Wheeling Peachblow Vase
Watch
GUEST:
It's been in our family for a long time. I've seen it ever since I've been a little girl.
APPRAISER:
And have you always lived in the Midwest?
GUEST:
Yes, mm-hmm, grew up here in Milwaukee.
APPRAISER:
We call this the Morgan vase. It was modeled after a Chinese porcelain vase which was a famous vase sold by a member of the Morgan family, Mary Morgan, who sold it at auction in Baltimore in 1886. The original Morgan vase was made in a porcelain with a kind of glaze that is known in Chinese porcelain as peach bloom. It's made in a kind of glass that we call amberina. And if we look at the neck, you can see there's two layers of glass. There's a white layer inside and then a colored layer on the outside. So we call this plated amberina. And this is a technique patented by an Englishman whose name was Joseph Locke. He came to this country, as many Englishmen did, to work in his profession, the glassmaking profession in the 1880s. And he patented this technique in 1886. And this is the same year in which the famous Morgan vase was sold at auction. So immediately, glassmakers in the States began making their own version, in glass, of the famous Morgan vase.
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
And this one was made, as almost all of them were, in Wheeling, in West Virginia. You may see this referred to as Wheeling peachblow, which is the American term often used for this. They were made in large quantities. They were very, very popular, but not that many of them have survived in excellent condition today. It's not unusual, for instance, for the base, which is made of simple cast glass-- they made it in the same factory-- it's not unusual for that to be missing or even replaced with a modern base today. But this one's all as it should be. Today at auction, one in this state would certainly be worth at least $2,000.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
And perhaps as much as $2,200 or $2,500.
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.
