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Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

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Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Chinese Snuff Bottles & Porcelain Vase

Value (2020) | $22,000 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
This is a porcelain snuff bottle that I got online on an auction.

APPRAISER:
What did you pay?

GUEST:
$75.

APPRAISER:
And what do you think it is?

GUEST:
I hope it's a real old snuff bottle worth more than what I paid for it.

APPRAISER:
Okay.

GUEST:
And this... I got as a snuff bottle, or I thought it was a snuff bottle, but when I got it home, we found out it was a match striker.

APPRAISER:
Okay, and what did you pay for that?

GUEST:
$100. There's a mark on the bottom that says "Yamanaka," so I think it's worth a little more than what we paid for it. Maybe... $300?

APPRAISER:
Okay. And then this.

GUEST:
And that's a vase that we bought at a local auction, and we paid $200 for it. And I'm just not sure that it's real.

APPRAISER:
But it came with a paper that said that it came from a well-known collection.

GUEST:
Exactly.

APPRAISER:
And on the paper, somebody had dated it to the mid-19th century.

GUEST:
Right. And I, I'm hoping that's true.

APPRAISER:
Okay. Now, the first two here are snuff bottles. This is enamel-decorated biscuit, which means unglazed porcelain. And it's wonderful because it's got all these little pierced sections, so it's quite a technically difficult object to make.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
The second piece here, which you rightfully said had marks on the bottom and is a match striker, is, in fact-- that's what somebody had used it as-- but it's made of yellowed glass, nicely carved. The decoration here is quite beautiful. It's got a pair of dragons that are facing each other that are in an archaistic style. And the mark on the bottom, Yamanaka, is really quite informative, because Yamanaka was a major dealer in Chinese and Japanese antiques earlier in the century.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
So, not everything he sold was real, but a lot of it was. And the quality of this would suggest that it is real. And the last one is this vase here. The shape of it is a shape that developed in the 18th century in China. The color is what's called Clair de Lune, and as we turn it over, we see that it has a six-character mark here for the Yongzheng period. So the question is, does it date to that period or not? So the first piece, the snuff bottle, absolutely is correct. This is actually worth about, for insurance purposes, around $1,000.

GUEST:
Wow.

APPRAISER:
This, again, as we turn it over and we look at the underside, we see that it has a mark here which says Yamanaka, and the other mark underneath it actually says "sterling silver." So it's gilded silver, which is what you want to see on something like this. Now, it's in good condition. There's a few little hairline cracks up here at the top, but it's not worth what you had hoped it was worth.

GUEST:
No?

APPRAISER:
I'm so sorry to say. It's worth $3,000.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. You are kidding. Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
(laughing): No, it's wonderful. It's a great snuff bottle, all right? If it weren't cracked, it'd be more.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
All right, the last one. Simulating an archaic bronze form from the second century. This is not from the Yongzheng period.

GUEST:
It's not.

APPRAISER:
The mark is written correctly. It's not the right style.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
The potting and everything suggests that it's closer to the turn of the century. Very fine-quality potting. For insurance purposes, I would think it's worth about $5,000.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
Congratulations.

GUEST:
Thank you.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Lark E. Mason
Asian Arts
Lark Mason Associates
New York, NY
Update (2020)
$22,000 Insurance
Appraised value (2007)
$9,000 Insurance
Featured In
Orlando, Hour 3 (#1206)
Vintage Orlando, Hour 1 (#2506)
Event
Orlando, FL (June 30, 2007)
Category
Asian Arts
Period
19th Century
Form
Bottle
Material
Bronze , Glass , Porcelain , Pottery , Sterling

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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