Craven Stoneware Jar, ca. 1840
GUEST:
This honey pot belongs to my husband. He inherited it from his grandmother. She died in, I believe, 1952, and it came from her grandmother. And it's been in our house for, I guess, about 50 years-- mostly in our house. He had a men's shop, and he used it for umbrellas for a while, but I persuaded him to bring it back home. And as far as I know, it has never been appraised. But I do recall, I believe it was in the late 1950s, he received a letter from a lady who had seen the honey jar in his grandmother's home. And I believe she wrote an article for some antiques publication. And she told him that it really belonged in a museum. He thinks she said in the Smithsonian. I don't really know. But he thinks it's very old, and, and we think it's lovely.
APPRAISER:
Well, you're right, it is lovely, and I don't think she was overreaching when she said it should be in a museum, and perhaps the Smithsonian.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
Do you have any idea where this pot was made or by whom it was made?
GUEST:
No, we don't, and, and I asked my husband about that, if he knew where his great-great-grandmother came from. He thought the family lived in middle Tennessee for a while.
APPRAISER:
You have a very, very important honey pot. It was a very large hive of bees that would have had to fill this one, I can tell you.
GUEST:
Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
I can barely see you over it. But this very large stoneware pot was made in Tennessee...
GUEST:
In Tennessee?
APPRAISER:
Middle Tennessee.
GUEST:
Oh...
APPRAISER:
It was made by the Craven family of potters. That was typical in Tennessee-- the early potteries were run by families.
GUEST:
Oh, uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
The Cravens came here from North Carolina. This is unusual for its size.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
It's in superb condition, and it's very distinctively Craven.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
I was fortunate to have along with me a copy of the exhibition catalogue...
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
in Nashville, at the Frist Center of the Visual Arts in 2003, 2004, where a very similar pot marked by Craven...
GUEST:
Craven.
APPRAISER:
...was in the exhibition. This particular pot has all the Craven characteristics-- the ovoid shape...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...the great crimped banding around the middle.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
Which serves another purpose.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
This jar was so large, they had to do it in two sections.
GUEST:
We wondered about that, uh-huh, uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
They joined the two sections together in the middle...
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
Covered that connection with a crimped band. The wonderful offset handles at the top...
GUEST:
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
...are also distinctive and very decorative. And being offset, you could grab the pot from either side.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
It has wonderful incised-line decoration and banding here. As a rare Tennessee example and one of the best that is probably out there, this is a fairly valuable item. It's very hard, when there are not many others like it...
GUEST:
I see, uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
...as comparables, to put an exact value.
GUEST:
Well, when do you think it was made?
APPRAISER:
It was made sometime between 1820 and 1860. So it's pre-Civil War. Given its rarity, we can only take an educated guess.
GUEST:
Yes, okay.
APPRAISER:
And I would say that at auction, I would put a conservative estimate of, say, $20,000 to $30,000.
GUEST:
Oh, oh, that's wonderful.
APPRAISER:
However, if you were to insure this, I would put at least $40,000 on it.
GUEST:
Oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
So you have a honey of a pot.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And thank you for bringing it in.
GUEST:
Oh, yes, 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.
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.