Ansel Adams Photo
GUEST:
This was on an on-line auction. I collect Mission San Juan Bautista items. I'm from San Juan Bautista, California, and so this was very sentimental to me.
APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, this is a photograph by Ansel Adams, one of America's premiere photographers, and it is a mission-oriented photograph. Ansel Adams was known as an environmentalist, a conservationist, and the photographs of his that people tend to focus on are his landscape images. He worked with a very large camera, what we call a view camera-- eight by ten inch. And so the size of the photograph is actually contact-printed to the size of the original negative plate.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
And Adams is known for his fine technique in crafting photographs. And in fact, we can see in this print, a beautiful range of tones, a real detail, just a kind of majesty and beauty of the image. Now, this photograph was used in a book.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And what was the name of the book?
GUEST:
I believe, "The American Trust Savings."
APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.
GUEST:
And my grandmother actually has this book. And so, after I purchased this picture, my mom said, "I think that's in that book." So I got the book, and sure enough, it's... that picture is in the book.
APPRAISER:
Okay. I just wanted to point out the condition of the actual print. And in raking light, when we handle the print at an angle, we can see that there's a vertical indentation in the surface of the print. And when we see a little impression, on the print itself, that's going to diminish the value of the print somewhat. If we turn the photograph around we will see... this photograph was actually used to make the engraving in the book.
GUEST:
Oh, okay.
APPRAISER:
So that's a very neat thing. And the photograph has Ansel Adams's hand stamp. When we talk about value, what we generally want to see are signed photographs, and ideally, enlargements.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And so a picture like this is going to be in the $900-to-$1,200 range...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Given the subject matter, given the fact it's not signed and given the fact that it's a proof print.
GUEST:
Well, I think that's great. It's more than I paid for it, but I love the subject matter, so I'm happy.
APPRAISER:
It's a very beautiful vintage print.
GUEST:
Oh, thank 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.
