♪ ♪ I've got a Revolutionary War discharge signed by George Washington.

This is one of the finest pieces of Federal furniture that I've ever seen.

You certainly picked a treasure... Well!

...from the chicken coop.

You're kidding!

No!

♪ ♪ CORAL PEÑA: "Antiques Roadshow's" first-ever appraisal to air was a curious object passed down through a family who knew nothing about it.

GUEST: The only thing I do know is, it was handed down from family to family.

PEÑA: Sound familiar?

Since 1996, we've heard thousands of stories just like that one, with "Roadshow" experts weighing in to solve family mysteries and evaluate countless treasures.

In "Vintage First Finds," we're reevaluating the appraisals that started it all.

Let's see how the objects from Chicago, Southfield, Minneapolis, and Kansas City have fared since that first episode.

GUEST: This came from my father's house.

APPRAISER: Uh-huh.

Uh, he lived on three acres in Lombard, Illinois.

Uh-huh.

He had a big house, big old garage, all the way down to a chicken coop.

(laughs) Oh, my goodness.

And he had it all filled with things.

He loved to go to auctions and... So was he in the business?

Was he a picker or was he just... No, no, no, he just lived to be 92, and he enjoyed himself doing that.

(laughing) Well, everyone in the antiques business loves to hear about pickers... (laughs) ...and great, uh, pack rats... Yeah.

...who never threw things away.

Mm-hmm, yeah.

Well, you certainly picked a treasure... Well!

...from the chicken coop.

Oh!

(laughs) Um, this is a painting by Jane Peterson, who was an American Impressionist artist.

She was born in 1876... Oh!

Hm!

...and died in 1965.

She traveled all over the country, spent a great deal of time in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and painted there quite a bit.

This painting was probably done in 1924 in Constantinople.

Ah.

She was there, she was in Venice.

She traveled all over the world.

Mm.

The issue with valuing this painting is twofold.

First, there's the bad news, then I'll give you the good news.

(laughs) The bad news is location, location, location.

Ah.

Her most valuable paintings are the American Impressionist scenes in the United States.

You know, great scenes of women in gardens with hollyhocks and flowers... Oh.

...and things like that.

Mm-hmm.

The good news is, um, that women artists are really being reappraised... Oh!

...in the auction market and in the secondary market.

For the longest time, they were just seen as, you know, biding time, doing paintings between their fathers' homes to their husbands' homes.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, now they're really being seen as the fine-quality artists that they are.

And Jane Peterson's works have sold for over $100,000.

Hm.

They're tremendously valuable pieces.

Hm.

And this piece, I would put a value of $8,000 to $12,000.

Oh!

(chuckles) Wonderful!

(laughing) Oh, good!

Wonderful!

So go back to that chicken coop.

Won... (laughs) You brought one of my personal favorite toys.

I want you to tell me what you know about it.

Well, the only thing I do know is, it was handed down from family to family.

I don't know whether it came from my grandmother or her mother before.

And that would all be in Chicago.

Do you remember playing with this as a child?

No.

Do you know where it was made or anything like that?

I don't know anything-- that's why I was so tickled to have this opportunity to bring it here.

Well, it's a real treasure and, uh, you couldn't have brought it to a more appreciative audience than to me.

I have one or two of these in my own collection of optical toy... Just like this?

Just-- almost just like this.

Really?

And this was the first and best American kaleidoscope.

Oh, really?

Made by a company called Bush.

It was made in Providence, Rhode Island, for, in the 1870s.

Oh, really?

You can actually see, on the, uh, on the top here, although there's a little corrosion in the metal, you'll see "Bush."

You'll even see there's a little emblem of a kaleidoscope.

Oh, truly.

And then... And it has a patented reissue date of 1873, I, I think I discern.

Well, my grandmother was born in 1875, so then that would predate my grandmother, then.

Maybe it was given to her, perhaps, as a, as a child, uh... Maybe-- maybe.

Although it wasn't really a children's toy.

This was almost a, a scientific wonder of its age.

Uh-huh.

Um, this example is really a fine example.

It's got some condition problems which affect its value.

And tell you one thing you probably don't know that's missing.

Oh.

There's a little hole right here.

I saw that.

In the stem.

Yes, I saw that.

Often the stem breaks because of that hole.

But what belongs in that hole is a wire, and this could be easily fabricated.

It goes down here and bends up, and you put a candle on that wire.

Oh, for heaven's sake!

So that... Oh, my goodness' sake!

It's, actually provides the illumination.

Oh, that's in, that is fascinating.

Now, what makes this kaleidoscope just so fantastic and head-and-shoulders over anything else are the, are the objects, as you well know, that you see when you look at it.

Oh, I love to look at it.

When you look inside and turn it, you get the typical kaleidoscope effect, but, uh, instead of bits of pieces of colored glass, what you have in here are hand-twisted glass rods, twisted like Venetian glass.

You have little ampoules of, uh, colored oil, so that the liquid actually moves in the ampoules and provides additional color.

And it really... Oh, you... It's just absolutely amazing.

You have explained this so beautifully with the ampoules and the oil, and I, uh, I've never heard it explained like that.

As far as value is concerned, as I said, this is a good example, but it has some wear.

One very good thing, often, these things are missing, which are very hard to replace, so you have all of them.

It could be tightened up, screws tightened up, so it's a little, and I would advise doing this.

In this condition, I would say this kaleidoscope is worth around $1,500.

Oh, that is wonderful.

(laughs) That is wonderful to hear.

So you really have quite a treasure.

Ahh.

It's my father's.

He, he bought it here in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

It's a hurdy-gurdy.

Yep.

This is quite an amazing piece to find in a place such as Minnesota.

I think it's far from its home.

It's most definitely French work and it's actually signed by the maker.

And that looks like Bassot.

It's in great condition, actually.

I like to think of it as the first mechanical instrument to ever come along.

Um, it's, the origins of it are very old, and not really sure where it came from.

We don't really see it in Europe until, uh, come the 11th or 12th century.

It's a six-stringed instrument with strings that sort of pass through.

It's tuned at the top.

And if we slowly take this off, this is a wheel that is actually rosined.

The instrument is played by cranking that wheel.

And as it turns, the rosin on the wheel activates and aggravates the strings, and, and you get a sound just like a violin.

Okay.

But with a wheel... Mm-hmm.

...it's continually playing.

(chuckling) Um, these here, these are called the tangents.

And this is the tangent box.

And you can see, it's a wood mechanism for actually playing the strings.

The earliest known, uh, forms of this in Europe, they were much bigger, and actually so big, that it would take you and I to play it, where I'd sit here and crank and you would play the tangent.

And it's not until into the, uh, 15th century where we see them in this form.

The inlay, I think it's actually whalebone and ivory, and that black "whalebone" we know as, uh, here in the United States, as baleen.

Where did you find it again?

It's something my, my dad brought home.

Mm-hmm.

It's just something he came across one day.

(chuckling) And, and he likes unique instruments.

Mm-hmm.

Musical instruments.

And, uh, this is definitely... (chuckles) Okay.

...a, a, a good find, um... I'll say, my dad from New Jersey never brought anything home like this.

(both laugh) Okay.

Um, do you know what he paid, uh... It, it wasn't much.

(laughing): It wasn't much, well, I think it's, uh, uh, quite a valuable piece.

Um, one in this condition, um, I would put at probably around between $4,000 and $6,000.

Wow.

It's a great thing.

Wonderful.

GUEST: Well, I bought it in Glasgow roundabout, one time, was visiting my family in Paisley, and I bought it there in an antique shop.

I just took a fancy to it.

I, I wasn't a watch collector at that time, but since then, I bought more of them.

But I was intrigued by the fact that it was a fusee, the chain-driven watch, which, uh, are only antiques now.

It's a beautiful watch, as you can see.

Um, you've got a wonderful dial, which is really, really nice.

I thought, when I bought it, uh, I thought the, uh, gold, I thought it was gilt or brass.

And I didn't know, till I brought it back to Kansas City and the watchmaker worked on it and cleaned it, he said, "No, that, that's gold, it is gold."

Correct, yeah, nice gold numbers... Yes.

...on the front of the case, and a beautiful design.

And you did have it worked on and all put back into original condition.

Yeah, it's all cleaned up.

Yes, yes.

Great.

If we open the inside of the watch here, you can see a wonderful hallmarks.

You had stated that you felt that it was done about how old, based on the hallmarks?

Uh, somewhere between, uh, 1881 and 1885.

Okay-- basically, based on the hallmarks on the inside... Yeah.

...the case is really about 1841.

Is it?

Yeah, so it's a little bit earlier than... So, somewhere... Yeah, it's somewhere in there.

...than you thought, right.

And the beautiful movement on the back.

It is chain-driven and it is done in Glasgow.

Uh-huh.

And they, that was common.

Yes.

They have done different cases.

Uh-huh.

Um, different watchmakers would make the case... Yes.

...and a different person would do the insides.

Yes.

And as we see here, by the key, um, you would go ahead and turn the key to be able to keep the time.

Yes, uh-huh.

Move the hands with the key, too.

Exactly.

There's a, there's a small square nut right on the, the hand there.

Which happens to be here.

Uh-huh.

So you use it to... To be able to wind the watch.

Yes, you have to do it to the left.

Correct-- always counterclockwise.

Uh-huh.

Which is important.

Yes.

'Cause a lot of people think clockwise.

Yeah.

And, uh, sometimes, though, that, uh, someone will try it, and if they don't know that it's, uh, that it winds the other way, that you can use that to your advantage in buying it.

You can say, "It doesn't work."

(both laughing) Ah, you know the tricks of the... And so you can get the watch... ...the tricks of the trade-- yes.

...for a good price.

The one thing that's interesting is that, um, the case was done in London, and it is a London case.

Yes, that's right.

And you can tell by the hallmarks, which are important.

That's right, yes.

A wonderful watch, and you have, um, great family value to it, because it sounds like it's sentimental to you... Oh, yeah, it's... ...because you did buy it... Uh-huh.

...um, in Glasgow.

Okay.

Auction estimate on something like this is going to be around the $1,200 to $1,500 range.

Is that right?

That much?

Yeah, it's beautiful.

Beautifully done and in good condition.

Well, I'm not that sentimental.

I'll sell it.

You will?

Okay, great.

(laughs) You've gone to a lot of trouble to bring in this, this piece.

Tell us, uh, how you acquired it.

Well, actually, it was at an estate sale in, uh, Lake Forest, Illinois, here.

And they couldn't sell it and they couldn't sell it and they couldn't sell it.

And it got down to the last 15 minutes, and the lady was desperate and said, "Will you t, will you buy it for $900?"

So that's what I bought it for.

$900?

Yes, and I just fell in love with it.

I know nothing about it, but I love it.

How long ago was this?

It was only about three months ago, yeah.

The people who had it, though, had owned it, I believe, for about 20 years.

Mm-hmm.

Well, it's very interesting, because what you've brought in is a, a wonderful library, uh, cabinet.

And its inspiration comes from the Sheraton style in England.

Uh-huh.

And you see these beautiful veneers and, and, uh, high-quality veneers and inlays.

You see this checker stringing, an inlay that goes down the drawers, and yet it also has a Chippendale cornice.

And you see the blind fretwork which goes across the top here.

And it's a style piece, it's an Edwardian piece.

Oh.

Uh, so it was made probably between the, uh, around the First World War.

And it's copying a very popular style that, of an early-19th-century form.

But some pieces have a tremendous value, uh, even still, uh, because it's so decorative.

And you can see the wonderful, uh, proportions of the arched windows and, uh, the Gothic top.

It really is a wonderful, compact little piece.

And this is the kind of piece that actually is in demand today, so, when you bought that piece for $900, did you think about it as a decorative piece or were you thinking that, uh, it might be a period piece?

Well, I just love antiques, and, um, I wanted it so badly, I told my husband I'd forgo my new carpeting if he would let me have it.

(laughing) So I just wanted it.

It just was gorgeous-- I loved the inlay and everything else.

So you've, you've foregone getting carpeting in order to buy a piece of furniture?

Right, for another year, in order to buy this.

(laughing) Well, let me tell you something.

I think probably you'll be able to get wall-to-wall carpeting and maybe a little bit more.

Because actually, a piece like this, just on its pure decorative value alone, is worth $5,000 to $7,000.

Oh, man!

(laughs) (sighs) And, uh, it, it could even bring more, uh, because it is such a wonderful, usable piece of furniture for people to put their, their books or their, uh, porcelain collection that, um, it could e, it could even go up higher than that, and, and go to $10,000.

Oh, my gosh.

(laughs) I'm really surprised.

I thought maybe $2,000, the way they originally wanted that amount for this.

No, it's a wonderful, wonderful piece, highly decorative.

And I would say you should go to a good, uh, carpet store and start picking out the best, uh, carpeting that you can... To go under it.

And... 'Cause I'm keeping it.

(laughing) Good, well, congratulations.

Thank you very much.

It's a wonderful piece.

Well, I bought it at an antique mall up in St.

Joseph, Missouri, for $12.50.

What you have here is a, uh, 19th-century American coverlet, overshot or double-weave.

Uh, they were fairly common throughout the Americas, very much in the Midwest, uh, throughout the mid-to-late, uh, 19th century.

You'll notice here in the center that it is sewn together.

Right.

Now, they were often woven in two panels and then sewn together.

So that was very common-- that's not a repair.

It's a very, very nice quilt worth $600 to $800.

Oh, really?

It was in our family for many years.

(chuckles) And no one knew what it was or, uh, had a, had much interest in it.

Kind of sat on the mantelpiece and, uh, collected dust, uh... Well, what we have here is a pipe, the bowl being here and the mouthpiece, uh, at this end.

And the material here is called argillite.

Um, it's a, quite an unusual form of shale in that it only originates in one place in the entire world.

Really?

Which is in the Queen Charlotte Islands off the coast of British Columbia, about halfway to Alaska.

And, uh, the people on that island are called the Haida, and, uh, they are the only people that have ever had access to that shale and the only people that have ever carved it.

Mm-hmm.

This pipe here I estimate to be probably about circa 1850.

Um, it is a large example, probably half again as large as most we see, um, out there.

Oh, really?

It's not the finest-carved example, but it's, it's a very good carved example.

Have you ever had any sense of the, of the value of, of this?

Not at all.

Um, it looks like it's, uh, somebody's almost used it as a tack hammer at one time, when I was looking underneath.

It is a little more beat up than I remember it being.

(both chuckling) Well, well, I think perhaps, uh, people will cherish it a little more after today, uh... I would estimate that the value of this object is between $5,000 and $6,000.

(laughing): Wow, I had no idea.

Well, perhaps, uh... Yeah.

...we won't be using it as a tack hammer again.

No, it will get a lot more respect.

It will get a lot more respect.

What areas of Japan did you live in?

Well, we were in Tokyo for two years in language school, and then we were down in Yaizu, the fishing village, to Kariya in Aichi-ken, to Okazaki, and then up north to Sendai, and then for nine years in Sendai, and then we ended up in Toyota, where the cars are made.

Toyota City.

Yes.

The sister city to Detroit.

That's right.

Yeah.

(chuckling): Yeah.

Now, what did you do in Japan?

What was the purpose?

Well, we were missionaries, uh, church planting.

Now, this is an interesting piece of Japanese art that you've brought with you today.

Tell me where you got it.

Well, we were in Northern Japan, at Sendai, and, uh, one of our friends, a college professor, was retiring, and we went over to bid her goodbye.

And at the, uh, that evening, she had received many gifts from her students.

Mm-hmm.

And she just couldn't take any more with her.

And so she turned to us, said, "Would you like this?"

And I was very happy to receive it.

Really?

Yeah.

Now, having lived in Japan, you can explain some of the significance of some of these items just as well as I can.

For example, the symbol... Of the plum.

...of the plum.

That blooms in January and February when the season's at its coldest.

Right.

So it's a sign of endurance.

And here we have... The bamboo.

The bamboo.

And that bends with the wind and doesn't break.

Right, and the pine, we have the young pine.

Oh, I don't know why they had the pine in there.

But it's always those three.

Shochikubai.

Sho... Right-- now, the one thing that kind of confused you about this piece was this bird here.

That bird.

Now, you know that, having lived in Japan, there are a lot of rivers there, and along the river, there are hawks that fly over those rivers and prey.

This happens to be a white hawk, uh, which is very rare, but also, it works kind of nicely with the plum blossoms that we have up above here.

All right.

What we see here are all young trees.

We see a sprouting pine.

Yes.

We see just young bamboo shoots, and not the very thick stalks.

Mm-hmm.

We also see a tree that's growing and coming up.

Notice all the branches are going upwards.

Mm-hmm.

That shows youth and vigor and endurance, as well as the white coat of the hawk, which shows youth, as well.

So the Japanese people love these enduring images... Mm-hmm.

...of things that happened around their time.

What I think we have here is a very, very fine example of Japanese scroll painting.

It's signed down here, signed by the artist, as well as... The, the... ...the seal chop, or the hanko.

The hanko, yes.

This came in its own balsa wood box.

Yes.

As, as part of the gift-- you'll... It even smells good.

Yeah.

(laughs) (laughing) It does.

It sure does.

Now, a piece like this probably today would bring anywhere between $500 and $1,000 for a collector at auction.

So it's a, it's a pretty nice gift.

A nice gift.

(laughs) Yeah.

(laughing) Anyone else has them, I'll take it.

You brought a wonderful pair of, of, uh, vases, both Tiffany.

And you say you bought these in New York, uh, some time ago?

You... I think in the '50s.

(chuckles) In the 1950s.

In the 1950s, yes.

And you want to tell me where, where you bought them?

I purchased them from Lillian Nassau.

The most famous, uh, Tiffany dealer in, uh, in America.

Beautiful examples of Louis Comfort Tiffany's work.

This one, as you, um, uh, have pointed out, has been damaged and repaired.

Uh, has a, uh, a pond lily decoration and, uh, had a chunk right out of it which was repaired by, um, designing it as though it were another lily pad decoration.

Nicely designed.

This one is totally uncompromised and appears to be in beautiful condition.

A vase, uh, with, uh, what Tiffany called a Cypriot decoration.

He was trying to present a glass that looked as though it h, it was ancient and had been buried in the ground for a n, a number of years.

This piece is signed by Tiffany and, uh, signed with, with his name, Louis C. Tiffany.

I would say this piece dates to the turn of the century, 18, late 1890s.

Lillian had some other pieces that you were, uh, interested in?

Yes, she had a, the Wisteria lamp, which is very, a famous lamp that I was... Couldn't decide whether to take this vase or to take the lamp.

(laughs) I see, I see.

Of course, we know what the lamp is worth today.

Well, the lamp, uh, the last time, was sold somewhere in the vicinity of a half-a-million dollars.

Uh, so it appreciated in value rather, uh, dramatically.

So, I think I made the wrong decision.

But at least I made a decision.

I don't know about that.

(laughs) You made a, you, you made a nice choice.

At least I purchased them.

The Cypriot piece is worth, uh, somewhere in the vicinity of $20,000 at this point in time.

I can't believe that.

I can't believe that.

And, uh, is a wonderful example.

Do we want to say what I paid for it years ago?

If you'd like to tell us what, what you paid for it, we, uh, would be delighted to know.

I think I paid around the, uh, figure, around $500.

Around $500.

And Mrs.

Nassau, Lillian, kind of threw in this piece for fun 'cause I loved it so.

(chuckles) Well, it, uh... They, they enhance each, each other.

Uh, it's a good example of what happens when a piece is damaged.

This one hasn't appreciated in value... At all.

...essentially-- not a great deal.

Mm-hmm.

Certainly, there are those who would pay as much as, uh, $500, $600, $700, perhaps $1,000 for it, because it's a good example of Tiffany's work.

Thank you for bringing it by.

Well, thank you for coming to Kansas City.

It's been a treat for us to have you here.

You have a beautiful lamp here.

What can you tell me about it?

Well, very little history.

We believe it was a wedding gift to Kent's grandmother.

We know that it's been sitting on a desk in Kent's parents' living room, our living room, and it's been in use ever since.

Right.

Except when the kids are that age, and then you put it away for a year.

(laughs) APPRAISER: You put it away for a year.

You're absolutely right.

That way it survives.

Now, I thought you had some feelings that it might in fact be French crystal.

Yes.

Well, I must tell you that this is, uh, an American art glass table lamp.

(chuckles) It's manufactured by the Pairpoint Company, which was started in, uh, uh, late 19th century in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

It's called, this shade is called a puffy, the way it puffs out.

GUEST 1: Mm-hmm.

It's interiorly painted.

And the lamp is, uh, fully signed, which I would like to show you.

So turn it off?

And that's... We'll take the shade off.

We could turn the light out.

And then we can see if we can find it.

It's right there.

GUEST 2: Hm.

See that?

"Pairpoint"?

GUEST 1: Mm-hmm, I do see that.

Yes, yes.

That's the signature.

It's painted on the interior, and then it's signed at the factory with the name of the factory.

Also the base, again, it's fully signed.

You will see here... Oh, there it is, I see the...

"Pairpoint."

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

So it is an original shade and, uh, base.

For your information, uh, it would have... If you went to sell it, this lamp would bring somewhere between $4,000 and $6,000.

(exhales) Wonderful.

GUEST 2: Great.

GUEST: I just dropped into an antique shop while I was waiting for an appointment.

APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.

It was, uh, presented to me as costume jewelry.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

And I knew it wasn't.

They had $20 on it, and I got it for $18.

This is a beautifully executed ring.

It's called a filigree.

It's an openwork ring and it's die-struck.

This ring is circa 1920-30s, and it looks just as good as if it were something made yesterday.

The stone itself is a manmade stone.

It appears to be at least 18-karat gold.

And, yes, 18... Really?

At least 18-karat gold.

And I would say the mounting itself would be valued at between $300 and $400.

You're kidding!

No!

No!

And it was presented as costume jewelry.

That's what makes it a treasure hunt, isn't it?

Yes.

Mother and son, right?

Yes.

All right.

Right, yes.

Which, which one of you can take credit for, for finding this?

GUEST 1: Well, we were together.

GUEST 2: Yeah.

APPRAISER: You were together, okay, okay.

Right.

GUEST 1: But I, I purchased it, yeah, yeah.

APPRAISER: Okay, you bought it.

Well, it's a, it's a very nice chair.

(stammers) You may know this, but it's, it's called a, a Savonarola chair.

The, the, this type of chair.

GUEST 1: Yes.

GUEST 2: Right.

And it, it basically describes a, a, a chair f, based on a 16th-century design from Italy that folds up.

GUEST 2: Right.

And as you guys already know, 'cause you moved it here, that this, this whole back l, lifts right off.

Comes off-- right.

(murmurs) You can, you can lift it off, and, uh, which is kind of handy for traveling.

Right.

You, you brought it like this today, right?

GUEST 1: Yes.

GUEST 2: Right.

And then you could put this against my leg and then this, this actually, this actually, it folds up.

Yeah.

Folds right up, yeah.

Yeah, it's very handy.

And the, the form of it, actually, if we put this back on, the form of it really has elements of 17th-century Italy, with these... Really?

...Renaissance revival cab, kind of a cabochon with a shield, with these flanking, uh, kind of rampant lions, which are really, really elements all from the 17th century.

This type of chair was really, is typical of the pieces made in the late 19th century in America, actually... Really?

GUEST 1: Oh.

...to, when there was an absolute craze, a real passion... Oh, I see.

...for things that were European, things that were, things... I thought they were, uh, an Italian import.

The, uh, the idea was that this... (murmuring) ...was probably made here.

I see.

And it was-- yup-- made here in the late 19th century.

They made them in Italy, but they were very popular here.

People wanted exotic, they wanted Italian.

Right.

They, this would have been really with a, in the, in the, in the late 19th century, with some coats of armor... Mm.

Oh, yes, yes.

APPRAISER: ...to give it a look of, of Europe and the Renaissance and all that.

Yep, right.

If this were period, it would be very, very valuable.

Right.

If it were 17th century.

Hm.

It might be in the th, you know, $6,000 or $7,000, $8,000.

But as it is, it's probably worth about what you paid for it.

Ah.

So there's no big surprise there.

Is that right?

Okay.

APPRAISER: You were hoping I'd say a half million?

Was that it?

Yes.

(all laugh) But because it's late 19th century, it's worth, probably in the range of, I'd say, about $1,200 to $1,600.

I've got a Revolutionary War discharge signed by George Washington for a man named James Columbus.

You certainly have.

Mm-hmm.

This is a genuine Washington discharge papers, with all the old tape work on the back and tears, just as a veteran would've carried it around in his pocket.

So many of them are damaged.

Here's Washington's signature, we see.

Mm-hmm.

And we've got 1777 through June 1783.

Now, how did... So that's six years of service.

How did you come by this?

Um, actually, my mom, she found it in a black tin box after her aunt died.

Mm-hmm.

And she thinks it's been in her family for a long time.

These things do appear at sale, and this is a beautiful example.

I see you've kept it in a Mylar folder.

Mm-hmm, for... And I guess you've prepared this catalogue entry at the back, which is great.

Mm-hmm.

But have you, uh, shown it to any friends, or to... Well, yeah, actually, um, one day, about two years ago, we took it in for show and tell.

And my mom, she really didn't know what it was worth back then, so she took it around and she passed it to all the kids and said, "You're touching something George Washington touched."

And here's my mom and the teacher in a big argument at how it's real or not.

This was at your school?

Yeah, the teacher didn't think it was real.

Your teacher didn't believe this was real?

No, she didn't believe it.

Oh, I'm amazed.

She thought it was a fake.

(exclaims) No, it's as genuine as can be.

Do you have any idea what it's worth?

Well, someone told my mom it could be worth thousands of dollars, but I'm really not sure.

Well, it is worth some thousands of dollars, yes, and they routinely go for between $6,000 and $10,000.

The condition factor dictates the demand on the day at an auction, and I'm giving you an auction price now, but it's somewhere between $6,000 and $10,000 on a good day.

That's great.

APPRAISER: You've brought in an interesting, uh, copper bowl here, and, um, uh, maybe you can tell me something about its history and, and where it came from.

It's always been in my mom's house, okay, Mm-hmm.

...when we lived in Detroit.

Mm-hmm.

And they built her house in 1925, and they lived there for 50 years.

Mm-hmm.

And it sat in the dining room, and it had, um... What did they call them?

Mother-in-law's tongues?

GUEST 2: Mother-in-law's tongue growing.

Right.

GUEST 1: These long plants coming out, and ivy coming out the bottom.

Right.

It sat on a three-legged stand about four feet up off the ground.

Okay?

Hm.

There's a dent in it where... I had three brothers, we used to chase each other... Right.

...around the dining room table, and it crashed to the ground one time, all the dirt came out.

(chuckles) Oh, fantastic.

That's the dent on the side, and... You said there was a marking at the bottom.

Well, there, there is a mark on the bottom, and it's interesting.

This was made, it says M. Zimmermann.

Mm-hmm.

And it was made by, um, an American woman metalsmith... Okay.

...named Marie Zimmermann.

She hand-hammered these pieces, uh, she fabricated the pieces.

They were beautiful, classic designs.

Her, her major period of production was about 19, in the 1920s.

She worked in, uh, in Connecticut and New York, uh... GUEST 2: Mm.

And for it to be here is a little unusual, except that she was very well-known, you know?

I mean, uh, in her own time.

Would they have sold that at a department store?

I'm not sure.

Because my mom worked at J.L.

Hudson's, Downtown Detroit.

She might have had a show there.

So any idea of, of the value of, of a piece like this?

Do you have any speculation?

Not even a clue.

I have no idea at all.

(chuckles) Yeah, well, well... I've been using it for clothespins.

(laughing) Well, that's an excellent use for it.

(guest 2 murmurs) You may still want to use it for clothespins.

Okay.

But because she's an important American Arts and Crafts, um, metalworker... GUEST 1: Mm-hmm.

...uh, I would think that today, um, even in this condition, you would find collectors willing to pay somewhere between, uh, $2,000 and $3,000 for the piece.

Wow-- wow.

Wow.

So, uh... Yes.

It's, it's, it's an unusual piece in that it's, it's... That is wonderful.

...just an old copper bowl... Yeah.

...but, um, made by a well-known maker.

Mm-hmm.

And, um, you just have to be aware and, and be careful not to remove whatever original finish or p, patina is there.

People are often tempted to, to polish this up.

Mm-hmm.

But it's a, it's a handsome piece of American Arts and Crafts... Thank you.

...uh, copperware.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you for coming.

This is really great.

Very good.

Yeah.

It was my husband's when he was just a baby, and he was born in 1908.

Right.

So I'm sure it's 85, 86 years old.

Close to that.

And what do you think the bear, who it was produced by-- what do you, what are your feelings on the bear?

Well, I really don't know.

Mm-hmm.

The only inkling I have is that I did find an article in an antique magazine, and it spoke about the Ideal... Right.

...manufacturing company.

Right, which was an American... American.

...producer.

Mm-hmm.

And what made you think that it was Ideal instead of anything else?

Well, I had taken it to the historical society, and they said that Steiff had always put a little, um, button in the ear.

Right, right.

(chuckles) So, that's how we determined that it was not a Steiff bear.

Okay.

Well, that's interesting, because I want to point out some things to you about the bear, and then, uh, you know, I'll ask you what you think it might be worth.

Um, if you look at the bear, it has boot button eyes.

Yeah.

Which are these black boot button eyes.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, the button that you're talking about would have been in this ear here.

Mm-hmm.

Um, but what happened is, a lot of times, especially at the turn of the century, the buttons were taken out, because little children would chew on the bear's ears and maybe swallow it.

Oh, okay.

So, sometimes the buttons are not in the early Steiff pieces.

All right.

Okay?

The other thing that I want to point out is, you can see the stuffing here in one of the pads.

This stuffing is what Steiff used all the time when they were producing their bears at the turn of the century.

Uh, Steiff started to produce the bears around 1905.

Yeah.

You can also see the pads... Yes, mm-hmm.

...the, the felt pads.

And if you feel, there are these discs in the arms that make them move.

Mm-hmm.

Um, which is also very typical of the Steiff bear.

Nice, mm-hmm.

Now, if you squeeze the bear here, you can feel that there was a little squeaker and a little spring mechanism that made a noise.

Oh, is that right?

And that also was, uh, very typical of the Steiff bears that were produced at the early part of the century.

Mm.

The stitching, you can see the stitched claws, as well as the nose, the stitched nose.

Yes.

Now, the horizontal stitching here on the nose, that indicates that the bear was produced at the early part of the century.

Okay?

Okay, I see, uh-huh.

So in looking at it, even though it doesn't have the tag, there are other factors in the bear that make it very easy to identify that yes, it is a Steiff bear.

Oh, really?

Because of those things.

Now, what do you think something like this would be worth?

I wouldn't have the vaguest idea.

Yeah?

Yeah?

I really wouldn't, I... (chuckles) And what would you say if I told you that this could bring about $3,000 to a collector?

I would like to find the collector (laughing) that would pay me the $3,000.

(laughing) That, me, too-- isn't that wonderful?

Thank you.

John, tell us about this liquor case apothecary collection that you brought in.

This was a pre-Revolutionary War traveling wine chest that has been converted to a medicine chest, uh, for the Revolutionary War.

The pieces that were added-- it was, I assume, originally for a dozen bottles.

Mm-hmm.

And so they built the trays of non-matching wood and outfitted it to carry their small apothecary bottles.

We still have the remnants of the old, uh, bromides.

How did it come to your family?

Uh... (sighs) I guess generationally, I'm just a caretaker.

Uh, this was originally given to a female ancestor by George Washington as he was traveling to the Battle of Brandywine and had to lighten up on what they were carrying, and he said he would be back for it, and he never came back.

(laughs) So... The Battle of Brandywine was, uh, 1777, wasn't it?

Right.

When the American forces were... Right.

...defeated by General Howe.

Uh, it's interesting.

It's oak, has good hardware on it, a lock.

Liquor, as well as medicines at that time, uh, were kept under lock and key.

Uh, show us the central part there with measuring, uh, elements.

Well, I guess that, uh, these were the prescription dosages.

Large vial.

(laughs) Small vial, wine glassful, a smaller wine glassful.

(laughing) Our ancestors drank, a lot of us.

The temperance movement, that cut back on that.

And of course, in that period, uh, corn whiskey was 75 cents a gallon, and these are large decanters, uh... Mm-hmm.

We think they're Continental.

Uh, there are some cases like this at Mount Vernon, numbered and initialed by Washington.

And there is one, I'm told, uh, at, uh, his headquarters at Valley Forge.

But it is interesting if this was left off and then never retrieved.

Without proof positive on an attribution, something like this, because of its antiquity and, and, uh, interest as a 18th-century document, might be worth $2,000 or $3,000.

Of course, one hardly knows how to... Mm-hmm.

...uh, give a value for George Washington.

Uh, he is so famous, the founding father, uh... If that could be proven, it might even be up in the $20,000 to $30,000 range.

Mm-hmm.

A wonderful document telling us something about the medicinal situations, as well as the alcoholic republic that, from which we all descended.

(chuckles) GUEST: My husband and I were in Wuxi, China, and we went to this little shop, and he wanted about 3,000 NT for them.

APPRAISER: Which is about $400 U.S.?

Um... About that, yes.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, he ended up cutting the price considerably.

We finally got them for about 200 NT after we had finally said... That's about $30?

About $30.

These are depictions of what are called the Eight Immortals.

One of the first things to look for are the colors that are used in the glaze enamels.

And if you notice, on all of these, the colors are very bright and glassy, which is indicative of enamels that were used in the late 19th, 20th century.

The likelihood, frankly, is that these are almost brand-new, and the value of them probably is about two dollars each.

So you got taken a little bit, but not too much.

Okay.

You brought us a very interesting, uh, bowl, enamel bowl.

Do you have any idea what it is?

Origin?

All I know is, it was a salt pot, that it, um, could've been, uh, Fabergé.

Okay.

But that was an opinion, and I liked it enough, I bought it regardless.

You got good taste.

Thank you.

What, what we're seeing here is basically an onion design.

And it's, uh, it is Russian.

Okay.

That part, it, it's Russian.

And you have a floral design and you have granular work.

Right through the top here are little, little, uh, gold beads.

Okay.

That's raised gold beads.

And it was very common that Fabergé did that.

And the other important part about it, how we know if it is a Fabergé or where it comes from, is by the hallmarks that are on the, uh, bottom side.

I'm going to turn it over now.

If you look at the mark over here, there's a slight, top of it is a slight eagle.

And then you have the Fabergé mark.

Now you know it's a Fabergé.

(laughs) If you say so.

I hope so.

And then, then you have the contents mark-- it's an 88.

That means it's 88 parts silver.

Okay.

So, uh, Russian metal was either 86, 84, or 82.

Okay.

And, uh, or 88.

And this one's 88.

Now, looking at this piece... ...I have come to a conclusion that it's not a very old Fabergé.

It's not Carl Fabergé.

His son went into the business, also.

The mark on the bottom is St.

Petersburg.

Okay.

So that much we know.

The other mark on the bottom is the maker's mark.

It's fairly new, though.

When I say new, it could be the turn of the century-- 1900, 1910, somewhere around that.

The enameling is not up to snuff.

If you look at the enameling and the granulation work, it's not up to snuff as being a, a fabulous Fabergé.

Okay.

It's a good commercial Fabergé.

Now, you, you mentioned to me before, you have two of these?

It was a set.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

And the enamel doesn't match.

No, the colors are slightly different on the white flowers.

Yeah.

That's very good, because of the fact that when they fired these, the, when they mixed the enamels, they're never gonna get them exactly the same.

Now, if they, if they were exactly the same, then you know it was commercially made and it could've been a fake.

Okay.

These are real.

Oh, good.

Yeah, and, uh, roughly speaking, in today's market, a piece like this, if you went out to, uh, buy it, it would, should cost you somewhere in the vicinity of about $3,000.

So you got... For one?

For one.

Yes!

So... (exclaims) You like that, huh?

(laughing) I do.

You got a great piece.

GUEST: We live on the St.

Clair River, which is right across from Canada, and we were at a shop that we often go to in Canada, and they had these two little pitchers, and they were $30 Canadian, which at that time was probably $20 U.S., and, uh, so my wife thought, "Oh, we didn't really need them."

And, but I said, "Let's buy them," and so we did.

And when was that time?

How long ago did you find them?

Probably 12, 15 years ago.

Okay.

Kind of when majolica was just becoming popular here.

Well, you're right, it was.

(clears throat) And, uh, since then, it's been a very active market, perhaps one of the most active of all, uh, collectible areas in the United States.

Uh, Victorian Majolica is, uh, the name given to this kind of very richly colored, usually earthenware, that was introduced in Britain at the Great Exhibition in 1851.

And these little pair of jugs are very unusual in two respects.

First of all, they're made by the Royal Worcester company, who specialized in making porcelain-- not earthenware and not majolica.

But they did make a small range of majolica, mostly in the 1870s.

Um, what's also unusual about these, and what I think gives them the most value and collectible interest, is that they are miniatures.

Uh, the Royal Worcester company made a larger version of this jug.

They made it in a version about eight or nine inches tall.

Uh, but miniatures of anything in majolica are extremely rare and unusual.

I wouldn't be surprised today, uh, if these would bring at least $600 or maybe $800, uh, each... Each?

...at auction.

(laughing): Each?

Each.

At auction.

Oh, that, that's terrific.

Well... Well, then, my $30 investment was good, and my wife, I can say I was right this time.

APPRAISER: Well, certainly, old it is.

You've brought us a very wonderful 18th-century, uh, what we call santos figure.

Uh, and most people would look at this and say, "It's a doll with wings."

But actually, it's from a long history of religious figures that were made in Neapolitan, um, Italy.

And there was a whole school of craftsmanship involved with this kind of, of carving.

And this is one of the most subtly and beautifully carved figures I've seen in some time, um, with the well-modulated hair and the beautiful carved and polychromed wings.

This is, as you can see underneath, where the flaking of the paint happened, um, a wood body that has horsehair-- it's been stuffed, so it's becomes such a large figure-- and glass eyes, which, um, is more common for, um, the figures that were older.

Hm.

In the 19th century, they started just painting in the eyes, because, of course, that was cheaper.

Most of these crèche figures were made for Christmas scenes.

Mm-hmm.

And for one to have survived in, in this condition, uh, even with the minor flaking, is, is miraculous, because the size is so incredibly big.

My research led me to the book "The Angel Tree" from the Metropolitan in New York, where the angels illustrated there have similar form in their faces and also very similar paint on the wings.

Mm-hmm, mm-- well... Although the size is radically different.

This, this is probably the only publication that shows crèche or santos figures like the kind that you have.

And this tree is at the Metropolitan Museum.

It was one of the most fabulous things to go visit.

Um, but I have to tell you that, as wonderful as this tree is, there is nothing as big as this archangel that you've brought to us today, who... I don't know what the angels look like, so I can't tell if he's Michael or Gabriel, or who is he.

He's been redressed.

As you can see, um, this muslin that's been put on is of a newer variety, and somehow got these nice little, uh, uh, 19th-century petticoat panties... (chuckling): Yes.

...which were probably from a doll.

She was dressed in lavender polyester.

He or she was dressed in lavender polyester... Oh, wonderful.

...when I found her, and I'd like to get the right shape back, right-shaped gown back on her.

It is a fragile piece because of the flaking... Yes.

...which inherently comes from the paint on this very old wood, which is an unstable material.

And so, consequently, um, this beautiful paint is coming off.

Do you have any idea of what the value of an object like this would be?

I don't have any idea, and no one to, whom I've sought out has been able to give me any idea.

Mm-hmm.

Because no one that I've found has ever seen an angel like this before.

How much did you pay for it?

I paid $1,500 for it.

Oh, well, at auction, they bring between $10,000 and $15,000.

Mm-hmm.

So you made quite a very, very good investment, and it's a gorgeous piece.

As if I would ever want to sell this wonderful piece.

(laughs) Absolutely.

Can you tell us a little bit about how you first came to own this fine sewing table?

Well, I, I'm an antiquer from a long time ago.

Okay.

And that was my love, always just scouring the antique shops.

When I saw it and I saw the hairy paw feet, I just lit up, because I knew I had seen it somewhere in one of the antiques magazines.

APPRAISER 1: Well, it was actually made by Duncan Phyfe.

Duncan Phyfe.

Exactly.

Mm-hmm.

In New York, about 1805 or 1810.

And it's probably one of his greatest masterpieces.

It is?

Uh, Duncan Phyfe, as you may know, came from, uh, Scotland in the late, latter part of the seventeen, uh, hundreds, right about 1798, and had a, a, a huge group of wealthy clients who he made furniture for, some of the wealthiest merchants in New York at the time.

This is one of the finest pieces of Federal furniture that I've ever seen.

So you really made my day and Leslie's day... (chuckles) ...by bringing this.

This top with canted corners, this rectangular top, opens up and it reveals this wonderful writing area.

This has an adjustable board with the original red baize and gold-tooled leather.

So it's so incredible that that's survived in this condition.

And over on the side, you have this removable mahogany tray for pens with a pewter-covered inkwell.

All the secondary woods here are mahogany.

It's incredibly made with these... Look how... ...very fine dovetails.

...how fine... And on the front of the piece, they have a drawer fitted with these Regency-style lion's head brass pulls, probably made in London and imported here into New York.

And this drawer, actually, if you pull this out, you can see the wonderful poplar, typical New York wood, on the underside, which is very green... Oh.

...when it's unoxidized.

The construction's so tight that even though this is from 1805 or 1810, there's no oxidation.

It's really quite incredible.

These flanking legs, cabriole legs with roundels here, with molding in the front, and these hairy paw feet, and they're raised on their original brass casters.

The finish on it is so wonderful and untouched.

And I'm so glad you never-- you never cleaned it.

No.

I mean, you can see that you... Some things you know not to... Exactly.

APPRAISER 1: Yeah.

APPRAISER 2: Do you realize the, what the value of this is?

It's big money.

You think it's certainly in the five figures, right?

Oh, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, without any trouble.

Well into the five figures, right.

Yeah.

APPRAISER 1: Well, this, this, uh, sewing table is probably worth in the area of around $100,000, and it could bring even higher.

APPRAISER 2: On a good day.

APPRAISER 1: In excess of, uh, on a good day, over $120,000.

Well, all these wonderful things you've said... APPRAISER 2: Yeah, thank you.

...I felt-- when I saw it in the antique shop, I knew it was one of these wonderful things.

APPRAISER 1: Right-- you mentioned earlier that antiques have helped change your life and possibly saved you from an illness you had.

How did... Well, I had cancer 23 years ago.

Mm-hmm.

And if I hadn't, hadn't had the hobby of antiquing, I think I would be gone now.

But antiques have kept me-- the running and looking for 'em, the finding 'em, researching, it just carries you all the time.

It lifts you-- you have no time to get sick or die.

(chuckles) Well, you l, you lifted us, You really don't.

and thanks for bringing this today.

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