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Doulton Lambeth Pottery, ca. 1885

Value (2020) | $1,600 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
They belonged to my aunt's mother-in-law that had come over from England, and when she died, about 50 years ago, my aunt thought they were junk and didn't want them, and threw them in a trash can out back, and my mom was there, saw that, and asked her, "Well, can I have them, then?" And she said, "Sure," and Mom dug them out of the trash can and has had them all these years. Mom wanted to know what these were for years. Unfortunately, she died several years ago and never did find out, so coming to the ROADSHOW today, I'm feeling like I'm kind of fulfilling Mom's dream of finding out what these were.

APPRAISER:
Getting a little closer to the truth.

GUEST:
Yes. Yes.

APPRAISER:
Okay. Now, looking at these, would you think that they were made by the same factory?

GUEST:
Probably not.

APPRAISER:
Do you know? They were. They're both made by Doulton Lambeth, which is an English factory that did this type of work in the 1860s through the 1880s, well into the 1900s, when they became Royal Doulton. Now, there were two distinct types of wares. There were the commercial wares, which were the sort of almost assembly line... You know, you glaze it, you mold it, that sort of thing. And this represents that. It has a nice glaze of blue and green. Very attractive. On the bottom here, we have the marks, Doulton Lambeth. Mold marks, painter's marks, and it would be considered your ordinary piece of Doulton Lambeth. Over here-- and this is the funny one, isn't it?

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
Little guy pounding away on a piano. The interesting thing about this is the mark that you find right here on the side of the piano, which is "G.T." in a monogram. That stands for a gentleman by the name of George Tinworth. George Tinworth is considered really pretty much the father of what became Royal Doulton figurines. He did a lot of figurines of mice and of frogs, and very, very interesting terra-cotta figural groups that are just absolutely loved by collectors worldwide. So we have a George Tinworth mark here, and a different mark on the bottom. And that's why you said it looks so different.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
These are the ones that the true artists did. Rather than assembly-line material like this one, these are the ones where they're really truly sculpture. And he was probably one of the most important sculptors for a pottery in the late 19th century, so that having been said, an example like this, even with a little damage you have here to the brim of his hat, you'd want to insure it for about $2,500.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh. (laughs) That's amazing.

APPRAISER:
And this one's worth maybe about $100.

GUEST:
Wow. Wow.

APPRAISER:
In insurance. Look at the difference between the two.

GUEST:
Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER:
He's making beautiful music over there. GUEST (laughs): That's awesome. Now, what if his hat had not been broken?

APPRAISER:
You would probably want to insure it for more around $3,800 or $4,000.

GUEST:
Really?

APPRAISER:
So it does make a difference.

GUEST:
Wow. You're making me tear up. (laughs)

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Stuart Whitehurst
Books & Manuscripts, Decorative Arts, Furniture, Pottery & Porcelain, Silver
Update (2020)
$1,600 Insurance
Appraised value (2007)
$2,600 Insurance
Featured In
Trash to Treasure (#1220)
Spokane, Hour 1 (#1210)
Vintage Spokane, Hour 2 (#2509)
Event
Spokane, WA (August 04, 2007)
Category
Pottery & Porcelain
Period
19th Century
Form
Figurine , Pot
Material
Pottery

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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