"His Master's Voice" Gramophone Group
GUEST: This is a gramophone.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: We picked it up maybe 25 years ago in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: We had just completed a week-long hiking tour of the Slovenian Alps...
APPRAISER: Wow.
GUEST: ...and it was Sunday morning, and, um, they had, like, a flea market set up...
APPRAISER: Sure.
GUEST: ...with booths and tables along the river. And this was all polished and shined up and caught the sun. And it caught my husband's eye...
APPRAISER: Ah…
GUEST: ...and, uh, it was going to go home with us.
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: We think we paid around a hundred dollars for it, but we're not sure.
APPRAISER: Okay. Right.
GUEST: And we know that we made the vendor's day because within ten minutes, he had folded up shop and went home.
APPRAISER: And I have to settle a bet between you and your husband?
GUEST: My husband has always been convinced that it's got to be authentic because it came from Europe.
APPRAISER: (chuckling): Right.
GUEST: Uh, I know that there are all kinds of knockoffs that look exactly like this that are worth about $100 apiece. So you can settle that for us.
APPRAISER: (laughing): Okay. Well, I'll try to do my best. So I remember when I first did the first season of ROADSHOW these gramophones would come in and they were always a big hit.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: Now the markets have changed since then. And there are also real ones and later productions.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: I think you're both right. I want to settle this.
GUEST: Oh, you're a diplomat.
APPRAISER: I know, I-I did not want to offend anyone. (chuckles) But there's a couple of things that I want to point out.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: First of all, this label in green. That is a later reproduction of the piece.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: I would date this in and around the 1940s.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: The other part of it is the back mounting that's holding up the whole horn is either replaced or a later production.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: You also have this dog and tell me the story about this.
GUEST: (chuckles) That dog I found at an outlet store in Savannah. This is Sparky. He should have his head cocked and the sound of my master's voice.
APPRAISER: Right.
GUEST: The mold maker thought that the-the dog was defective because his head was cocked.
APPRAISER: Wh— ah.
GUEST: So he changed the mold and made all of them with their-- so I have a Sparky with his head on straight and he's probably not worth very much because of that.
APPRAISER: (chuckling): Well, his name is actually Nipper, not Sparky.
GUEST: Oh! Oh!
APPRAISER: So it was Nipper. And even on the record you can actually see that he is there with his head cocked.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: And that's Nipper. Also he has the black spot around his eye, which he shouldn't because...
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: …that-- Nipper never had that. And also the way that this is painted, you could see that there's the paintbrush. They painted outside of the lines. So this is the knockoff, Nipper.
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: So this is the knockoff.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: This is a later production-- however, with everything together, with the gramophone and the reproduction Nipper, (laughs) I would put an auction estimate in the $800 to $1,200 price range.
GUEST: Really?
APPRAISER: Yes.
GUEST: Okay, so am I right or is my husband? (both laugh)
APPRAISER: That is the question.
GUEST: I think you're both right.
APPRAISER: Okay.
$800 - $1,200 Auction
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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.
