French Pendulum Clock, ca. 1865
Watch
GUEST:
The story in the family is that it was a wedding present to Betsy Patterson and Jerome Bonaparte.
APPRAISER:
Okay-- you brought in a picture of her.
GUEST:
The Patterson family was a Baltimore family and she, Betsy, apparently was quite a social lady. I use "lady" loosely because I understand her reputation wasn't the best. And Napoleon's youngest brother, Jerome, was in the West Indies with the French Navy. And a war broke out with England and Jerome was told to come back to France to fight the war. He came to Baltimore to get on a ship, saw Betsy Patterson, and the two of them fell madly in love.
APPRAISER:
When did they get married?
GUEST:
In 1803.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, this is a very interesting clock. Look, the pendulum goes back and forth like a swing rather than back and forth like a pendulum. And that's a very novel feature. And it is a French clock. But if you turn it around and look at the rear, you can see the unusual escapement in it and you notice that it has a stamping on the back. And the stamping says Farcot. And Farcot's patent was a French patent for the escapement, which was a gizmo which allowed the swing action to happen. The only thing is that the patent was patented in 1862.
GUEST:
Aha.
APPRAISER:
So this clock...
GUEST:
Couldn't possibly...
APPRAISER:
You got it, Ann.
GUEST:
Couldn't possibly.
APPRAISER:
I think you're way ahead of me here. It could not have been made before 1862. Well, if this were just a pendulum clock it would probably be worth $700 or $800 because it's a pretty pendulum clock. But the way it is now with the unusual pendulum and the condition, I think it deserves a value more in the area of $1,800 to $2,200.
GUEST:
Fine. Because I think she's not leaving our family ever, so...
APPRAISER:
That's right, and she keeps swinging, too.
GUEST:
Yes. (chuckling) I will not repeat the false story anymore.
APPRAISER:
Oh, don't worry. It's a good story, keep it going.
GUEST:
Thanks, thanks, that's fun.
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.
