French Benjamin Franklin Bronze, ca. 1870
APPRAISER:
You have a French bronze of Benjamin Franklin that you bought in England.
GUEST:
Yes, I did.
APPRAISER:
Tell me how you acquired it.
GUEST:
I went to an antique fair there, and the dealer had this. And because it's an American, I thought it should come back to America.
APPRAISER:
It's a great depiction of Benjamin Franklin. He's certainly known as a statesman. He's known for being involved in the Declaration of Independence and writing the Constitution of the United States, but one of his major roles in the 18th century was as a scientist. And here he's depicted seated next to this apparatus, which is an electrostatic generating machine. And of course, Franklin was very known for his experiments with electricity-- the famous kite in the storm with the key-- and he received worldwide recognition for that. And this device that he's shown with is his electrostatic generator, and it's very clearly modeled and shown. It actually has this disk which is rotated with these pads that sort of scrape off electrons. It's stored, and then when it's touched here, a spark is shown. So it's really quite an extraordinary device. It was very popular in the 18th century, and even into the 19th century, people would have these and they would do experiments. They might do parlor games and parlor tricks based on static electricity. The bronze is very nicely cast. It's highly detailed. Franklin is shown in this very luxurious garment on a wonderful Rococo-style throne. He was in France during the revolution. He was very, very popular. So again, it's interesting this bronze is from the mid-19th century, made in France, and they're celebrating him as a scientist rather than as a statesman. You bought it from a dealer. About what did you pay for it?
GUEST:
About £1,000.
APPRAISER:
Well, it's really a wonderful piece. It's very unusual. It would appeal to a whole range of collectors, and I think at auction, I would actually estimate it in the $4,000 to $6,000 price range.
GUEST:
Ah, very nice.
APPRAISER:
Okay?
GUEST:
Yes. Thank you.
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.