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Russian Imperial Charger

Value (2005) | $65,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
The plate was a gift from Vincent Bendix, who founded the Bendix Corporation. My grandfather worked for the Bendix Corporation for 35 years. They lived next door to Vincent Bendix. Of course, his estate was an entire city block. My grandparents were in a conventional suburban home. This was in South Bend, Indiana. And when Bendix went bankrupt, he gave away a lot of the things that he had collected to people who he was close with and wanted to reward, and this plate was, I believe, one of two, the other plate being given to another business associate. And I really don't know anything about it, except that I believe that's the Romanov seal in the center of the plate.

APPRAISER:
It is the Romanov seal. It's called a charger. It's made by the Popov Porcelain Factory-- Alexander Popov. The whole purpose of it was a presentation piece. This is maybe only the fourth one that I have ever seen of this type. Do you have any idea what its value might be?

GUEST:
I assumed it was just a fine piece of porcelain that was maybe worth a couple thousand dollars.

APPRAISER:
I think you're a little bit short, and I think you'd be a little bit short if you added a zero to your $2,000.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
I think a fair retail value in today's market is $65,000.

GUEST:
Whoa...

APPRAISER:
It's really a remarkable piece, extremely rare, and especially with the Russian market being so hot, it's very much sought after.

GUEST:
Wow. I... I had no idea.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Peter Schaffer
Jewelry
A La Vieille Russie
New York, NY
Appraised value (2005)
$65,000 Retail
Featured In
Los Angeles, Hour 1 (#1007)
Tasty Treasures (#1520)
Event
Los Angeles, CA (August 13, 2005)
Category
Pottery & Porcelain
Form
Plate
Material
Porcelain
November 14, 2011: We contacted appraiser Peter Schaffer for an updated appraisal of this object in today's market.

Current Appraised Value: $75,000 (Increased)

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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