GUEST: Well, my mom and I were headed to my grandparents', and we decided to take a detour to our local thrift store. And they have silent auctions. I bought it after going back and forth bidding. I managed to acquire the vase, and I paid $125.
APPRAISER: $125. Now, was anybody bidding against you?
GUEST: Yes, I was bidding against another gentleman. We each bid back and forth probably ten times, and finally he said, "You've got more money than I do." (chuckles) And he handed it over to me. So I managed to get the vase that way.
APPRAISER: What have you learned about it?
GUEST: I haven't learned a whole lot about it, other than there's a signature on the bottom.
APPRAISER: And do you know what that signature is?
GUEST: It's hard to read, so I couldn't be sure.
APPRAISER: Well, the signature is that of Marcel Goupy, a premiere French glass decorator and designer from the early part of the 20th century and then into the mid 20th century. He studied at the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris and then went to work with Rouart in Paris in 1909. Most of his glass was between 1918 and the mid 1930s. Now, this is enamel decoration. This is clear glass. And the enameling on the outside has this wonderful hunt scene. And then also the decoration on the inside is enamel decoration to give it a little bit more dimension. Here, as you have noticed, we have a signature on the vase. This is a fellow that designed and decorated glass and personally supervised the blowing of the glass, so he-he took it from beginning to end. He did some nudes, and those tend to bring a little bit more money. For this hunt scene with this vase of this size, we basically could do a retail price of $8,500.
GUEST: You're kidding.
APPRAISER: I think that's fair.
GUEST: (sobs)
APPRAISER: And I... (laughs) So, I think the person that underbid you in the auction probably, uh, gave up maybe a little bit too soon.
GUEST: There's a man who offered me $250 before I left the store.
APPRAISER: $250. Well, good thing you didn't take that.
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: Thanks very much. I-I really love this vase.
GUEST: Thank you. (laughs) Me, too.
