• Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Our Sponsors

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Complete Ticket Rules
  • How the Event Works
  • 2020 Tour FAQ
  • Williamsburg, VA — Canceled
  • Nashville, TN — Canceled
  • Boston, MA — Canceled
  • Estes Park, CO — Canceled
  • Santa Fe, NM — Canceled
Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Tour FAQs

Tour FAQs

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • Best Moments of Season 24
  • Best Moments of Season 23
  • Best Moments of Season 22
  • Cities from Past Seasons
  • About Executive Producer Marsha Bemko
  • Roadshow's Editorial Policy
Watch | Vintage Baltimore 2021, Hour 2

Watch | Vintage Baltimore 2021, Hour 2

Watch | Vintage Baltimore 2021, Hour 1

Watch | Vintage Baltimore 2021, Hour 1

Watch | American Stories

Watch | American Stories

    Quick links
  • Find Features by City
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Sports Appraisals
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • Roadshow Topics — Staff Picks
  • For Teachers
  • Vintage Minute
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Related | See Another Mudd Prison-Made Piece

Related | See Another Mudd Prison-Made Piece

Related | George Washington's Inaugural Ball Silk Sash, ca. 1789

Related | George Washington's Inaugural Ball Silk Sash, ca. 1789

Article | A Man and His Mural

Article | A Man and His Mural

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Aviation Autograph Collection

Value (2019) | $15,000 Retail – $20,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
My father was able to meet Admiral Byrd in 1927, and got his autograph. And he decided at that point to try and get more autographs. And he lived in northern New Jersey. And at that point, you didn't have to have a driver's license. So at 12, he was able to just get in the car and drive to Teterboro. And he hung out there, and he met all these people. And by 1933, he had 250 to 300 autographs. And so now it numbers 990 autographs.

APPRAISER:
Let's take a look...

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
At a few of the individual examples. Let's start out with one of my favorites-- and America's favorites, and the world's favorites, I think-- Amelia Earhart, signed shortly before she disappeared.

GUEST:
Yeah, right, yeah, in June of '37. And she died, I believe, in July of '37, or was lost in...

APPRAISER:
She's certainly one of the most sought-after aviation autographs there is.

GUEST:
Right, right.

APPRAISER:
And right below Miss Earhart, we have the famed man on the moon, Neil Armstrong.

GUEST:
Neil Armstrong.

APPRAISER:
How, how did he acquire this particular one?

GUEST:
Well, actually, my dad worked on this through the '20s and the '30s. And then he became involved with family and job, and at that point, my grandmother was a widow. So she sat in her apartment in California and wrote off these letters to people, and got, often, long responses back. And that's... actually, she's the one who got Neil Armstrong.

APPRAISER:
And particularly with the Armstrong, I'm really impressed with the note he wrote on the bottom here: "I'm very pleased to have you place my name alongside so many fine aviation pioneers. Neil Armstrong."

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
That makes it very personal.

GUEST:
Yes, it does-- it does, right.

APPRAISER:
And precious, I think. And then we've got Alan Shepard. And then, up at the top here, we have all seven of the Project Mercury astronauts.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Signed...

GUEST:
On here.

APPRAISER:
On a piece of ephemera issued back in 1959, I believe.

GUEST:
Yeah, yeah.

APPRAISER:
Then below here, we have the famous John Glenn's autograph.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And then Chuck Yeager below John Glenn.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And then over to the far side, by you...

GUEST:
Yes, this one.

APPRAISER:
You've got the famous Captain Eddie Rickenbacker.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm. And that's definitely one of the ones that my dad got.

APPRAISER:
And then the famed French aviator Louis...

GUEST:
Blériot, yes.

APPRAISER:
Blériot.

GUEST:
He was the first man to cross the English Channel, in 1909.

APPRAISER:
And then lastly, up at the top here, "Wrong Way" the infamous "Wrong Way" Corrigan.

GUEST:
Infamous "Wrong Way" Corrigan.

APPRAISER:
It's just an absolutely marvelous, marvelous collection, and it extends from, you know, ballooning history in the 19th century right up to the whole period of modern aviation.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And into the astronauts of the late 20th century. And it's, it's so comprehensive at almost 1,000 different pieces.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
We can only show a fraction of the pieces here today.

GUEST:
Oh, a fraction, yeah, right, they're...

APPRAISER:
At retail value, Amelia Earhart is $2,000 to $2,500. The Neil Armstrong, a couple of thousand dollars. The autograph's signed in 1961, some years prior to his walk on the moon, so his autograph as a moon walker would be a higher percentage.

GUEST:
I see. Even though this one's older, it's worth less, I see.

APPRAISER:
Yes. Just what we've examined today, at retail value, the collection would bring $12,000 to $15,000, and more for all the hundreds of other autographs that you have in the collection, as well.

GUEST:
Right, right, so is it just... Just the ones that you actually were able to... To find.

APPRAISER:
We looked at, yes.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Ken Sanders
Books & Manuscripts
Ken Sanders Rare Books
Salt Lake City, UT
Update (2019)
$15,000 Retail – $20,000 Retail
Appraised value (2007)
$12,000 Retail – $15,000 Retail
Featured In
Spokane, Hour 2 (#1211)
Out of This World (#2323)
Event
Spokane, WA (August 04, 2007)
Category
Books & Manuscripts
Period
20th Century
Form
Autograph
Material
Paper

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.

More on This Appraisal

Slideshow
Autographs of Aviation Celebrities
More from PBS

Broadway's Best on PBS

Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles; One Man, Two Guvnors; Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, and Lea Salonga in Concert.

Craft in America: Democracy

Explore how craft is intertwined with our nation's defining principles.

Keith Haring: Street Art Boy

Learn 3 ways that Haring shows the world that art is for everyone.

"I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story..." Antiques Roadshow on Facebook

What’s inside the case?

@RoadshowPBS on Instagram

William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer” on July 23 in 1829. 110 year later came this "The Gold Royal" typewriter… @RoadshowPBS

We're soaking up the story behind this @LeslieKeno appraisal! #antiquesroadshow @RoadshowPBS

  • Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • ABOUT ROADSHOW
  • Schedule
  • Contact Us
  • Credits
  • Press
  • For Teachers
  • Telephone Scam Warning
  • Roadshow Imitators Warning
  • Doing Business with Appraisers
  • Our Sponsors
  • Our Funders
  • Corporate Sponsorship

Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and Consumer Cellular. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Produced By

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS by GBH under license from BBC, Worldwide. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ©1997 – 2021 WGBH Educational Foundation.

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Copyright
Subscribe Hide  ×

A weekly collection of previews, videos, articles, interviews, and more!