Mid-Century Modern Shopping Trip
HOST: The Miami area is a great place to hunt for 20th-century treasures. Miami Beach is an Art Deco Mecca and the national trend toward midcentury modern design has made a big comeback here... if it ever really left. We asked ROADSHOW expert Karen Keane to be our guide as we explored a variety of shops for great vintage finds.
HOST: Karen, there is so much to see here, and, boy, you really need a trained eye because everything looks fabulous to me. I wouldn't know what to pick.
APPRAISER: I found some good things. Should we check it out?
HOST: You bet.
APPRAISER: Check this chair out.
GUEST: Yeah, I noticed that when we first walked in. And, I'm like, that can't really be cardboard, can it? And it is. Corrugated cardboard.
APPRAISER: I know. This is awesome. And it is absolutely authentic. It's a vintage Frank Gehry chair. And you know what I love is the shape of it. This sort of undulating form. It's so classy. I just... it's wonderful.
HOST: And what are they asking for it?
APPRAISER: Well, $350 is what they were asking, but I'd pay twice that. I mean, it's just terrific.
HOST: I wouldn't tell them that.
APPRAISER: Okay, you're right, you're right.
HOST: That's between you and I.
APPRAISER: Check this out. How cute is it?
HOST: A welcome pelican.
APPRAISER: I know, he's great.
HOST: He's great.
APPRAISER: Thank you. Mark, I have to show you my favorites. Okay, they're a little tacky, but they are so stylish.
HOST: You've got to really look to find the good stuff back here.
APPRAISER: I know. (laughs)
HOST: Wow, look at these.
APPRAISER: Remember, when you're in one of these shops, leave no stone unturned.
HOST: What do you think this is?
APPRAISER: Well, Sabina, the owner of the store, thinks that they're from a yacht, perhaps.
HOST: Makes sense.
APPRAISER: It does. Actually, this has this porthole light look to it. But I think that, you know, either Sammy Davis Jr. or Dean Martin is going to step out of the state-room any minute with these things. It has such a Rat Pack quality to it. I mean, they are covered with plush. And it's in... for my taste, in okay condition. I wouldn't change this plush for the world.
HOST: I think this is what you buy it for, is the plush.
APPRAISER: Exactly. And, you know, she had it priced at $850. I think these are a bargain.
HOST: For the pair, $850?
APPRAISER: Yes, yes, yeah. You're good. So, we found it, Mark. I mean, look at this. It is a Lucite, I don't know, wastebasket or magazine holder. Feel how heavy it is.
HOST: Wow. Really heavy, but Karen, I've got to tell you, I would've never looked at this and said, "That's the item." What's special about this?
APPRAISER: It's Lucite, it's from probably the 1940s, '50s, just given the findings on this thing. But it's priced at $15. I mean, this would have been in another shop, just... I don't know, $250, $350.
HOST: Really?
APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER: It's great. It's wonderful. What I like about a thrift shop is that you see things out of context. When you go to a fancy antique shop, you're expecting to see wonderful things, and there's a lot of wonderful things around, and the price point is usually at a higher level. But in a place like this, it really is... you can find things that might have been overlooked by someone.
HOST: Sort of like raw materials.
APPRAISER: Yeah, yeah. It's like a treasure hunt.
HOST: Right, it's kind of fun. It's fun with you because you know what you're doing.
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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.
