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Black Forest Carved Shoe Inkwell, ca. 1900

Value (2017) | $700 Auction – $900 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
I brought a carved wooden shoe that I have had in my family since I was a child. My dad brought it home from World War II. He was stationed in France at the time. And my dad was always very frugal with his dollars, and there was another soldier that wasn't all that frugal, and he needed cash. Dad had cash. The other soldier had this wooden shoe, so they simply exchanged. It survived a lot and it's in good shape. It came home on the Queen Mary.

APPRAISER:
It is in good shape. The detail is exquisite. I mean, you can even see the stitches on the shoes. It's a shoe full of walnuts, and it's carved out of walnut. Dates from the late 18th, early 19th century, and was carved in the Black Forest region of Europe. So it's an ink well. You open it up, and you have the actual ink well that's most likely made of pewter. And then this recessed area here probably held extra pen nibs. At auction, we would probably estimate it in the $700 to $900 range.

GUEST:
Excellent.

APPRAISER:
Because it's in such great condition and a lot of people collect ink wells.

GUEST:
Okay, thank you.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
LaGina Austin
Decorative Arts, Furniture, Rugs & Textiles
Skinner, Inc.
Boston, MA
Appraised value (2017)
$700 Auction – $900 Auction
Featured In
Palm Springs, Hour 1 (#2107)
Event
Palm Springs, CA (August 06, 2016)
Category
Folk Art
Period
19th Century
Form
Ink Well
Material
Metal , Pewter , Walnut , Wood

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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