1968 Apple Boutique Clothes
GUEST: I brought these pieces from the Beatles' Apple Boutique. I was there in 1968 in London. I got homesick and decided to spend all my money and get these clothes and come home early.
APPRAISER: So you chose clothes over staying in London?
GUEST: I was there for six weeks, and I, I was gonna stay another month, but I just fell in love with the clothes.
APPRAISER: The clothes you bought are completely iconic from the late '60s. Do you know anything about the Apple Boutique?
GUEST: Yes, I was there when it had only been open for a few weeks. It was open for seven months, I think, before they closed it.
APPRAISER: That's right. They were open in December, they had a big party-- Pattie Harrison, Eric Clapton, a lot of the pop icons of the time were
there. This was the first business venture of the Beatles outside of entertainment.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: And it's the first actual apple logo that the Beatles used outside of the record world. And all of your pieces have this fabulous label here,
with the psychedelic apple. The reason the store only existed for seven months was because the people that worked at the store would steal the
clothes, the customers would steal the clothes, and the owners, the Beatles, thought it was very uncool...
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: ...to complain or do anything about it. So they were losing money. Their clothing was designed by The Fool, which was a artistic collective. Some of the designers were Dutch and some British, and they combined their talents to design clothing. They also designed the mural that was in front of the shop...
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: ...which became very controversial. Did you see that?
GUEST: It was-- I did. It was wild. It was just very bright and colorful and you couldn't miss it.
APPRAISER: Psychedelic.
GUEST: (laughing): Yes. Very psychedelic.
APPRAISER: Well, they later got in trouble and had to paint it over white. The clothing you brought is a complete time capsule. It reminds me of the "Sergeant Pepper" years...
GUEST: Yes, they do.
APPRAISER: ...because that's, album had just come out when they were designing these clothes. Do you remember what you paid for any of them?
GUEST: For the lot of them, I think I paid close to $500.
APPRAISER: If you were to have these pieces at an, auction value today... They rarely come up on the market. I've never seen any Apple clothing.
I think this collection would be valued between $15,000 and $17,500.
GUEST: Wonderful.
APPRAISER: Easily. This dress woven with a very psychedelic pattern and early lurex, which is the sparkly threads, I noticed that it has a tag
hanging on it. Can you tell me about that?
GUEST: Well, I just realized that I still had the tag until just recently, and I thought... I never wore this one. It's just, uh, in, in the closet.
APPRAISER: Well, that one actually makes it more valuable, that you haven't worn it. So that one's probably worth 20% more than the others. So I, I would put that one at $3,500 to $4,000.
GUEST: Oh, good, thank you.
$20,000 - $25,000 Auction
$15,000 - $17,500 Auction
Featured In
episode
Chicago, IL, Hour 1
A "Chicago Seven" subpoena, a Leonora Carrington oil, and a Playboy group. One is $200K!
episode
True Colors
Feast your eyes on a rainbow of ROADSHOW’s most colorful treasures, including a $100K find
Clothing & Accessories
appraisal
Barbie Accessories & Case, ca. 1960
appraisal
Vermont Militia Coat, ca. 1815
appraisal
appraisal
Egyptian Needlework Jacket, ca. 1925
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.
