Viennese Platter Attributed to Herman Böhm, ca. 1880
GUEST: I brought a platter of some kind. It was in my grandpa’s house for as long as I can remember. And we really don’t know that much about it.
APPRAISER: When I first saw this, you, you brought it to the table and you, you peeled back the, the packaging, and my heart kind of skipped a beat just a little bit. (chuckles) Because I knew instantly what it was and where it was from.
GUEST: Great.
APPRAISER: And it's just such a beautiful example. This is a Viennese silver,
enamel, and rock-crystal presentational centerpiece, or charger, dating from around about 1880, and we attribute it to the very, very successful maker called Hermann Böhm.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And he was most well-known for this Renaissance revival.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Which is what we're looking at here. When my colleagues and I looked at it, the first thing that we were really taken by is that at first glance, the panels appear to be glass.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: But in fact, they're not.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: They're made of rock crystal.
GUEST: Oh, wow. Okay.
APPRAISER: In fact, it's a variation of quartz.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And in one of these panels, you can just see one of the internal fractures...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...that helps us identify that it is rock crystal.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: It's meticulously carved.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: It's got this beautiful silver and enamel decoration throughout, uh, with, with putti, cherubs, winged figures, uh, satyr masks--you name it, it's, it's all there. And then centered by these beautiful, uh, maidens within cornucopias.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: It's just really fabulous. One of my favorite things about this is the way it's made. Each individual bolt here represents one of the pieces that's been applied to the front.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: That's a real reflection of the craftsmanship.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Surrounding each panel of rock crystal, you have this little decorative framework, as well. And perhaps one of my favorite and the most unseen are the feet.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: These beautiful, uh, hairy paw or lion paw feet with enamel decoration. It's also incredibly big.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER It's a really large example. This is nearly 22 inches in diameter. Um, have you ever had it appraised?
GUEST: No-- nope. It's just been sitting, gathering dust. (chuckles)
APPRAISER: So, I'm glad you said, "Gathering dust." It's dusty.
GUEST: (chuckles) Uh, yes.
APPRAISER: It could do with just a little bit of love, uh, like...
GUEST: I, I think my dad hosed it off in the sink to get some of the dust off once, so I'll tell him not to do that again. (laughs)
APPRAISER: With a little bit of love and a little bit of cleaning, I think, if I were to see this come up at auction, I would feel very comfortable with an auction estimate of $30,000 to $50,000.
GUEST:(chuckles) Oh, wow-- oh, my gosh. Wow. Um, uh, we had no idea. That's incredible-- we've always loved it. I always loved the little jewels as a, as a kid. I always thought it was beautiful, but... Uh, wow. That's amazing. (laughing) Wow. (sniffles) (chuckles softly)
APPRAISER: I'd recommend an insurance value of $60,000.
GUEST: (inhales) Wow. Okay, so... No more hosing it off. (laughs) My husband has lugged it around all day today, so I'm glad it was worth, worth the effort. (laughs)
$30,000 Auction
$60,000 Insurance
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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.
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