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Appraisal Update | Cut Glass Centerpiece Base, ca. 1885

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Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

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Inupiaq Scrimshaw Cribbage Board, ca. 1920

Value (2020) | $2,000 Insurance – $3,000 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, this belonged to my grandfather, and he went to Nome, Alaska, in the early 1900s and built the first hotel up there. And my grandmother followed later with two children. And I'm not sure how he acquired this, but I know that he did acquire it from an Eskimo. I'm not sure as to the dates, but I know that my father went to the first grade in Nome, and they had no schoolhouse. So the saloon was the schoolhouse by day and the saloon at night.

APPRAISER:
Nome is right on the coast in the central part of Alaska.

GUEST:
Yes, yes.

APPRAISER:
It's on the Bering Sea. And the people in the area are called Inupiaq. Gold was discovered in about 1899 in the Nome area. So there was a tremendous gold rush. Now, you'll be delighted to know I found your grandfather on the Internet.

GUEST:
No kidding?

APPRAISER:
And he was actually listed as a cigar dealer.

GUEST:
(chuckles)

APPRAISER:
So, he was quite an entrepreneur. Now, the Inupiaq were equally as entrepreneurial as your Grandfather.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
They had this horde of people coming into Alaska, and they said, "We can sell them things."

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
And this was one of the things that they could sell. Now, this cribbage board is made of a walrus tusk, and as you see from the size, it's a fairly mature animal.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
This scrimshaw style of carving probably was brought to Alaska by the whalers...

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
...in the beginning of the 1800s. Whaling in the Bering Sea goes back thousands of years, but the non-American whalers were in there in the early 1800s. They probably taught the Inupiaq how to do the scrimshaw. So you have these terrific artists at the beginning of the 20th century that were creating these objects for the "tourists" that were in the area, which is your grandfather. You'll see these Inupiaq scenes on here with the seals. You have this kind of mermaid here and this very unusual sort of flounder-like fish. So what we have is, we have an artist that's probably a little bit different. What totally fascinated me about this piece is, on the reverse, we have a map. Now, what did you think about this map on the back?

GUEST:
Well, I thought it was the coast of Alaska.

APPRAISER:
Okay. It is the coast of Alaska. What about these spellings?

GUEST:
Well, whoever did it wasn't very literate, and…

APPRAISER:
Okay.

GUEST:
...got their letters all backwards.

APPRAISER:
Well, actually, this is a mirror image, and I think he did it absolutely on purpose. Either this had legs on it, and it was reflecting the mirror image of the map, or he was making a joke.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
I think it's very unusual. I've never seen that before. I think it's a fascinating object. I'm delighted that you brought it in. And a very, very good insurance value on this…

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
...would be $2,500 to $3,500. And I'm just delighted you brought it in.

GUEST:
Why, thank you.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
John Buxton
Tribal Arts
None
Dallas, TX
Update (2020)
$2,000 Insurance – $3,000 Insurance
Appraised value (2007)
$2,500 Insurance – $3,500 Insurance
Featured In
Louisville, Hour 3 (#1215)
Vintage Louisville 2021, Hour 2 (#2511)
Event
Louisville, KY (July 28, 2007)
Category
Tribal Arts
Period
20th Century
Form
Carving
Material
Bone
October 20, 2014: A viewer's recent email regarding this Inupiaq cribbage board prompted us to review the use of the term "Eskimo" in this and past appraisals.

It is ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's intention to use culturally respectful terms when discussing the history of items being appraised on the show. We acknowledge that terms that describe a person or group’s identity regarding race, ethnicity, religion, etc., can change over time or have different meaning to different people. "Eskimo" is a word that has different connotations depending on where you live in the Northern Hemisphere.

In Canada and Greenland, "Eskimo" has negative connotations and is no longer an accepted term. "Inuit" is preferred, but that term is not commonly used in the United States. In the U.S., "Eskimo" is not considered to be derogatory and is in common usage. "Eskimo" is used when speaking of two main indigenous cultural groups collectively: "Yupik" (a culture group from Western Alaska) and "Inupiat" (a culture group from Northern Alaska and St. Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea). When one of these groups is being referenced, "Yupik" or "Inupiat" is favored over "Eskimo" by Alaskan Natives.

The term "Alaskan Natives" includes all indigenous peoples of Alaska: Eskimo, Unangan (Aleut), and American Indian, and is also considered broadly acceptable.

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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