World War I Binoculars & Franklin D. Roosevelt Letter
Watch
GUEST:
These were given to me by a friend, and my friend's grandmother sent these binoculars to the United States government just at the start of the First World War, when they asked for binoculars, telescopes, whatever would "be the eyes of the Navy" during that war. And they sent her documentation with a check for one dollar as a rental fee. And if they were able to return it at the end of the war, then the rental fee became a purchase fee, or, rather, vice versa.
APPRAISER:
And this letter here actually mentions "the enclosed check, payable to your order."
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
You're right, there was this program called "Eyes for the Navy." It wasn't at the beginning of the war. It was actually shortly after the U.S. entered the war, but it wasn't until 1918. And a lot of citizens responded. Your friend's grandmother here has noted that she loaned her binoculars to the Navy. And they actually got used. They were sent to France. We have the tag that got attached to them.
GUEST:
Amazing.
APPRAISER:
She got a thank-you note from the assistant secretary of the Navy.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
No big deal except that...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
The assistant secretary of the Navy at the time was Franklin Roosevelt.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
He did climb the political ladder before he became president.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISER:
At the end of the war, what happened to the binoculars?
GUEST:
They sent them back to her, which is amazing. (laughing)
APPRAISER:
So, at one time, at least, the government was efficient.
GUEST:
Very.
APPRAISER:
We've seen letters like this with some frequency. Obviously, a lot of patriotic citizens responded to this call and did send eyeglasses, spectacles, binoculars, spyglasses. And over the last ten or 15 years... I looked in the auction records, and about a dozen of these have been sold, none for more than $500.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
But what I think is interesting is the evidence that the binoculars were used by the Navy during the war, and the binoculars themselves. I think that enhances the value significantly. I'd say it brings it up to something in the range of $2,000 to $3,000.
GUEST:
Oh, excellent.
APPRAISER:
Because it's so unusual-- a lot of people would keep the letter because it had Roosevelt's signature, but most people wouldn't keep the envelopes, the other documents, the tag, and probably not many of them could have gotten the binoculars back.
GUEST:
(laughs)
APPRAISERS: I didn't realize before there was this dollar fee, so not only do the people who come to the ROADSHOW learn things, the appraisers do, also.
GUEST:
Great.
APPRAISER:
So I appreciate it.
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.
