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Virginia Federal Walnut Cellarette, ca. 1800

Value (2015) | $12,000 Auction – $18,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, it belonged to my husband's grandmother, and we've had it about six years. I actually use it as a file cabinet. (laughing) We really didn't know what it was. A friend of the family said, "I think that's a sugar chest," and that's the only thing I know about what it could be. Files fit great in it, so...

APPRAISER:
Okay, so part of the way to figure that out is to look at the inside, and before I open it, notice this beautiful, single-board, walnut top with these batten ends, this beautiful color, but inside, let's see if we get any clues in here. It's just an empty box, right?

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
There's nothing in there. If this had been a sugar chest, it would have been slightly different in that it would have had usually two dividers. Sugar came in cones, and they would have divided it into maybe three sections inside. So we've just got this empty box, and there are no scars on the side where it had mortises or anything. But if you look very closely on all four sides, there's one single nail hole. Originally, when this was made, it likely had a frame there that would have had dividers for bottles. So this was for the family liquor.

GUEST:
Oh!

APPRAISER:
So this is a cellarette rather than a sugar chest.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
Both of those are generally considered uniquely Southern forms. The piece is made of walnut top to bottom. It's very finely made. It has beautiful dovetails on the side and on the drawers. It has period hinges on the back with beautiful rose head nails on them. So the piece itself is fairly intact. It does have some things that have happened to it over the years. The brass plate here that covers the escutcheon is a later replacement. There's an odd little patch on your side over there. Maybe it got a gouge in it or something. It's a very shallow patch. So it's not flawless, but really, it's very intact, which is unusual. This piece would date to maybe 1800 or 1810. So over those 200-plus years, these beautiful, delicate, tall legs, which is part of what really is the magic of this piece, are all intact. Southern cellarettes tend to be very consistent in their design, and there are pieces like this that have been attributed to a maker in Gates County, North Carolina, which is just on the North Carolina side of Virginia. And there are also Virginia cases that have been attributed to other makers or unknown makers. Either way, it's somewhere in that line. Given the family history in Richmond, I'm inclined to put it on the Virginia side. But this is an object that is prized by collectors. So it came down through the family, and it really is pretty special. At auction, I would expect this piece to bring maybe between $12,000 and $18,000.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh! You're kidding!

APPRAISER:
So this really is... it's a great object.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh!

APPRAISER:
So don't break a leg, don't put too many files in it.

GUEST:
I can't put my files in this now!

APPRAISER:
You can! It's there to be used. But I would just put the important files, maybe the thin files in it.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh!

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Andrew Brunk
Decorative Arts, Folk Art, Furniture
Brunk Auctions
Asheville, NC
Appraised value (2015)
$12,000 Auction – $18,000 Auction
Featured In
Charleston, Hour 1 (#2007)
Event
Charleston, SC (August 08, 2015)
Category
Furniture
Period
18th Century , 19th Century
Form
Cellarette
Material
Brass , Walnut

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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