Hat Pin Collection

Appraised on: July 30, 2005

Appraised in: Bismarck, North Dakota

Appraised by: Caroline Ashleigh

Category: Decorative Arts

Episode Info: Bismarck, Hour 1 (#1010)

Originally Aired: April 10, 2006

IMAGE: 1 of 1  

Appraisal Video: (2:12)

APPRAISER: Hatpins-- they're just absolutely beautiful to look at, they display gorgeously, they're affordable, and they're a part of our heritage. And tell me which piece, in your opinion, has the most unusual form.

GUEST: Well, I like the one that I got first, the cloisonne one. I bought it for two dollars from an antique shop, and it is my favorite because I have only seen one other that was similar to that.

APPRAISER: And then, now, what about the most expensive pin that you've purchased?

GUEST: One of the more expensive ones was this one right here. That was one of the most recent ones.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: And they are costly things to buy now; you used to be able to get them for... a good one, such as my brilliants over there, I would get them for about $12, $14, and now they're $90 to $100.

APPRAISER: Well, they're becoming harder to find, aren't they?

GUEST: Absolutely.

APPRAISER: Harder and harder to find. You know, I think a lot of people really forget what they were used for, because we don't wear hats as much anymore. They generally went out of production during the 1930s, when people were wearing cloches, the hats that you pull down over your hair.

GUEST: Yes, yes.

APPRAISER: Let's take a look at a few of these right here on my side. These have wonderful figural images on them from the Art Nouveau period. Very lovely forms. There's just a beautiful assortment of all kinds of colors and shapes and sizes. They're just exquisite. You said you had about how many?

GUEST: I have, altogether, about 200.

APPRAISER: Wow. And you've been collecting for how many years?

GUEST: Since about 1970.

APPRAISER: Okay. So about 35 years you've collected about 200 hatpins.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: You have some pieces that are very expensive. You have some pieces, like the ones in the middle that are actually about $100, you know, in that range.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: So, some of them ranging from about $10, $20, maybe the average being about $40 to $60. And you multiply that out, the collection would probably be worth $10,000 to $12,000.

GUEST: Very good.