Abraham Lincoln President of the United States of America To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting: Whereas, it appears that at the March Term, 1861, of the Criminal Court of the District of Columbia, one Charles de Villier was indicted and convicted for obtaining goods under false pretences [sic], and was by the said Court sentenced to be imprisoned in the Penitentiary for the period of eighteen months; And whereas, the said Charles de Villier has now served out more than six months of his said term of imprisonment, and it appears from the certificate of the Deputy Warden of the Penitentiary that "he has been uniformly obedient and faithful to every duty" in the institution; And whereas, it appears that this was the first offence of the said Charles de Villiers, and that previous to its commission he had borne a good character and followed a lawful and reputable occupation; And whereas, a large number of highly respectable citizens of the District of Columbia have earnestly brought me to extend the Executive clemency to the said Charles de Villier. Now therefore, be it known that I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, in consideration of the premises, divers other good and sufficient reasons me thereunto moving have granted and do hereby grant unto him the said Charles de Villier a full pardon on condition that he leave the District of Columbia within thirty days and do not return to the same within five years from the date hereof. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington this Twenty eighth day of October, A.D. 1861, and of the Independence of the United States the Eighty sixth. Abraham Lincoln By the President William H. Seward Secretary of State.

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Understanding Our Appraisals

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.