Boston Mahogany Knife Box, ca. 1800
Watch
GUEST:
This box was a piece that I inherited. And my grandparents were originally from Boston. It's from a pair. I remember as a child it was on a sideboard with family silver in the box.
APPRAISER:
You mentioned sideboard, and what's important to understand about boxes that keep silver flatware or cutlery is that sideboards were made for dining rooms. And dining rooms didn't really exist as a separate room in which you would have your meals until the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. And so sideboards, federal sideboards in America, had these boxes that were made for them that sat on top of them in which to hold your cutlery. And this box has a beautiful arrangement of holes your knives, and forks, and spoons would slide into, and then they would have been locked up-- this beautiful silver-mounted lock here-- to keep the silver flatware safe when it wasn't being used. What's so exciting about your box here is that you said it's one of a pair. These are often split up over the years, so it's rare to have a pair of boxes. And then this one is even rarer because it's American. The secondary wood is North American white pine, and if you look along the base, you see the sawtooth inlay decoration, which is very typical of Boston, which is where you said your family came from. This is mahogany, and you see these beautiful inlaid pilasters on the front of the piece.
GUEST:
Would the sideboard been a companion with the knife boxes?
APPRAISER:
Very probably. And in very rare instances you see that the decoration matches the sideboard. Does the family still have the sideboard?
GUEST:
Yes. I have it.
APPRAISER:
Well, this single knife box would be worth $5,000 to $8,000. But a pair...
GUEST:
Wow...
APPRAISER:
...would bring $20,000 to $30,000.
GUEST:
(laughing) Where's a Kleenex? Oh, my God!
APPRAISER:
Isn't it amazing?
GUEST:
Geez. Wow.
APPRAISER:
So I'm glad your family took care of it.
GUEST:
That's so... that's incredible.
Appraisal Details
Current Appraised Value: $5,000 - $8,000 (Unchanged)
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.
