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Doulton Burslem Vase Signed George White, ca. 1900

Value (2010) | $2,000 Auction – $3,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
This is a piece that I've had in my possession since early 1960s. It's something that I bought in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which is where I grew up. During the 1960s, many mid-century vacation homes and beach homes were being torn down to be replaced by new buildings, and many of their owners had been people who had traveled all over Europe and plundered Europe as they made their world tours and filled their lovely mansions with beautiful things.

APPRAISER:
So did you get this out of one of those houses?

GUEST:
I got it from someone who bought it from one of those houses.

APPRAISER:
Okay.

GUEST:
She was actually a dealer. My husband and I were newly married. We had very little money at the time, and I think we could not have paid more than $200, $250 for it, probably more like $150.

APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, what we have here is a Doulton vase. It is English, made at the Burslem factory, beautifully done. It is very, very typical of the late Victorian era. It's signed here by George White, an artist with the Doulton Burslem factory. What we see here is the Doulton Burslem emblem.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
Okay, this mark is going to tell us that this piece was made between 1891 and 1902. Now, we know George White was working at the factory during that time period, and we know that he cared so much about it that he then signed it and he also probably titled it. So more than likely the title of this piece is indeed "Autumn." And we can also see that it is decorated all the way around. This epitomizes the Victorian style, which is not terribly valuable today, not as collectible as it used to be. There's an awful lot of Doulton stuff that's out there on the market right now. In this particular case, this does represent what is probably the top five percent of Doulton. As such, that market has not been hit as hard with regard to pricing. If you sold it at auction today, my guess is you're looking somewhere between $2,000 and $3,000. So...

GUEST:
I see... oh.

APPRAISER:
It's a very nice piece.

GUEST:
It's a piece that has been on our coffee table even as my children were growing up, and they found it as a wonderful receptacle for their Cheerios when they were little.

APPRAISER:
Well, I assume they're not doing that anymore.

GUEST:
No. (chuckling)

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Matthew Quinn
Decorative Arts, Pottery & Porcelain
Quinn's Auction Galleries
Falls Church, VA
Appraised value (2010)
$2,000 Auction – $3,000 Auction
Featured In
San Diego, Hour 3 (#1506)
Event
San Diego, CA (June 12, 2010)
Category
Pottery & Porcelain
Period
19th Century , 20th Century
Form
Vase
Material
Ceramic

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.

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