Federal Miniature Chest, ca. 1810
Watch
GUEST:
This is a chest that actually belonged to my grandmother, and when she was a little girl, lived on a farm in North Missouri, and her mother, my great grandmother, bought it for her when she was a little girl to keep doll clothes in. I always admired this chest and really wanted this chest. And my grandmother at one time had a stroke, so she came to stay with us and she shared a room with me. And actually the only thing that she brought with her was this little bureau. And so one day I said to her, "Are you going to die?" And she said, "I don't think so." And I asked her that several days in a row, and she said, "Finally," after she had done a little questioning and found out that what I really wanted was not for her to die, but I wanted the little bureau. So she made a deal with me. I could have the bureau then, and then...
APPRAISER:
You had to stop asking.
GUEST:
I had to stop asking her if she was going to die.
APPRAISER:
(laughing) Ah, gosh.
GUEST:
So it's been mine since then.
APPRAISER:
Well, that's great, and have you ever had it appraised or…
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
…did you know anything about where it's from or how old it is?
GUEST:
My guess is probably around 125 years old would be my guess, but that's based on… my dad would be 100 now, so my grandmother ought to be at least 120.
And she got it as a little girl.
APPRAISER:
Oh, okay. Well, when we're first trying to determine age when we look at something like this-- and this goes for big furniture as well as miniature furniture--you look at the style of the piece. In this case, the style is very much circa 1810, which is more like 200 years old.
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
But of course, things were made in that style for a long time, and you want to confirm the age, so you look at certain clues. We look at the back and we see that there's great oxidation. When I rub my fingernail here, I go through this thin layer of oxidation, which has developed over time. I see that they have not used modern machinery to make the back boards. Going back to the front, we see the original brasses. It was built around 1810. And as far as where, it was probably made in the New England area. This is cherry wood…
GUEST:
Oh!
APPRAISER:
…a typical New England wood. And as far as value, we would easily sell this at an auction probably for about
$5,000 to $7,000.
GUEST:
Whoa. (laughs) Thank you.
APPRAISER:
Does that surprise 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.
