• Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Our Sponsors

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Complete Ticket Rules
  • How the Event Works
  • 2019 Tour FAQ
  • Tour Key Dates
2019 Tour Hub

2019 Tour Hub

Tour FAQ

Tour FAQ

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • Best Moments of Season 22
  • Best Moments of Season 21
  • Cities from Past Seasons
  • About Executive Producer Marsha Bemko
  • About Host Mark L. Walberg
  • Roadshow's Editorial Policy
Watch | Hotel del Coronado, Hour 1

Watch | Hotel del Coronado, Hour 1

Watch | Ca' d'Zan, Hour 2

Watch | Ca' d'Zan, Hour 2

Watch | Ca' d'Zan, Hour 3

Watch | Ca' d'Zan, Hour 3

    Quick links
  • Find Features by City
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Heirlooms
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • For Teachers
  • Vintage Minute
  • AR Podcast
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Watch | See Willie Mays Make “The Catch”

Watch | See Willie Mays Make “The Catch”

Watch |  Watch the Heated "Kitchen Debate"

Watch | Watch the Heated "Kitchen Debate"

Up-close | See the little book up close

Up-close | See the little book up close

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Fred Myrick Scrimshaw Tooth, ca. 1830

Value (2014) | $150,000 Insurance – $200,000 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
I brought in a Myrick's tooth, a scrimshawed piece that was in the family since early in the 1900s. The story that I was told by my dad was that in 1920, my great-grandfather received this from a hobo that he'd helped out. The story goes that this piece was used by the three boys to dig holes in the backyard for a period of time.

APPRAISER:
That would have been when, in the '20s?

GUEST:
About '28, '29, in that period.

APPRAISER:
So it's had quite a history in the family. It's a picture of the ship Francis. And you mention that it's a Myrick tooth, and Myrick was one of the first people to sign his scrimshaw.

GUEST:
Oh, okay.

APPRAISER:
So it was early, and because of that, we were able to track a body of work. Mm-hmm. And I'm going to rotate it and show the signature, and it says over here, "By Fred Myrick." Myrick was born in 1808, and he's quite famous-- famous as a seaman, and famous for his work on the ship Susan.

GUEST:
Okay, we'd heard quite a bit about the Susan's tooths.

APPRAISER:
Yes, and there's a body of work of Susan teeth, probably 20 to 25 pieces that are known. So we can track him, we can track his work, his progress as an artist, and this one for the ship Francis, because the Francis was commissioned in 1828. It eventually sunk in 1854. So we feel that he probably served on the Francis after the Susan.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
And as we can see, the work is exquisite. It really is beautiful. And I'm going to rotate it here and show the other side, which has another depiction of the Francis, beautifully done. There's some red staining there. What was that from?

GUEST:
Yeah, the red staining, we believe... It sat in my grandmother's house for years on a red velvet, and that was the only thing we could figure stained it.

APPRAISER:
That could be cleaned very easily. So the tooth is a sperm whale tooth, and it falls under the Marine Mammal Protection Law.

GUEST:
As I understand.

APPRAISER:
And in order to transact business with this tooth, you have to prove two things: number one, that it's at least 100 years old, which we know it is. We know it's close to 200 years old. And we have to know where it's been since the law was passed in 1972.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
Because you know it's been in your family possession since the '20s, at least, we pass on that aspect as well.

GUEST:
Oh, excellent.

APPRAISER:
Today, we're going to give it an insurance valuation of $150,000 to $200,000.

GUEST:
That's extraordinary, for something that four boys used to dig in the ground.

APPRAISER:
Will this stay in the family?

GUEST:
Oh, most definitely. It's just part of the family and the story of it and how it came to us. It's definitely a family treasure.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Allan Katz
Folk Art
Allan Katz Americana
Woodbridge, CT
Appraised value (2014)
$150,000 Insurance – $200,000 Insurance
Featured In
Santa Clara, Hour 2 (#1914)
Event
Santa Clara, CA (June 07, 2014)
Category
Folk Art
Period
19th Century
Form
Scrimshaw
Material
Tooth
April 27, 2015: Update 04.27.15: In October 2014, after the June taping event in Santa Clara, California, this Fred Myrick scrimshaw tooth sold at auction for $123,000 (including buyer's premium).

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.

More from PBS

Finding Your Roots

Enjoy the family stories told and ancestors found!

The Dictator's Playbook

Examine six dictators and their impact.

Victoria

See how Queen Victoria manages the order and chaos of 1848.

Whether or not Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, we're choosing to focus on this "Eternal Spring" appraisal today! #365DaysAR #groundhogday @RoadshowPBS

"I think it's so clever that within a piece of glass: you have the fish, you have all the parts, and you don't have to feed it." #antiquesroadshow @RoadshowPBS

TONIGHT at 8/7C on PBS: Escape the winter blues with all-new ANTIQUES ROADSHOW from Ca' d'Zan in Sarasota, Florida! Where will you be tuning in from? Give your local public television station a shout out below! Antiques Roadshow on Facebook

  • Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • ABOUT ROADSHOW
  • Schedule
  • Contact Us
  • Credits
  • Press
  • For Teachers
  • Telephone Scam Warning
  • Roadshow Imitators Warning
  • Doing Business with Appraisers
  • Our Sponsors
  • Our Funders
  • Corporate Sponsorship

Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance, Ancestry, and Consumer Cellular. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Produced By

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS by WGBH under license from BBC, Worldwide. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ©1997 – 2019 WGBH Educational Foundation.

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Copyright
Subscribe Hide  ×

A weekly collection of previews, videos, articles, interviews, and more!