Harold Newton Oil on Fiberboard, ca. 1975
GUEST: It's one of the best paintings I've seen of Harold Newton, the leader of the group of Highwaymen painters. They were in Fort Pierce area, and I grew up in Indialantic, across the river, and they would drive up to the family business and walk, knock on the door, and say, "Come on out and see today's paintings, and you can buy 'em for 25 bucks."
APPRAISER: When did you get this painting and how?
GUEST: I got it, uh, about 13 years ago.
APPRAISER: 13 years ago.
GUEST: At an estate sale in St. Louis. And being in St. Louis, there's not many people that knew about the Highwaymen painters. And so when I got down to the basements of this house, I saw some sort of wetland painting, and I said, "That could be Florida." And then when I saw the frame, I said, "That's a Highwaymen painting."
APPRAISER: Ah.
GUEST: It's that distinct. So I wanted to go closer, and my heart beating... (imitates) And I looked at, at the, and the signature...
APPRAISER: Saw the signature.
GUEST: And I said, "This is the best one, and I'm going to get it for..." $40.
APPRAISER: So, wait a second, you're telling me you bought this painting for $40 13 years ago.
GUEST: Unbelievable.
APPRAISER: That's an incredible, incredible story.
(both laughing)
APPRAISER: Harold Newton was a founding member of the Florida Highwaymen, a bunch of African American artists who, out of necessity, in the mid-'50s, established the group. During a time of segregation and discrimination they had difficulties showing their work...
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: ...getting training-- all the opportunities that were available to other artists were not available to them. And so they formed this group as a way to support one another and develop their skills. And as you pointed out, they were selling the works by knocking on people's doors, selling it out of the trunks of their cars next to the highway. That's where the "Highwaymen" name came from.
GUEST: Banks, gas stations, restaurants.
APPRAISER: Yes.
GUEST: They would just go in wherever they could.
APPRAISER: Exactly. (chuckles) And so this particular painting, though, it's just a striking image. Wow. It demonstrates his skill as an artist. Shortly after this was painted, he'd probably sell this for maybe 50 or 60 bucks. Typically he ranged, like, $25 to maybe $50.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: It's an oil on fiberboard. He was born in 1934 and he died in 1994. So it'd be, like, a circa 1970s, I would say. That's a guess. 'Cause the painting is not dated, but it is signed "H. Newton." It's in very good shape. The paint looks great. I think if it were to come up to auction, I would put an estimate of between $10,000 and $15,000.
GUEST: Wow! That is nice.
APPRAISER: Yes.
GUEST: Thank you very much.
$10,000 - $14,996 Auction
Featured In
episode
Grant's Farm, Hour 2
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW harvests hidden treasures at historic Grant’s Farm in St. Louis, MO. — Mon, May 4, 2026
2D Art
appraisal
appraisal
Frank Zappa Painting, ca. 1960
appraisal
Edgar Alwin Payne Painting, ca. 1925
appraisal
American School Portrait, ca. 1820
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.
