Mississippian Hunchback Effigy Figure, 1000-1500 AD
GUEST: My mother had a friend that passed away, and she got several of his artifacts. He was a guy that had lots of travel in his history, in his past, and so he picked up items like this during his travel.
APPRAISER: Okay, and what year do you think your mother got this?
GUEST: It was about ten years ago. I couldn't find any information about it on the internet, but I did think that possibly it was an Indian artifact, maybe from Mexico.
APPRAISER: From Mexico, okay. Let's first of all try to see if it's authentic, all right?
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: When we look at an object like this, the first thing we're looking at is the overall form. Does it match with the area it supposedly comes from?
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: There's also another thing about this that's very interesting. You see these white dots?
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: This is what we call temper, and it's put in the clay to strengthen it during the firing process. These are relatively thin pieces, and this temper mixed in makes it stronger. So that becomes a note of authenticity. The surface, the various nicks that we have on it, are also indicative. Now, I have a surprise for you.
GUEST: Oh?
APPRASIER: This is not from Mexico.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: This is from your neighborhood.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRASIER: This is from northeastern Arkansas. Does that shock you?
GUEST: That does shock me.
APPRAISER: This is from the Mississippian culture, which is about 900 to 1500 A.D. This is authentic.
GUEST: Oh, wow!
APPRAISER: It comes from a site that's up near Memphis in the northeastern part. These are called hunchback. Sometimes when we see objects like this, we think that they're portraits. There are so many that that's probably not the case, but it undoubtedly has some sort of a mythological context. Now, I do know from West Mexico, oftentimes, you see deformed creatures or you see them with pocks on them, and these are considered to have extra extraordinary powers. It was used undoubtedly in some sort of a shrine. These things, when buried, would have been buried in a tomb in very, very thick clay, so it's amazing that this thing is in the shape that it's in. We do have this break. I believe that this would have been completely closed off, so there's no functioning to this opening. I wanted to show you briefly this opening in the back. Some people think that these were made to hold something.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And point of fact, it really had an important function, and that is during the firing process where the pressure builds up, it kept the thing from blowing up. Now we come to the best part. In a good auction or in a good gallery, this piece is going to sell for $10,000 to $15,000.
GUEST: Oh, wow!
APPRAISER: Now, I want to say the ROADSHOW is always mindful about various regulations that concern objects like this. It is illegal to take these off federal lands, okay? Off private lands, these things are still sold, and so therefore, what I'm doing is I'm appraising this assuming it's from private lands, and considering the dates and all that, I think it's highly likely that it is. But you have a fabulous treasure here. I'm just very grateful to have you bring it in.
GUEST: Well, thank you.
$3,000 - $5,000 Auction
$10,000 Auction
$15,000 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.
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.
