1899 Multicolored Gold Watch
APPRAISER:
Tell me who the first owner of this watch was.
GUEST:
My husband's grandfather. He bought it in 1899.
APPRAISER:
And what reminds you that he bought it in 1899?
GUEST:
He also bought this five-dollar gold piece that he put on it. On the chain.
APPRAISER:
This is really what I would call the essential American watch. The movement inside of the watch is really rather unimportant when you're talking about the value of a watch like this. The interest and the value of the watch are entirely in the case and very much strongly influenced by the fact that the case is so crisp and in such wonderful condition. Now, the stag and his antlers and all the foliage are done in several colors of gold. This style of case is known as a multicolored gold case, used almost exclusively in the United States. In addition, they've added a little bit of metal down by the bottom of the watch and also up by the pendant to create this boxy effect, and so the case is also referred to as a box hinge. If we turn the watch over, the other side of the watch is just as pretty and just as nicely decorated. The style of decoration harks back to the 18th century to the court of Louis XV when watch cases were also done in multicolored gold. This was certainly what was fashionable then. Really very much high Victorian, Gilded Age, elegant watch. This watch could easily be worth $3,000 to $3,500.
GUEST:
Wow, great.
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."
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