Coastal Massachusetts Armchair, ca. 1680
GUEST: Well, I think it's a Pilgrim chair, but I, I understand that it's really called a Brewster chair. There was a man in Plymouth that settled there, and he, I think he was a, a minister, and his name was Brewster. And I've seen sketches of this type of chair.
APPRAISER: How did you come to own this?
GUEST: It's come down in the family for years.
APPRAISER: What's the family name?
GUEST: The, the family that this came, it was Hall.
APPRAISER: And is, does that family go all the way back to the period of Brewster?
GUEST: It, it goes pretty far back.
APPRAISER: Well, you're, you're right, these are sometimes called Brewster chairs. William Brewster is thought to have owned one of these. He was one of the founders of Plymouth Colony. This is the very, very beginning of, of European settlement in America. So your family goes back... You said, also, I think, said the Alden family.
GUEST: I, I have... Yeah, the family goes back to, um, John and Priscilla Alden.
APPRAISER: John and Priscilla Alden.
GUEST: Yeah, uh-huh.
APPRAISER: Okay. Well, and John Alden was on the Mayflower. Now...
GUEST: Right, right.
APPRAISER: Well, we often have p, things come in where people th, say, "Oh, my forebears brought this over on the Mayflower." Well, your forebears really were on the Mayflower. But do you think this came over from England with them?
GUEST: No, I don't.
APPRAISER: You think it was made here?
GUEST: No, I think it was made here, yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER: Okay. So when do you think the chair was made?
GUEST: I thought it was made probably the late 1600.
APPRAISER: Well, there was a big revival of interest in these chairs in the late 19th century, and people like Wallace Nutting made copies of some of these famous early Pilgrim chairs. So a lot of times, what we see coming into the ROADSHOW are those copies. But this is a real chair.
GUEST: Oh, really?
APPRAISER: And it is in extraordinary condition. I think this is a, a 1680 period chair.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: I think this is coastal Massachusetts. The back posts here are ash, which was one of the favored woods there, and I think these are, are soft maple arms. When we put on our market goggles, we look at things in terms both of, of family history, but also in terms of beauty. And the ultimate question out there, when we look at value, is, is, who wants it? Have you ever had the chair appraised?
GUEST: I did once, and, and I think it was, uh, $2,500, they had appraised it.
APPRAISER: $2,500.
GUEST: Uh-huh, right.
APPRAISER: I think you should insure this chair, given the history and the condition, for $50,000.
GUEST: Oh, my goodness, yeah.
APPRAISER: Whatever you have done to keep it in this condition, you obviously have cared for it, just like all of your forebears, and it is wonderful to see it here.
GUEST: Thank you.
APPRAISER: So maybe you want to sit in it.
GUEST: (laughs) I'd love to.
APPRAISER: Would you?
GUEST: Yes. Ah, good.
$20,000 - $20,000 Insurance
$50,000 - $50,000 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.
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.
