Carlisle Indian School Pennant, ca 1912
GUEST: This is an Indian-beaded pennant from Carlisle Indian School where my grandmother went to get an education. We know that she had close connections with a football player Who gave her some moccasins, so we're suspecting that he also gave her this as kind of a love gift. I listened to my mother talk about it.
APPRAISER: Mm.
GUEST: I’ve also read things that she wrote while she was there and I know how much she enjoyed her experience. She has scrapbooks full of pictures with friends. And it was such an eye-opening thing to come from a small community in Oklahoma to the East Coast. Carlisle Indian School went to Boston to play Harvard for football. She went on that trip, and, of course, Carlisle won. She was so proud of her Native American heritage, of being a Cherokee Indian. And she actually wanted to be able to have herself in a portrait like this. She did not own a dress like that. So she went to a photography studio and put on a dress that they owned and she had the picture taken.
APPRAISER: So what was her life like on the reservation?
GUEST: They came across the Trail of Tears and they were there in northeast Oklahoma and received an allotment of land from the government.
APPRAISER: So, it's very interesting. Your grandmother had this tremendous experience, and it sounds like it was a very positive experience for her at Carlisle...
GUEST: Oh! Oh, yeah.
APPRAISER: …because the Carlisle Indian School was actually founded in 1879. It was part of the U.S. policy that was actually a forced assimilation of the Native American tribes.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And the students that went to those schools had to change their names, speak English, practice Christianity, and change their clothes. When I look at this beadwork, I find it fascinating, because here are these students that are going to this school to assimilate them into this culture, but yet we have a very clear piece of Native American artwork here in this beadwork. This is a circa-1912 hand-beaded pennant. My colleagues did say this would not have been done by a man. It was definitely done by a woman. And this represents such an important time in Carlisle Indian School history, because they were known for their sports. The team was led by Jim Thorpe, who was their running back, he was their punter, he was their place kicker, he also played defense. And in 1911, they went to Harvard. They upset the Crimson 18 to 15, and they finished the year 11 and one. And later on they were named national champions. And that put Carlisle Indian School and Jim Thorpe, and the team, and Pop Warner, who was the Hall-of-Fame coach for that team, on the map. This has been restored.
GUEST: Correct.
APPRAISER: But the beading in this is original.
GUEST: Correct.
APPRAISER: It’s the only one that we were able to find. I would put an auction estimate of $5,000 to $7,000 on this.
GUEST: You are kidding. This little thing, out of the bottom of the trunk? Oh, my goodness. (voice breaking): How exciting. How much should I have it insured for?
APPRAISER: I would insure it for no less than $15,000.
GUEST: Oh, my goodness. Well, okay. I better get that done pretty soon. Thank you.
$5,000 Auction
$15,000 Insurance
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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.
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.
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