Pairpoint Puffy Owl Lamp, ca. 1907
GUEST: My mother was a closet collector, and, uh, in New York City, and she came home one day, and this was there And I asked, "What's the story on this?" And she said, "Well, it's just a little something I got." And that's what I know. It just appeared in our apartment.
APPRAISER: And do you know where she got it?
GUEST: Yeah, she got it from a dealer in New York.
APPRAISER: Did you know the name of the dealer?
GUEST: Carol Ferranti. She got it in the '60s. And knowing she got it from Carol, I'm sure it was quite a lot. (chuckles) Couple of thousand dollars, maybe.
APPRAISER: Oh, wow. And she did actually say she paid that in the 1960s? Uh... That seems like a lot?
APPRAISER: It does, actually.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Carol Ferranti was a very well-known dealer in New York City, and she handled all kinds of lamps, including Tiffany, and also lamps that were made by this company.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: And did you ever look for signatures?
GUEST: (chuckling): No, but I just saw that there is one, I think.
APPRAISER: Okay. But you don't know what it, it stands for.
GUEST: No, I don't, I don't.
APPRAISER: Okay. Well, it's very discreet, because on the underside of the lamp, there is this lovely little diamond-shaped signature with a P in the middle, which is the way the bases would be signed for the Pairpoint Company.
GUEST: Uh-huh, oh.
APPRAISER: And Pairpoint originally made a lot of silver-plated metalware. And, uh, in 1894, they joined with Mount Washington Glassworks.
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: They were both based in New Bedford, Massachusetts. But they didn't start making lamps that look like this until 1907, when they applied for the patent for the particular technique that was used to make this shade. The shade is called a blown-out shade.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And blown-out shades were blown glass, and then they were actually... They, um, acid-treated the surface, and then after that, the interior was painted. Uh, today a lot of us refer to these as Pairpoint puffy lamps.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: I really like this. This is, it's, this is very unusual. Because what, what I've been accustomed to seeing, and also on ROADSHOW, the only types of, uh, Pairpoint puffy lamps that we've seen have been florals.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: And to have this unbelievable owl, who is perched on a branch ready to pounce on its prey...
GUEST: (chuckles)
APPRAISER: ...which is a little ominous, but beautifully rendered...
GUEST: Uh-huh.
APPRAISER: ...is a rare form.
GUEST: Hm.
APPRAISER: This came in two types. That, this is, uh, the simpler base, and then there is, a base that is comprised of an owl, sculptural owl form.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: But this definitely came this way. For the most part, the condition of this is really terrific.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: There is some sign of corrosion. That's not unusual. So, um, do you have any idea, um, of value on this?
GUEST: No, not really.
APPRAISER: Okay. All right, so on this particular base...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...a good retail value would be $25,000 to $30,000.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: Now, if you had the owl base...
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: ...it would be more in the range of $60,000 to $70,000.
GUEST: Wow.
$25,000 - $30,000 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.
