the shade and how the ring was constructed. And if you see, it's, it's flattened. Later, when this particular shade was made to fit on an electric lamp, the ring on the interior would be protruding, so that it would fit on the wheel of the electrified lamp. So that made me very happy, because the minute I saw it, I said, "Oh, yeah, right as rain." What was really perplexing about this lamp, which I couldn't believe, was, the condition of it is spectacular. And I can't find any evidence of any kind of repair. And this is the first shade I really think in, like, 40 years that I have seen that really doesn't have a crack in it. Um, there are...
GUEST:
That's a relief. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
It has a signature that indicates that um this was made probably around 1906. Now, as you said, this was originally an oil lamp, and it has been converted to electricity, but it's done correctly. I have friends in the business who would look at this patina and they'd call this "righteous patina."
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
Because it's just gorgeous, it's rich, and it's been untampered with. Recently, there's been a spike in the interest in this type of lamp. This is what we call a geometric lamp. So, in today's market, I'd say for a retail price, anywhere between $15,000 or $20,000.
GUEST:
Oh, wow, that's awesome. That's good, that's very nice to hear.
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.
