Folk Art

Frank Otremba Fruit Plaques

Transcript

GUEST: Well, I grew up with them. They were my grandmother's, and then my mother's and then mine.

APPRAISER: I think these are great treasures. I am so glad you brought these in. These are koa wood fruit plaques, carved by Hawaii's great carver, Frank Otremba, a German. He was born in Germany, trained in Italy, came to Hawaii in 1882, during the reign of King Kalakua...

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: And he began carving these plaques. They're carved out of koa wood. Apparently Frank loved to carve in koa. All his plaques were done in koa. He signed this one. He signs almost all his plaques. He carved a lot of mango plaques. This is a very rare one-- it's guavas. The people who have them have kept them in their families for generations. You can never find them for sale. And to see a pair of them is such a treat. If this appeared in an antique store, I think this could easily go for between $7,500 and $8,000.

GUEST: Seventy-five... how much?

APPRAISER: $7,500 and $8,000.

GUEST: For the pair or...? One.

APPRAISER: Just for that.

GUEST: Oh, okay.

APPRAISER: This is his rare one. It's got a little termite damage here.

GUEST: Yeah, I know. Termites love koa.

APPRAISER: Everything made out of koa in Hawaii has a little termite damage.

GUEST: And they love my mother's house, too. That's where they got it from. !

APPRAISER: You have to put up with it. But this is rarer, this is... and a lot more work, and I think this might be anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000.

GUEST: Oh, great.