31-star Flag & Silhouettes, ca. 1850
Watch
GUEST:
Well, it's a flag that belonged to my grandfather. It was given to him by his mother, who made the flag. And he flew it from his dormitory window at Dartmouth College during the Civil War.
APPRAISER:
And this is his mother, is that right?
GUEST:
This is the lady that made the flag, my great-grandmother. And that's her husband. And this is my great-grandfather.
APPRAISER:
Having the silhouette of the person that made it is really quite unusual and quite rare. This was handed down to you.
GUEST:
It was handed down to my mother and then to me. And I've had it for 25 years now.
APPRAISER:
It's a rare flag, 31 stars. California was the 31st state that came into the Union in 1850. So that dates the flag pre-Civil War. It's all hand-stitched, made by your grand... great-grandmother. And there was an auction a few weeks ago in which stars-and-stripes flags brought unbelievable prices. So I think that the flag market has really gone up. And this has got more history to it than I think most of the flags in that auction. It's just grand. Do you have an idea of what this might be worth? With the silhouettes?
GUEST:
I have not... not a clue. It's never been looked at.
APPRAISER:
Well, I think, probably with the silhouettes and the family history, you've got a $15,000 to $20,000 flag here. But I think that you should take it to a textile conservator and really have it restored, because it's fraying and it needs some attention. You probably can find somebody locally through a local museum.
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.
