Princess Feather Appliqué Quilt, ca. 1880
Watch
GUEST:
I found it in the closet of my aunt who lived in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, at the time.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And when I opened it up, my heart just went pitter-patter. It was, like, wow. And, uh, she was nearing the end of her life.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And I asked her if I could have this after she passed, and she said I could. Pretty much, it's been wrapped up in a pillowcase for a while.
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
There are a lot of hearts in here, and I didn't know if the hearts mean anything in a kind of quilt like this.
APPRAISER:
I felt the same way you did when you opened it up at the table. It's an extraordinarily beautiful quilt. It's extremely graphic. You know, you've got this bold, red center in the princess feather design with a reverse appliqué here. And it's very unusual that they also did the corners, the four corners of the quilt, with the princess feather. Whoever did this had a tremendous artistic sense. That's the person who created the top. Generally, they were quilted by a group of women in a quilting bee or a quilting society, where they would have the large quilting frame that they could put it on. You had mentioned the hearts, and it's, there are hearts quilted throughout this piece, almost in a four-leaf-clover pattern. There's groupings of four hearts here. Then again, repeated again, and that's just a really lovely touch. It's very finely quilted. Very tiny little diamonds all the way through it, which is another thing that really sets it off. The design is so graphic and modern, and yet the quilting, it does date it back to the 1880s or late 19th century, when it was probably made. We can't be positive because there's no dating on it, but it's just a spectacular piece of work.
GUEST:
Is this, uh, typical of that time or the amount of, um, intricacy that goes into it?
APPRAISER:
In, uh, in the really good, high-quality quilts, yes.
GUEST:
Ah.
APPRAISER:
The pattern itself is not typical for that time.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
You know, it's very unusual. I think it's probably an original pattern. You know, you see the princess feather, but generally on a smaller scale.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Quilts have gone up and down in value. They were much higher in the '80s and '90s than they are now, but they are continuing to rise again. So I would put a retail value on this quilt between $3,500 and $4,500. And it could go higher if all the cards land in the right place. (chuckles) Okay?
GUEST:
Okay, great, that's wonderful.
APPRAISER:
It's a beautiful piece.
GUEST:
Oh, thank you.
APPRAISER:
And it's in great condition.
GUEST:
Thank you, thank you.
APPRAISER:
You're a lucky man.
GUEST:
I am.
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.
