Robert Sneden Civil War Watercolor
Watch
GUEST:
I… just happened to find this in a book that my father had purchased many years ago. Just opened the book up, and there it was.
APPRAISER:
This little watercolor was done by Robert Sneden, who was a Union soldier who would have been at that point, who would have seen these things. He… would have done it from memory. He probably worked from old maps and things like that. You, no doubt, brought it in because you want to know how much it's worth, and a large collection of Sneden's works were sold to the Virginia Historical Society, in Richmond. And they have a great number of these, but yours is – is a select one. It's really a very high-quality one. This is - is a train on fire. Now, there's no auction records. There's no value stated already, but… we're probably talking about $4,000 to $5,000 as a value on this little drawing.
GUEST:
(laughing)
APPRAISER:
So for your dad to give you a book from a… from a rare book or used book collection, that's really nice.
GUEST:
That's very surprising to me.
APPRAISER:
Really? Okay.
GUEST:
Yes. Thank you very much.
APPRAISER:
Well - sure, thank you for bringing it in.
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.
