1940 H.A. Rey Curious George Illustration
GUEST: This is an original illustration done by H.A. Rey for the first Curious George book. It was drawn in Paris just before the start of World War II. So 85 years ago, the German army was approaching Paris, and the Reys, uh, who were German Jews, managed to escape on bicycles that Rey made himself out of bicycle parts. And they escaped with this drawing in their backpack and made it out of France and eventually to America. My father was... worked for the Houghton Mifflin Company that published, uh, the first H.A. Rey books, including Curious George. He became sort of like an uncle to us children. He was a wonderful character. And so when I got married he gave it to us as a wedding present.
APPRAISER: What's your favorite thing about this illustration in particular?
GUEST: I like the happiness. Curious George, uh, and the whole escape of the Reys from Paris are intertwined. They got into serious trouble in Paris and escaped. And all of the “Curious George" books have the same theme of Curious George getting into trouble and escaping and then finding happiness. And here he is finding happiness in the zoo.
APPRAISER: So the work, uh, is dated from 1940, but it also is inscribed to you when he gave you the gift, uh, on your wedding.
GUEST: It says, uh, "To Christopher and Mary Jane, "with love and all good wishes from the Reys. July 20, 1968."
APPRAISER: H.A. Rey, and Margret Rey were both from Germany. They, I think, knew each other when they were quite young and then kind of got reunited later in life, and ultimately got married in 1935 and moved to the very romantic city of Paris. As the war went on, it did become a little bit too dangerous for them to stay. And the story of them getting out is remarkable, on bike with not very much at all, and only five manuscripts with them. So to have something that came out of that time, left Paris with them, he thought prized enough to bring along, and to have that then given to you many years later, too. I'm sure he entrusted it to you and, and was definitely feeling like it was a special thing to pass on.
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: The work is a combination of charcoal, watercolor, colored pencil on paper. On the back there is an inscription.
GUEST: It says, "Christopher. This is the original drawing for the end page of the first Curious George book, done while we were living in France. Ancient history, isn't it?
APPRAISER: In the larger market of the art world and illustration art, this has everything going for it. It's from the first book. It's the final illustration. George is having so much fun. That smile. It's what we all think of when we think of, of Curious George. They don't come to market a lot, so they're they're also kind of quite rare in that way. An auction estimate would be $15,000 to $25,000.
GUEST: Okay. That's great. Thank you.
APPRAISER: An insurance value should be $30,000.
GUEST: Okay, great. Thank you. I'll, I'll call my broker. (chuckles)
$15,000 Auction
$30,000 Insurance
Featured In
episode
Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 1
Premiered Mon, Feb 16, 2026 — See a bounty of Boothbay booty from ROADSHOW’s first-ever visit to the state of Maine.
Nostalgic Collectibles
appraisal
Comic Wind-up Toys, ca. 1930
appraisal
Barbie Accessories & Case, ca. 1960
appraisal
appraisal
Frank Zappa Painting, ca. 1960
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.
