GUEST: This is one of my treasures that I really love. It's something that was made by an artist by the name of Elijah Pierce, a folk artist who is now internationally known. But I was going to the university, taking a few courses when my girls were real little, and in the fine arts department, there was an exhibit of a newly discovered artist-- although he was in his 70s at the time. And he happened to be there that day, and I met Elijah Pierce, and was so impressed by him, as well as his beautiful artwork. He was very slender and tall and very regal. He reminded me of an Ethiopian king. I always have that picture in my mind. So I really was impressed by him. So I got this one anniversary when my husband at the time bought it for me, and I just adore the piece, because he does a lot of Biblical subject matter.

APPRAISER: Right.

GUEST: And Adam and Eve start the whole thing off with Genesis, so...

APPRAISER: Yeah, that's where it all started.

GUEST: I love this, I love this piece.

APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah.

GUEST: And I just love the quality of it.

APPRAISER: Right.

GUEST: And especially the little devil down here and the little snake up here.

APPRAISER: Right, there's so much vitality and, and richness.

GUEST: I just think it's...

APPRAISER: He was born in Mississippi and started carving as a kid, he just loved doing it.

GUEST: Yes.

APPRAISER: And he had a pocket knife and he made these critters. He was part of the Great Migration, which was a huge migration of African-Americans from the South North. And somewhere along the way he opened a barber shop, which was, functioned as a community center.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: He found profound religious conviction.

GUEST: Yes, he did.

APPRAISER: And then created these relief carvings, amongst others, that chronicled his life and also the history of the Bible. He is now one of the most respected and sought-after African-American artists for the power of his religious convictions, which you can see in the intensity of the work, but also his humanity. All of that is evident in his work. So this is a wonderful relief carving, probably carved in pine, which is a soft wood and easy to manipulate, and then painted with these vibrant colors. I just want to show your personal connection to this work. So it's signed and dated, "10-16-'75, E. Pierce, thanks." He was such a sweetheart. He was a good man. You just knew it. Lovely, lovely story.

GUEST: Yeah.

APPRAISER: At the point that you encountered Elijah Pierce, he was living and working in Columbus, Ohio. And you saw his work at Ohio University.

GUEST: Ohio State University, right in Columbus, yeah. He had a barber shop in Columbus, and that's where this was purchased.

APPRAISER: Yes. Do you have an idea of what your husband paid?

GUEST: He paid $75 for it.

APPRAISER: A conservative auction value would be somewhere between $10,000 to $15,000.

GUEST: Wow.