Suess Leaded Glass Lamp
APPRAISER:
Where did you get this lamp?
GUEST:
At an antique store in Santa Cruz, about 1970, I think.
APPRAISER:
Okay, and what did you know about it when you got it?
GUEST:
Absolutely nothing. I've looked all over. There's no marks whatsoever. I'm pretty sure it's not a Tiffany, because I've never seen a Tiffany that had curved glass like this. The curve fits the shade.
APPRAISER:
Do you remember what you paid for it?
GUEST:
No, but it couldn't have been over $400. I would have paid more if I'd had to, but I would have remembered if I had.
APPRAISER:
Okay, well, this is not a Tiffany lamp. It is made by the Suess Ornamental Glass Company in Chicago. They were active 1886 to 1910. And this lamp is fairly rare. We have not ever seen a Suess lamp, to my knowledge, here at the ROADSHOW on the glass table. This is just a gorgeous shade, and as you can see, it is very naturalistically shaded-- the greens and the yellows and these pink or red berries. These nice, large panels here, which are more difficult to do, and then also you have a good deal of iridescence. Good quality glass, very artistically put together. The base here is patinated. It's a very Tiffany-esque base, and I'm not sure whether it's bronze or white metal. I didn't take it apart. It's heavy enough to be bronze. Bronze is a better metal, and you would have thought that the Suess Company would have been working with a bronze, rather than spelter. The Suess Company was one of those good makers at the same time the Tiffany Company was making shades and lamp bases, but without the name recognition. Now, you have a cover that's missing. Was that missing when you bought it?
GUEST:
Yes, it was.
APPRAISER:
Okay, now, the Suess items are not, you know, found every day. It might be a little bit more difficult for you to find a Suess cap, but I think it'd be worth it and with a finial that would secure the lampshade and prevent it from any damage in the future. Now, you paid $400 for it. What do you think it's worth now?
GUEST:
I have no idea without the Tiffany name.
APPRAISER:
Okay, I would say a good auction estimate would be $12,000 to $16,000, because it's such a beautiful shade.
GUEST:
Oh, that's very good.
APPRAISER:
It's a pleasure to see it.
GUEST:
Thank you very much.
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.
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