1969 Janis Joplin Concert Poster
GUEST: I actually got this in the San Francisco Bay Area when I was 16 years old. I was what they called a weekend hippie... (laughs) ...and would go over there on the weekends. I just started collecting posters and put 'em up in my bedroom, and I still have 'em. I pa, packed 'em away and just kind of forgot about 'em.
APPRAISER: When I first saw this poster, it immediately caught my eye, because it's quite an unusual poster for the period. It's a Janis Joplin poster.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: It was for a concert that she performed in in Sacramento on the 27th of March in 1969.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Which is only just a few months before she famously appeared at Woodstock, in August. She's an iconic star in that she really came to the forefront in the late '60s. She was in a band called Big Brother and the Holding Company.
GUEST: Right, yeah.
APPRAISER: And then she went out on her own. And that's when she really became hugely successful. But what really struck me about this poster is that it's a photographic poster. The posters from this period, the psychedelic posters that came out of the Bay Area in the late '60s...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...are predominantly graphic, illustrated posters, whereas this is quite unusual. It's a photograph by Thomas Weir. It's a great photograph of her.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: And the other thing that really caught my eye is that I hadn't seen one in person ever before. It's an extremely rare poster. There was only one that I could find that has ever sold at auction. So it really is an unusual piece.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And I think it really appeals to collectors to have something with a photograph of her on, because she had a very short life.
GUEST: She did, yeah.
APPRAISER: She, she tragically died at only 27 years old.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: So anything of hers, memorabilia of hers, is very sought-after because of that.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Yours, I've noticed, does have a few tears. It's got some pinholes.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Um, there's a few dings.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: So that does affect the value a little bit. But because it's such an unusual poster, it, it doesn't make a huge difference to the value. And I think collectors are quite forgiving of the condition because it's so rare.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRIASER: Do you remember how much you paid for it at the time?
GUEST: For this one, I think I paid a top dollar of about $3.25.
(both laughing)
APPRAISER: That's amazing.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Which is pretty in line with, actually, what you would have paid here. Because it's so rare, you'd probably be looking around $2,000 to $4,000 at auction. It's a very nice poster.
GUEST: Oh!
APPRAISER: It's a very nice poster, indeed.
GUEST: Wow!
APPRAISER: Um, I'm so happy that you brought it in, because, as I said...
GUEST: Thank you.
APPRAISER: ...I've never seen one before.
GUEST: Thank you-- I'm, I'm glad I was able to bring it in and have you take a look at it. It's amazing, huh?
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: $3.25?
APPRAISER: Uh-huh. I know.
GUEST: Oh, my goodness.
(both laughing)
GUEST: That's unbelievable.
$2,000 - $4,000 Auction
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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.
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