Austro-Hungarian Chess Set, ca. 1900
GUEST: This was given by my mother, who actually, she got it from my grandfather a long time ago. And I think that I remember when I was a child that I couldn't touch anything. She used to tell me, "Don't touch it, don't touch it," and I never thought that I'm going to get it in the end, to keep it in the end. So it's a beautiful piece, I love it. I don't know much about it. I know that it was from Hungary, it's very old, stayed in the family for a long time. And that's all I really know. I've played with it a couple times.
APPRAISER: So is this a piece that was acquired here in the United States, or is it from abroad?
GUEST: No, I think what they told me was it was brought from Europe. It was brought from Europe.
APPRAISER: It was brought from Europe. And around what year was that?
GUEST: Well, my grandfather came like in 1935, '36.
APPRAISER: You think this is something that he brought with him?
GUEST: I think so. Yeah, that's what my mom used to tell me.
APPRAISER: So Hungarian is right. I would say Austro-Hungarian. There's a good chance that this is Viennese. It would date from the Belle Époque period, which... probably early 20th century. That period's known for opulence, it's known for luxury, it's known for high style, and that's what this chess set has. When you look at the number of techniques that were employed, you have enameled silver, you have semiprecious stones inset. The figures themselves are predominantly silver, with quite a bit of enamel work and gilding. The bases on the figures are also set with cabochon pearls, as well as what appears to be cabochon amethyst stones. It's just really a tour de force of craftsmanship. I've scoured the piece pretty thoroughly. I'm not finding a maker's mark. I'm also not finding any silver marks on there. There really isn't a question, though, that the figures are silver, and a lot of the other elements are. So I'm going to date it to around 1900, probably Vienna, looking at it stylistically. A lot of these have come on the market in the last five to seven years, and I've seen other examples of variations. The soldiers are a little bit different, the style of costume is a little bit different, the enamel colors are different, but they all are selling in a consistent range. And there are a few that have sold for extraordinary numbers. Did you have an idea of what you thought the value might be on it?
GUEST: I have no idea.
APPRAISER: Would you like to take a guess?
GUEST: A guess?
APPRAISER: Yeah, in your mind what did you think?
GUEST: Maybe $10,000?
APPRAISER: I think a fair auction estimate on a piece like this in today's market is $20,000 to $25,000.
GUEST: Excuse me?
APPRAISER: $20,000 to $25,000.
GUEST: Oh wow.
APPRAISER: In London last year, a similar chess set with blue enamel, but otherwise identical to this set, sold for -- with the buyer's premium -- $57,000. But that's a bit of an outlier. I think when it comes to auctions, you want to sort of stay reserved and hope for the best, and hope that you're going to get two people in the room that really fall in love with this piece, which I think they will if it ever comes to market.
$10,000 - $15,000 Auction
$20,000 - $25,000 Auction
Featured In
episode
Special: Junk in the Trunk 7
Discover never-before-aired appraisals from all six of our Season 21 cities.
Enamel
appraisal
Camille Fauré Enameled Vase, ca. 1925
appraisal
appraisal
J. & L. Lobmeyr Vase, ca. 1885
appraisal
English Memorial Jewelry Collection
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.
