Shaker-signed Box with Note, ca. 1850
GUEST: My mother was a, uh, librarian in, uh, North Carolina, Haywood County, and a gentleman that lived near there befriended her and gifted her this box around 1985. The note was not addressed to anybody in our family.
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: But it, it was in the box, and I thought it was a nice note, so we left it in the box there.
APPRAISER: This is the smallest version of a Shaker box. They made different sizes, and one of the things they're known for is their quality. They felt like earthly goods in, in very nice quality got them closer to heavenly perfection. You can see how finely made the fingers, or lappers, are.
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: And the other thing I noticed is it's got those little copper tacks in it, and that's very much a distinctive characteristic of Shaker perfectionism. And it's a very desirable color. That's called chromium yellow. And I started looking at the note, and it actually mentions who it came from. If you look right up under the bottom here, it actually has her name and that she was an eldress in the Shaker community in, uh, New Hampshire. The writing on the bottom of this, as well as this note, are probably from the 1950s 'cause, if you look at the back of the note, that's like a valentine or an old gift card from the '50s. And without that note, I could've never known the date of 1851. She mentions that date probably 'cause it was documented in her family.
GUEST: Mm.
APPRAISER: The bottom and the top are, are made out of white pine, and I think the, the sides are some kind of figured wood, maybe maple or beech or something like that. There is a little bit of wear on the top.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Have you ever had anybody look at this and talk about value?
GUEST: No, I-- my mother always suspected that it had some value to it.
APPRAISER: This is a very rare thing. People that collect this kind of thing, everybody wants the best of the best. And in a retail setting, they would ask $12,000 to $18,000 for this.
GUEST: Well, she was right then. It had some value. That's great.
APPRAISER: If it didn't have the note, it would probably be $8,000 to $12,000.
$12,000 - $18,000 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.
