Handel "Jungle Birds" Lamp, ca. 1910
GUEST: Well, it belonged to my great-aunt, and when the last one passed away, she left it to me. And as my brother Jay and I were growing up, we were always told, "Don't go near the lamp" when we were visiting at their apartment. So it's kind of funny, you know, as we were little, we thought, "Oh, that horrible, horrible lamp," you know, and then as we got older, we've come to appreciate this.
APPRAISER: Do you know who made it?
GUEST: When we looked on the top, we found the name Handel.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm, that's right. And when did you find that?
GUEST: This morning.
APPRAISER: Oh, I love that.
GUEST: Before we left, you know...
APPRAISER: That's just great, okay. Well, that is the name of the company that made this lamp.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And the company was based in Meriden, Connecticut. It went into operation in 1885. And at that time, Mr. Handel was in partnership with a person named Mr. Eydam, and they worked together until about 1893, and then Handel bought the company from Mr. Eydam and owned it by himself. And this lamp was made in about 1910. What they were known for, really, was making a lot of decorative objects, but the thing that they really were known for, and what we think of them for more than anything else today are their lamps, their decorative lamps. This lamp is a reverse painted lamp. It actually has a name, it's called "Jungle Birds." And you can notice the birds right on the front, these beautiful parrots. And we can turn this together. And here's another bird on the back of the shade. Now, when I say the lamp is reverse painted, it's been painted on the inside. On the outside, we have what is known as a chipped surface. Sometimes people call it chipped ice. They used a special process to create the impression of frost on a window pane. They made it by sandblasting it, covering it with fish glue, drying the fish glue, then baking it in a kiln at 800 degrees Fahrenheit. And then the glue would fall off the shade, taking with it pieces of glass, thus creating this surface. Handel was also a contemporary with Louis Comfort Tiffany, and Handel's company did actually make some leaded glass lamps. But the reverse painted lamps are the more desirable lamps. And this happens to be one of the most desirable lamps...
GUEST: Oh my gosh.
APPRAISER: ...that they made. The lamp base is not made of bronze. Handel's bases were usually made of white metal. And the bulk of the value, in fact, 95% of the value, is the shade. This particular lamp, in today's market, would sell for between $15,000 and $20,000.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: A couple of years ago, this lamp actually would sell for a little more. It actually sold for $30,000. But for some reason, the market has softened over the past few years. But I have every confidence that it will strengthen again and the price will go up in value. And it's really a wonderful lamp, and I'm so glad that you brought it in.
$8,000 - $10,000 Retail
$15,000 - $20,000 Retail
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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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