George I Chest-on-Chest, ca. 1725
Watch
GUEST:
We've been told that it might be a marriage.
APPRAISER:
Right.
GUEST:
We don't know. The chest was purchased by my husband's great-uncle...
APPRAISER:
Okay.
GUEST:
And it's been in the family ever since. That was in the late 1800s.
APPRAISER:
Now you've had two different people say different things. One person said this section was added to this section. The other one said, "No, absolutely not," right?
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
What we do is look at whether or not everything on top goes with everything on bottom. And first of all, what you have here is an early 18th century, Anne, 1720s, in really what was known as, really, the George I style walnut-veneered chest-on-chest. Did you know it was…
GUEST:
No, no.
APPRAISER:
You didn't know it was early 18th century English?
GUEST:
No, we had no idea of the age, no.
APPRAISER:
But you've always been curious, right?
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And this was really known as the age of walnut because English cabinetmakers were using walnut veneers, these wonderful walnut veneers, and the secondary woods inside were oak, also a local wood. And later on, they'd use all sorts of imported woods, but during this period, the 1720s, it was all local woods. So if you look at this piece, first of all, Anne, you look at it, we have these wonderful flitches of walnut, and they all match-- look. It's almost like a Rorschach test, you know, when they have a matched...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
…matched designs. These are all matched with light wood stringing and this herringbone inlay. Do you see that? And it has these fluted corners, and the thing that's really wonderful about it is this inlaid compass fan. It's really--it has all the bells and whistles of the George I style.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
So, let's quickly pull out a drawer and say, "How do they go together?" First of all, we know all the woods match on the front. If we take out a drawer... Let's put this one here from the top section and this from the bottom section, and…the dovetails all match. Look-- identical dovetails. All the drawer sides are oak, which is typical of early 18th century English furniture, and even the backs, even the same worms, Anne... (chuckling) had their lunch or dinner and maybe breakfast on the backs of these drawers. Same exact worms. So, the piece does go together. It's always been together. Even though lots of other pieces are marriages, this has always been together. I'll tell you, value-wise, because it's not a marriage, Anne, because it's always been together, it would be... retail here in America probably at around $15,000 to $18,000, maybe. Retail-- $18,000.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
And, um, the ironic thing is that this type of piece, Anne, inspired a whole group of American pieces that were made in Boston and other areas in the early 18th century. And there's one at the MFA in Boston-- the Museum of Fine Arts-- that has this exact same fan, and that piece is probably worth about $200,000 to $250,000, so multiples because it's American. But isn't it ironic that this is the prototype, but it's worth $15,000 to $18,000, and the copy made in America in the 1740s is 15 times that. Well, thanks.
GUEST:
Well, that's wonderful to know.
APPRAISER:
Are you happy, then?
GUEST:
Oh, yes, very. Love to know about the history.
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.
