John Falter "Saturday Evening Post" Illustration
Appraised Value:
$100,000 - $175,000
IMAGE: 1 of 4
Appraisal Video: (2:31)
Appraisal Transcript:
GUEST: Well, the little girl is me at age five. And the little boy in the pseudo spacesuit was a young neighbor. And we were posing for my stepfather, John Falter, who was one of the artists painting for the Saturday Evening Post.
APPRAISER: Well, when we think of American illustrator art, everyone thinks of Norman Rockwell.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: Especially because of the very high prices that his art has been bringing and because he's done a lot of Saturday Evening Post covers.
GUEST: Yeah. Yeah.
APPRAISER: But Norman Rockwell called John Falter one of America's most gifted illustrators. This is a fantastic cover. The fact that you have this picture, which depicts you in the same pose, just really is a charming, charming piece.
GUEST: Mm-hmm. We were in my stepfather's studio, outside San Francisco, and the background is all creative license.
APPRAISER: John Falter, like a lot of the other Saturday Evening Post artists, has not risen to the sort of Norman Rockwell level. But there has been a lot more interest in this kind of second-tier sort of artist.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: As you probably know, about ten years ago, or earlier, this was a very hard thing to sell.
GUEST: Yes, it was.
APPRAISER: People weren't really looking for this. The market price on a picture like this was barely $5,000 to $7,000. It crept up to $10,000 to $15,000. Now, you've gotten this appraised. How much do you think it's valued at?
GUEST: 50,000.
APPRAISER: Well, this surge in price has only happened in the past five years.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And although it hasn't been record-breaking, to the point of Rockwell,
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: it's been record-breaking
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: towards Mr. Falter's prices. A few years ago, A Saturday Evening Post cover of Yankee Stadium, at auction, brought $150,000.
GUEST: That's a lot of money. Yes.
APPRAISER: Now, Yankee Stadium, in the 1947 cover, is kind of a specialized category.
GUEST: Right, right.
APPRAISER: This subject, though, is just as wonderful. As a presale auction estimate, something like this we would put between $100,000 to $150,000. Okay. And I'm sure, since this is an heirloom
