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American Arts & Crafts Chandelier, ca. 1905

Value (2011) | $10,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
It was part of my father-in-law's house that he purchased in 1930.

APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm.

GUEST:
The house was built in 1905, and this supposedly was part of the original furnishings of that house when it was built in 1905. A Victorian house.

APPRAISER:
Now, do you watch Antiques Roadshow?

GUEST:
Oh yes, all the time. That's one of the reasons I'm here today, is because approximately 15 years ago, I don't know, I know it was before you had the remote on the television where you can stop it, the Roadshow on that particular night had a vase, and the vase had the same pattern as this. The appraiser called it the "Rabbit and Toadstool," and it was supposedly an Italian artist during the same vintage period of Tiffany. And as I remember, they appraised that vase for $13,000.

APPRAISER:
Well, what I can tell you is, it's definitely not Italian.

GUEST:
Oh, okay.

APPRAISER:
But, what it is, it's a very fine example of New England Arts and Crafts lighting, probably dating from around the time the house was built, maybe 1905, maybe even 1910. And the reason why I say this is mainly because I'm looking at this border. Now, of course, you know the toadstools are in the eyes of the beholder. I see it more as a rabbit and snow trees, and this is a motif that actually was used on one of the prominent New England pottery companies on some of their pieces. This was a motif that they used.

GUEST:
New England.

APPRAISER:
In New England, yes, in the Massachusetts area. So it got me to thinking when I saw the shade, well, I know it's not a Tiffany shade, but the quality is very nice and the motif is really interesting and it's different. And I thought maybe it could be a Bigelow and Kennard shade, and that was a Boston company that did make some leaded glass shades. So I talked to a couple of my fellow appraisers. Some thought maybe it could be Bigelow Kennard, others said, "No, I don't think it is," based on the color of the glass and possibly the shape. So, what we're going to have to do is more research to find out what it is. But there are some great things about it. Under here, on the bodies of the rabbits, is what we call plating. It's an extra bit of plating. Instead of just having one layer of the stained glass, there is a second layer. Now you would see that often in Tiffany windows, and once in a very rare moment you might see it in a Tiffany lamp. And I haven't seen it that many times. That's a very unusual thing. It denotes a certain type of quality, so when you look through it, it's not completely white, but you have some darkness here, so it gives more of a three- dimensionality to the rabbit. It also has some beautiful granite kind of glass on the inside, too. It's a little pebbly in the surface. So I think that at a retail venue, in a very good shop that may sell Arts and Crafts lighting, this could sell for $10,000.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
If we could do more research and actually pinpoint who made it, it could be a lot more. But what I can assure you is, that regardless of who made it, it is a great example of American Arts and Crafts lighting.

GUEST:
Thank you very much.

APPRAISER:
You're welcome.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Arlie Sulka
Glass
Lillian Nassau LLC
New York, NY
Appraised value (2011)
$10,000 Retail
Featured In
Eugene, Hour 1 (#1604)
Event
Eugene, OR (June 04, 2011)
Category
Glass
Period
Arts and Crafts
Form
Chandelier
Material
Glass

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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