Robert Riggs Saturday Evening Post Illustration, ca. 1951
GUEST: I, uh, seen it sitting on the floor at a garage sale. They had $25 on it, so. Of course, I want to talk them down. I hollered at them and then I asked them if they'd take $20 bucks for it, and they said yes.
APPRAISER: Well, that's quite a buy. So the artist is Robert Riggs. It's initialed with an R. He is known for his depictions of prize fighting and circus scenes. He was born in 1896 in Decatur, Illinois, and as a child, he ran away from home and joined the circus. So that kind of tells you a little something about his upbringing and his affinities. This painting was a-an illustration for the Saturday Evening Post. The title is The Fall Guy, and that's on a label on the back. And it illustrated a story by W.C. Heinz, "The Fixed Fight." This was a fictional story, and it was a snippet from Heinz's novel titled The Professional. He received some formal art training. He went to the Art Students League, and then had to go and join the army in World War I. He stayed in Europe for a little while and went to the Académie Julian. And then after a few years, returned to Philadelphia, where he stayed on as an advertising illustrator. He was a very successful artist...
GUEST: Mm-hm.
APPRAISER: ...as an illustrator. The medium is tempera on panel, but this this particular scene is like an explosion.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: I mean, you look at this and everything is flying. You've got hats and newspapers and cigarettes and cups, and you've got the hot dog, the police officers, and the chairs about to smash on someone's head.
GUEST: It's something else, wow.
APPRAISER: I mean, all of these elements are fantastic, full of energy, and that's what Riggs was known for. So the highest price at auction paid for a Robert Riggs painting, one of Joe Louis, the “Brown Bomber..."
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER:...is $277,000.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: So this is a fictional character.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: So unfortunately, it doesn't have Joe Louis...
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER:...or someone notable as its subject matter.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: But at auction, I feel easily, this could bring between $70,000 and $90,000.
GUEST: Holy cow!
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: (chuckling):
Wow! (chuckling): I never dreamed of that!
APPRAISER: Yeah, I know.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: So...
GUEST: That's amazing. I know, I know, it-it really is something. You got such, you made such a find. And this is the best find that I've ever witnessed.
GUEST: Phew.
APPRAISER: I'm so happy that you brought it in. And you did say that your wife got you tickets to ROADSHOW.
GUEST: Right. Yeah.
APPRAISER: And you have a picture of her.
GUEST: I have it here. She just recently passed. So I wasn't going to come, but my son talked me into coming because my wife got the tickets for me, so.
APPRAISER: Well, it's so wonderful that she did that.
GUEST: Yes, it is.
APPRAISER: And it's so wonderful that you're honoring her with the picture, and she would probably love the fact that this all happened today.
GUEST: Oh, yeah. That's great. Great news.
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: I can't believe it.
$70,000 - $90,000 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.
