Appraisal: Elijah Pierce Carvings, ca. 1960
Clip: Season 28 | 3m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Elijah Pierce Carvings, ca. 1960
See Ken Farmer's appraisal of Elijah Pierce carvings from 1960 in this Season 28 digital exclusive.
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Appraisal: Elijah Pierce Carvings, ca. 1960
Clip: Season 28 | 3m 27sVideo has Closed Captions
See Ken Farmer's appraisal of Elijah Pierce carvings from 1960 in this Season 28 digital exclusive.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipGUEST: My parents had uh heard about this artist named Elijah Pierce in the Columbus area.
He was a barber and then he did wood carvings when he wasn't working as a barber.
And my mom took me to the shop to pick up a carving.
I was just a year and a half and I was just, you know, down on the ground you know walking around and then one of the carvings that he had there, because they were all over the place, it fell onto me and you know hit my head and I started to cry.
Mr. Pierce came and with this alligator and gave it to me.
APPRAISER: Because you got hit in head with one of...
GUEST: Yeah, so.
And then these are other ones that they bought there.
APPRAISER: You're the first person I've ever met that was actually in his shop and knew him.
GUEST: Well, I was only a year and a half so I can't really claim that, but I just feel like it's feels really special to me.
APPRAISER: These are by a Black American artist named Elijah Pierce who was born in Mississippi in 1892 to a previously enslaved father.
According to what I read, he didn't like working on the farm so he came to Columbus, Ohio, and had developed a trade as a barber.
Became quite well known in his lifetime, won some awards and died in 1984.
He made these carvings for family first and when people liked him so much, I guess he started making them for lots of folks.
The thing that caught my eye right off the bat was the alligator.
He carved him in the round, you see both sides.
And nicely, it's got his initials "EP" and the date 1947 I believe there on the bottom.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: So this is the oldest of all the ones that you had.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Do you know that what he called these?
I mean he just called that an alligator obviously, but some of these other things actually have names.
GUEST: This one here is "The Walking Away Slave," a freed slave that's walking into freedom.
This one is a depiction of a cartoon.
He told my parents that this person with the pink in the suit is supposed to be Richard Nixon and it was a political cartoon and this is supposed to be the Democratic party and Richard Nixon is pulling the Democrat trying to pull the Democratic party.
APPRAISER: This plaque is is almost totem like in the way that it's made.
I believe he called it "The Image of Man."
But it has you know the man's head, his heart, his eye, a hand, an ear, nose- it covers all the senses and it's got the mouth and a foot on there.
A retail price would ask $6,000 to $8,000 for the alligator.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: Each one of the plaques would be $8,000 to $10,000.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: And the the figure of the woman uh running to freedom, I would say that's going to be more like $10,000 to $12,000 retail.
So the total would be $32,000 to $40,000.
GUEST: Oh wow.
Great, thank you.
Course, they're priceless to us.
[Music] [Music] [Music]
Appraisal: Tsarist Era Russian Noble's Jewelry
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Clip: S28 | 3m 19s | Appraisal: Tsarist Era Russian Noble's Jewelry (3m 19s)
Appraisal: The Who-signed "My Generation" Album, ca. 1969
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Clip: S28 | 2m 39s | Appraisal: The Who-signed "My Generation" Album, ca. 1969 (2m 39s)
Appraisal: Rod Stewart WNKS Gold RIAA Record, ca. 1988
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Clip: S28 | 1m 59s | Appraisal: Rod Stewart WNKS Gold RIAA Record, ca. 1988 (1m 59s)
Appraisal: Patek Phlippe U.S. Navy Watch, ca. 1915
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Clip: S28 | 2m 7s | Appraisal: Patek Phlippe U.S. Navy Watch, ca. 1915 (2m 7s)
Now PlayingAppraisal: Elijah Pierce Carvings, ca. 1960
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Clip: S28 | 3m 27s | Appraisal: Elijah Pierce Carvings, ca. 1960 (3m 27s)
Appraisal: Elektrisk Bureau Telephone, ca. 1885
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Clip: S28 | 1m 13s | Appraisal: Elektrisk Bureau Telephone, ca. 1885 (1m 13s)
Appraisal: Beekeeper's Box, ca. 1890
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Clip: S28 | 2m 50s | Appraisal: Beekeeper's Box, ca. 1890 (2m 50s)
Appraisal: 1982 UNC Team-signed Basketball
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Clip: S28 | 1m 16s | Appraisal: 1982 UNC Team-signed Basketball (1m 16s)
Appraisal: 1963 Eustace Ziegler "50 Winters" Oil
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Clip: S28 | 2m 22s | Appraisal: 1963 Eustace Ziegler "50 Winters" Oil (2m 22s)
Appraisal: Enamel Turkey Brooch, ca. 1940
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Clip: S28 | 2m 8s | Appraisal: Enamel Turkey Brooch, ca. 1940 (2m 8s)
Appraisal: Duffner & Kimberly Water Hyacinth Shade, ca. 1906
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Clip: S28 | 2m 32s | Appraisal: Appraisal: Duffner & Kimberly Water Hyacinth Shade, ca. 1906 (2m 32s)
Extraordinary Finds 3 Sneak-Peek Preview
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Preview: S28 | 41s | Preview: ANTIQUES ROADSHOW "Extraordinary Finds 3" (41s)
Explainer: Why Values Change Over Time
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Clip: S28 | 3m 3s | Explainer: Why Values Change Over Time (3m 3s)
Owner Interview: 1973 Iditarod Race Sled
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Clip: S28 | 4m 5s | Owner Interview: 1973 Iditarod Race Sled (4m 5s)
Owner Interview: Bob Ross Alaskan Oil Painting
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Clip: S28 | 1m 28s | Owner Interview: Bob Ross Alaskan Oil Painting (1m 28s)
Understanding the Term 'Eskimo'
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Clip: S28 | 3m 14s | Understanding the Term 'Eskimo' (3m 14s)
Appraising Alaska Native Items
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Clip: S28 | 4m 18s | Appraising Alaska Native Items (4m 18s)
Traditional Alaska Native Games Demonstration
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Clip: S28 | 3m 5s | ROADSHOW in Alaska: Traditional Alaska Native Games Demonstration (3m 5s)
Extraordinary Find: Walter Johnson, Babe Ruth & Honus Wagner-signed Baseballs
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 5m 35s | Leila Dunbar: Walter Johnson-signed Baseball/Babe Ruth & Wagner-signed Baseball (5m 35s)
Extraordinary Find: Red Diamond Ring
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 3m 54s | Kevin Zavian: Red Diamond Ring (3m 54s)
Extraordinary Find: Pete Seeger-autographed Sign
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 4m 40s | Extraordinary Find: Pete Seeger-autographed Sign (4m 40s)
Extraordinary Find: Louis Rice-designed Skyscraper Coffee & Tea Service
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 4m 47s | Extraordinary Find: Louis Rice-designed Skyscraper Coffee & Tea Service, ca. 1928 (4m 47s)
Extraordinary Find: Jane Peterson "The Answer" Oil Painting
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 3m 38s | Extraordinary Find: Jane Peterson "The Answer" Oil Painting (3m 38s)
Extraordinary Find: Helen Hayes's "Verdura for Chanel" Cuff
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 4m 37s | Laura Woolley: Helen Hayes's "Verdura for Chanel" Cuff, ca. 1930 (4m 37s)
Extraordinary Find: Evelyn Rumsey Cary "Woman Suffrage" Poster
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 2m 8s | Extraordinary Find: Evelyn Rumsey Cary "Woman Suffrage" Poster (2m 8s)
Extraordinary Find: Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker Coat
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 4m 39s | Extraordinary Find: Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker Coat (4m 39s)
Extraordinary Find: 1999 Pokémon Base Unlimited & Fossil 1st Ed. Booster Boxes
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 4m 3s | Extraordinary Find: 1999 Pokémon Base Unlimited & Fossil 1st Ed. Booster Boxes (4m 3s)
Extraordinary Find: 1964 Aurora Plastics Godzilla Model
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 33s | Travis Landry: 1964 Aurora Plastics Godzilla Model (33s)
Extraordinary Find: 1945 Gertrude Abercrombie Surrealist Painting
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 3m 59s | Extraordinary Find: 1945 Gertrude Abercrombie Surrealist Painting (3m 59s)
Extraordinary Find: 1941 Willie Sutton Prison Escape Head & Hand
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 3m 48s | James Supp: 1941 Willie Sutton Prison-escape Head & Hand (3m 48s)
Extraordinary Find: 1917 Boston Red Sox Baseball Calendar
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 3m 8s | Simeon Lipman: 1917 Boston Red Sox Baseball Calendar (3m 8s)
Extraordinary Find: 1892 H.F. Farny Watercolor & Gouache Painting
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 1m 3s | Extraordinary Find: 1892 H.F. Farny Watercolor & Gouache Painting (1m 3s)
Extraordinary Find: 1876 John Alexander Stoneware Cooler
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 6m 49s | Allan Katz: 1876 John Alexander Stoneware Cooler (6m 49s)
Extraordinary Find: 1655 Shakespeare "King Lear" 3rd Quarto Edition
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Clip: S28 Ep24 | 4m 13s | Extraordinary Find: 1655 Shakespeare "King Lear" 3rd Quarto Edition (4m 13s)
Appraisal: WWII Leather Blood Chit
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 45s | Appraisal: WWII Leather Blood Chit (45s)
Appraisal: White Jade Pendant & Serpentine Frame
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 2m 25s | Appraisal: White Jade Pendant & Serpentine Frame (2m 25s)
Appraisal: Trippensee Planetarium, ca. 1910
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 2m 12s | Appraisal: Trippensee Planetarium, ca. 1910 (2m 12s)
Appraisal: Rockford Watch Co. Watch, ca. 1895
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 1m 18s | Appraisal: Rockford Watch Co. Watch, ca. 1895 (1m 18s)
Appraisal: Plains Indian Doll, ca. 1880
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 2m 16s | Appraisal: Plains Indian Doll, ca. 1880 (2m 16s)
Appraisal: Persian Bakshaish Rug, ca. 1885
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 2m 23s | Appraisal: Persian Bakshaish Rug, ca. 1885 (2m 23s)
Appraisal: Louis Floutier Oil Painting, ca. 1920
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 39s | Appraisal: Louis Floutier Oil Painting, ca. 1920 (39s)
Appraisal: Italian Lava & Conch Shell Cameos, ca. 1900
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 3m 12s | Appraisal: Italian Lava & Conch Shell Cameos, ca. 1900 (3m 12s)
Appraisal: Italian Faience Centerpiece, ca. 1880
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 33s | Appraisal: Italian Faience Centerpiece, ca. 1880 (33s)
Appraisal: French Liqueur Decanter Glass Set, ca. 1890
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 18s | Appraisal: French Liqueur Decanter Glass Set, ca. 1890 (18s)
Appraisal: French Figural Clock, ca. 1830
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 31s | Appraisal: French Figural Clock, ca. 1830 (31s)
Appraisal: English Memorial Bracelet, ca. 1885
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 43s | Appraisal: English Memorial Bracelet, ca. 1885 (43s)
Appraisal: Duck Decoys Attributed to Chris Powers, ca. 1950
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 1m 3s | Appraisal: Duck Decoys Attributed to Chris Powers, ca. 1950 (1m 3s)
Appraisal: Civil War Watch & Veteran's Medal
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 1m 3s | Appraisal: Civil War Watch & Veteran's Medal (1m 3s)
Appraisal: Caughley Porcelain 'Toy' Service, ca. 1780
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 2m 55s | Appraisal: Caughley Porcelain 'Toy' Service, ca. 1780 (2m 55s)
Appraisal: Barnes Tool Co. Table Saw, ca. 1890
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Clip: S28 Ep21 | 32s | Appraisal: Barnes Tool Co. Table Saw, ca. 1890 (32s)
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Hit the road in a classic car for a tour through Great Britain with two antiques experts.
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Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.