>> Welcome to Mississippi Antique Showcase.

In this episode, we're in Biloxi, Mississippi, with our expert appraisers to look at your rare finds, family heirlooms, and your quirky collectibles.

We'll see what we can learn about these unique treasures.

And of course, see what they might be worth.

>> My son will be happy.

>> Yeah, he'll be thrilled.

>> Senator England, thank you so much for coming in to MPB, welcome to the Antique Showcase.

Thank you so much for bringing your piece.

We just want to tell the audience a little bit about it, how you got it and acquired it, and I'll let you go.

>> Yeah, thank you, Corey.

So this grandfather clock was was given to my wife and I for our house.

They acquired it through one of my grandfather's friends who was serving in Germany in the late 1950s, early 1960s, and I guess they wrote home and said, "Look, can we bring anything back?"

My grandmother said, "I'd really love to have an old grandfather clock."

So this is what they brought home.

It was a German grandfather clock.

It's been in my family since then.

They lived in South Carolina at the time and moved to Mississippi.

Now they're in Florida and they brought this back to us.

So it's well-traveled.

IT's a well-traveled clock, but it's just such a cool, cool part of our family now.

>> Absolutely.

Well, one of the great things about I think we talked before is the simplicity of the clock is so nice.

When you have some oak and walnut here, you don't have a lot of details and carvings.

It's just exactly what it was supposed to do.

It looks like this oval, wavy glass is the original glass that would have been with the clock.

So that's great that even traveling that much, it wasn't broken or something because you often see replaced glass, but you can tell just the bevels in the glass that it's an older glass.

And then same thing too here, this dome, it does appear to be original you'll notice that there's all the brass and tin actual, what we call the inner makings of the clock, but the clock face as well.

And that just adds a little pop to it.

Like I said, again, it's pretty simple walnut and oak, but if we can open the interior of it, we can see and get a better look.

Often these clocks have more similar inner makings, but we can actually see that there is a maker's tag here and it is German and it actually says on the the maker's, the actual city that it was manufactured in.

A lot of these, they may have gotten component parts from other places, but probably where it was assembled would have been mentioned here and the city in Germany.

And this is a Marbod Forster.

So that's a great, just put-together, solid piece.

It probably, if I would imagine since they, when you said that they actually required it, it probably was about 1890 to 1900.

So you're probably looking right there at the turn of the century.

Same thing the brass hinges are original.

And so the screws, you can really look at the hardware to be able to date some of these things, too.

So it's definitely Victorian to right there at the turn of the century and it really is just a pretty piece.

Do y'all think y'all know about how much it may be worth?

>> I don't.

I have no clue.

I called my grandma, called Nana, called Nana before we came over here.

And she said, "Well, I think it was $50 back when I got it."

So, you know, if it's more than that, we're happy, but we just love having the piece.

>> Absolutely.

Well, I think, just conservatively at an auction, you're probably looking at anywhere from $400 to $600.

Maybe, because it's in working order, and like you said, it has some pretty chimes to it, you may, at the highest point, get maybe $700 or $800, but I think that's still pretty good ROI, given that couple of decades, right?

>> Absolutely.

>> But since you intend to keep it in the family, which I recommend you do, and you can enjoy it yourself, you may not have to worry about that.

Maybe for insurance purposes, you get that, right?

>> That's right, well, and having kids and finding out we've got original glass in there, that might make me a little more nervous around it.

But they've been pretty good.

>> Maybe.

But that's that's the key part of the clock.

So it's good that it's been preserved that way.

So thank you so much again for supporting MPB and bringing the clock in, we really appreciate it.

>> John, you've got a nice looking piece of gold there.

>> Yes.

Well, thank you.

>> How did you come by that one?

>> It was a gift to my mother from my father early in their marriage.

They were married in 1955, so it was somewhere after that, and it was used as a bracelet.

This coin was put on a chain and was used as a bracelet.

And so my mother passed away a few years ago and she gave it to me and she wasn't sure the value of the coin.

Now there are-- and I've called some people who are coin enthusiasts and they said, "Well, it could be valuable, try this app on your phone."

And so I tried the app on the phone and I can't recall, but I took a picture of the coin and uploaded it to the app and it said the value might be anywhere between $100 and $5,000 or something like that.

So I thought that range was so wide.

I thought, I think I need a human being to take a look at it.

So when I heard about the Showcase here, I thought this was the best place to come and let somebody take a look.

>> Well, we appreciate you bringing it.

And we always like to look at gold.

Well, this is a $10 Eagle 1882 gold piece.

It was minted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The coin looks to be in probably an aU-55 condition, which is Almost Uncirculated.

There's some scratches here and there, but overall it's in good condition.

It has a bezel around it.

And sometimes the bezel would leave a mark on the coin.

And so to really know the true condition of the coin, you'd have to take it out of the bezel.

Being a family heirloom, you probably wouldn't want to do that.

You'd just leave it in the bezel, but it still looks like a very good coin and I don't think the bezel is probably damaged it any.

It's not a rare coin.

There was with quite a few of these minted, but still, being gold, it's a fairly valuable coin.

This coin in today's market in the bezel would probably be somewhere in the $1,250 to $1,500 range.

>> Well thank you, Mr. Kennedy, I appreciate that.

>> I thank you.

>> Hello, sir.

You're a familiar face.

I remember you from another Mississippi Antique Showcase appearance.

And it's good to have you back.

>> Thank you.

>> You brought a beautiful shadow box with a piece of jade in it.

>> Yes sir.

>> And how did you find this?

>> Well, it was a part of the estate sale of paintings and some stuff in a bank vault that they were trying to, the family was trying to get rid of in Jackson, Mississippi.

>> Were there any other items that were similar to this at the sale?

>> That's the only one, but in the vault, there was like a life-size painting of a woman, or something like that.

>> But nothing that had Asian background or Asian style.

>> Right.

>> Okay.

Well, what you have here, you're correct, is a piece of white jade, and it is part of a fob that would have been on a satin rope or something like that to wear around your waist.

And I can identify that because it's got a fob at the top or ring at the top where the fob would go through and tie off.

It is white jade and white jade can be very, very pretty and very valuable.

I have to disappoint you on this one, though.

This one is just decorative.

It is real, jade, but the carving is very, very, very rough, and fine jade or very valuable jade has a gorgeous translucency and the carving on it is just fine, fine, fine, like beautiful carved statues.

So this one was done for commercial use, probably by a notable company like Uttermost, or something like that, that would be for decorative use only.

And they put it in a pretty thing.

I mean, for something to hang at home, I think it's lovely.

I think it would be worth keeping.

When it was purchased, it probably sold for a retail value, maybe probably $125, $130, and I'd say it's probably worth about $70 now, something like that for somebody who's looking for that.

But it is a really pretty piece of jade.

It's not a throw away, but unfortunately it doesn't have the cash... cachet to be a found object that's worth a lot of money.

So yeah.

So keep on looking, though, because you know what?

You're never going to know what you find, and one day you may find that multimillion dollar piece of jade at some sale, so anyway.

But thank you so much for bringing it.

>> Well, thank you so much.

>> You're so welcome.

>> We're here with Chelen McKinney.

What a pretty name.

>> Thank you so much.

>> And you have a pretty painting.

Tell us about it.

>> Thank you.

Yeah, this was a piece that actually a friend of mine, we went to a thrift shop in Brookhaven and found it, just kind of just really stood out to me and I thought was really cool and the colors and everything.

And anyway, it was a $40 investment and it got appraised for between $600 and $800.

>> There you go.

>> Pretty good investment.

>> That makes your trips going junking worth it?

>> Yes, it is.

So I definitely could reinvest those.

>> What did he tell you?

Did you learn anything about the history of the painting, or the artist or anything?

>> He didn't know anything about the history of the artist because I think it's kind of a local person.

But whoever did it, I thought was really cool.

They built the frame around it, too.

So I mean, they took a lot of time with it and he said it's kind of a primitive piece, which is not-- you know, it's a good thing.

It's a little abstract looking.

So, anyway, we're real happy with it.

>> And do you display it at your home?

>> I do, I do, I have it in a room in my home.

>> Great.

Chelen, thank you.

>> Thank you.

I appreciate it.

>> We have Marianne here and she's got a wonderful piece of Chinese art.

It's actually paper that's been cut out and applied to the background.

It's really a nice piece.

It's got some Chinese writing, who would have been the artist.

Do you know anything about it, Marianne?

>> Nothing.

>> Thank you.

Where did you acquire it?

>> I can't even remember where I got it.

How embarrassing.

>> So how much did you pay for it?

>> I don't remember.

>> I know you, and you didn't pay much >> I unfortunately gave it to my son for Christmas last year.

So he's going to benefit from this, not me.

>> Oh, really?

>> But it's all hand-colored.

Each thing is.

>> Each, yeah.

And you can see the detail in all of this and it's very intricate.

>> And the little fringe that they cut out individually.

>> Yeah, it is a wonderful piece.

I didn't really have a chance to research it much, so I'm just going to be shooting at the stars on this one.

But it is a very lovely piece.

It's a nice piece of art.

It's unusual.

I would, just by the paper and everything, I would think it's probably '30s, 1930s, maybe 1940s.

>> Oh, okay.

>> And it is well mounted.

Any idea of what you think it's worth?

>> No, I don't.

I don't have any idea.

I wish I did, but I don't.

Well, just as far as I would consider, I would probably say in the range of $500 to $600.

>> Sounds good.

>> Yeah, yeah, >> My son will be happy.

>> Yeah, he'll be thrilled.

It's something to sell when Momma dies.

>> That's it exactly.

>> Thank you very much for bringing it today.

It's a pleasure seeing you.

>> Hey Gayle.

Thank you so much for coming to in MPB's Antique Showcase.

We so appreciate you bringing your items here.

Can you tell us a little bit about these vases and where you got them from?

>> We got them from my husband's great aunt's house.

She had passed away and we were cleaning out her house and nobody wanted them.

And so I took them.

>> I don't blame you for taking them.

They're pretty, aren't they?

>> Yes.

>> So when did you say you got them?

The year.

>> About 1974, around that time.

>> So do you do you happen to know how old they may be or anything about?

>> I'd say they are a good over a hundred years.

>> Okay, so these are what we would consider Japanese.

And I don't know if you've seen on the bottom, but there is an actual mark on both of these.

They're hand-painted in Japan and they're called Nippon.

And that's generally a style that was from about 1891 to 1921.

So you're pretty correct as far as the date range.

So congratulations.

But they're well known.

And apart from regular porcelain, which was more of a myosin based, this one really crafted.

As you can see, you've got some Japanese flowers and they really did a good job of just incorporating some gilt and hand-painted all throughout the vase.

And you can see it's got pretty crackleture on it.

I would probably date this piece to about 1895 to 1900.

>> Wow.

>> It particularly comes from a specific area that you can see on the mark on the bottom in Japan.

It's actually a town in Japan.

These typically range at auction between anywhere from $100 to $500 for the pair.

And since you've got one that's in pretty good condition, I don't see a lot of chips or cracks.

You do have some guilt wear, which is common on the corners, but it's got a pretty octagonal base and a top and a bloom base.

So what did you think it may have been worth?

>> I don't know.

>> I think you'd be a solid with a pair anywhere from $250 to $500 and maybe a little bit more in a retail shop.

But at auction, I think that's a safe estimate.

How does that sound from getting it for free, right?

Yeah, that's a good return on investment.

>> Yes, very good.

>> We so appreciate you bringing them in.

Thank you so much.

>> Thank you.

>> Tell me your name.

>> Mark Dubaz.

>> Where are you all from?

>> We're both from Biloxi.

>> Oh, it's nice having you here at the Mississippi Antique Showcase today.

Talk about the pieces that you brought in today.

>> Well, this is a celadon wine vessel from Korea that I bought when I was in the military in 1987 in Japan.

>>Okay.

>> And it's approximately 300 to 700 years old.

>> Wow.

>> And has a lot of value to it.

But it's, you know, of course, it's always more important for the personal value.

>> Right.

Right.

So what did you learn about the item today from the appraiser?

>> Well I think that he confirmed much of what I had already researched.

You know, he doesn't know what dynasty it is, and I couldn't find it either.

But that it is celadon, that it is Korean.

I always thought this was a crack, but it's not.

It's just part of the firing process.

>> Okay.

>> And all this down here is also part of the firing process.

And that makes me feel better.

And it has an antiquities stamp on it.

But we don't speak Korean.

>> You couldn't translate it.

Did he tell you how much it was appraised for?

>> He and his partner went somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000.

>> Oh, wow.

That's great.

That's great.

>> That's why I'm holding on to it so tight.

>> I mean, from a 1987 piece to today, that's an awesome uptick in the price.

So that's great.

What do you plan on doing with it in the future?

>> Putting it right back where it sat in the curio and keeping it and passing it on to my son, because he appreciates celadon.

I mean, he already.

has half of my celadon collection.

>> Oh, look at you, Dad.

Nice Dad.

Now, I would love to know about the piece that you brought, as well.

Show everybody and talk a little bit about it.

>> Well, it's a watch that ladies would pin on and it actually works.

It's Swiss.

>> Beautiful!

>> It's 18 karat gold.

They said it was in excellent condition, which made me feel happy.

It's got little diamonds and pearls I just think it's pretty.

It was probably made in the 1890s.

>> Okay.

Okay.

How did you acquire this piece?

>> It was a gift.

I didn't know much about it, but I just like to wear it.

Especially when you can, you know, wear on a jacket.

>> Fancy, fancy.

>> But I think it's pretty.

>> That is pretty.

What did you learn about the item today from the appraiser?

>> Well, he thought it was pretty, too.

He thought this was the most beautiful part.

And we looked online at others and he said it was worth probably some-- it could depend, but somewhere at least $3,000 or more.

>> Oh, wow.

>> So it's nice.

>> Y'all did good today.

Y'all did good today.

>> Yeah, we did.

>> What do you plan on doing with this piece in the future?

>> Wearing it, and I'm sure my daughter would like it, too.

>> Yeah, good heirloom piece to pass.

>> Yes it is.

It's pretty.

>> That is great.

We thank you both for joining us here at Mississippi.

Antique Showcase.

We enjoyed having you.

>> Appreciate it.

>> Ms. Elva, this is an interesting looking blanket you brought us today.

>> Yes.

>> How many years have you had this piece?

>> About maybe 30 years.

I had not seen anything like this before, but I don't usually know anything about Native American blankets.

But this one was offered to me by a lady I knew.

Then one time she brought me this blanket and I bought it from her, and it's just one of many things, different things she brought me to buy.

I usually bought everything she... >> She must have had nice things.

>> Yes, she did.

And when she told me it's valuable, I believed her.

>> What did you pay for it 30 years ago?

>> That is the one thing.

I don't remember how much I paid for it.

>> Have you ever done any research as to what it might be worth or exactly what kind of a blanket it is?

>> No, but I believe that these are human footprints, and lately, I have seen a lot on TV about in New Mexico, they found geographically somewhere some footprints that have been there for hundreds of years, and I'm just wondering if maybe this might be related to that.

>> You know, it sounds like it might be.

It's a neat, neat blanket.

I never saw anything like it in that the footprints really pop on the yellow background.

>> I love it.

I love that color, the two colors together.

I love them.

>> Did you ever have it cleaned or anything like that?

>> I had the bright idea about having it dry cleaned before I just put it away and store it.

And when it came back, when I came back from the dry cleaners, I just put it away.

And later when I opened the wrapper, I noticed that they had damaged it.

>> These little places here?

>> Yes.

>> Yeah, that's unfortunate.

But that could maybe be worked some by uh... textile conservators.

Some of those folks can work a little miracle on places like that and almost make them disappear.

So you just keep it put away most of the time?

>> I do, because I don't want to expose it to any more than I already did.

>> Right, yeah.

Because the blacks are really good, deep and rich.

And if you had it displayed somewhere with sunlight, these could get faded.

>> Yeah.

>> It's looking good.

It looks like it's been put away.

It really does.

You know, it looks like something that might be probably from the 1960s or 1970s.

And, you know, it's probably in New Mexico or Arizona and something that was made for the tourist trade probably.

And, you know, I was looking at these and thinking they look like little animal tracks, but then you think they're human tracks and there's like some prehistoric tracks at some site there in New Mexico.

And it may be they were selling this somewhere, you know, close to there, a tourist shop or something.

And I think I've seen those tracks you're talking about out there.

And they may look a little bit like that.

I'm going to have to go see and look at that.

And just comparing them because this is really unique.

You know, I think in today's market, something like this, I mean, it draw your attention, and that's the kind of item, when we do auctions, that usually command higher prices because everybody looks at it and nobody has anything like it.

And this piece in today's market, I believe, would probably be in the $800 to $1,000 range.

I think it would be somewhere in there.

>> I know I did not pay that much for it.

>> Really?

Well it's one of those things, if you try to find another one, you'd probably spend a long time and never see another one.

It's really, it's a unique rug.

And we appreciate you bringing it out.

>> Thank you.

>> Okay, what do we have today?

>> I have a vampire killing kit for you to look at.

>> Okaaaay...

Yes, that's what you have.

You've been having problems with vampires?

>> Um, not lately.

This has helped out quite a bit.

>> Okay, well, I see it's authentic.

Everything about it.

It has has the Bible and it has the incense burner, and it has the holy water and has a stake.

And the gun, and the way to recharge the gun, cross, the stakes.

Well, you know, these probably they have-- they have very little value as far as practicality.

But these are quite valuable as far as a novelty, you know, because who has one, first of all?

My theory on-- I've sold in 45 years as being an auctioneer, I own an auction company, I've only sold five of these and this one is right in the top with those that have sold.

Now my theory-- this is only a theory.

My theory-- all of the ones that I've sold has been along the Mississippi River from Memphis to New Orleans.

My theory is that there was a serial killer that was riding on the boats and he was killing people.

And so everybody got to thinking that it was a vampire that was doing it.

And when the book came out in 1880, they all were sure that's what it was.

And someone had the idea that they were going to make money off of this.

So they made these and they started selling them to people to kill vampires.

And then the person was either caught or something happened to him, probably.

And then the guy that was selling them said, "See?

It's working."

But all of them have these essential parts.

Every one, all five of them that I've sold.

The first one I sold was in Natchez and it brought $15,000.

And another one I sold in Port Gibson, along the Mississippi, and it brought $8,500.

Then a magazine in London called me and asked me how I had become an authority on vampires.

Well, I told them I didn't know that I was.

I told him that I personally did not believe in vampires, but I believed that someone believed in vampires at one time.

And then in recent years, all the vampire movies and the books and everything that's come out, people are intrigued with the idea of vampires.

And so by saying all that, I'd say this one is right up there with them.

I'd say from $8,000 to $10,000.

So, glad you brough it by.

>> Good to know.

>> I always think they are fascinating.

And the idea that that people, at one time, believed in them.

And now when you watch the movies, you almost get to believing in them yourself.

So we'll see what happens.

Take it home and see what happens.

Thank you for bringing it by.

>> Thank you.

♪♪