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Field Segment: American WWI Uniforms

Value (2011) | $1,900 Retail – $2,500 Retail
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HOST: Water once powered many textile mills across Oregon, and this mill museum was once a thriving woolen factory. During the First World War, the mill produced woolen blankets and clothing for the U.S. military. Appraiser Jeff Shrader was on hand to discuss the market for World War One uniforms. Jeff, America entered World War One in April of 1917, and consequently right after that or shortly thereafter, wool was rationed so that we could provide wool uniforms for all these soldiers. How many soldiers were called into action?

APPRAISER:
They mobilized about 4.5 million American soldiers to serve in World War One. HOST: Well, that's a lot of wool uniforms.

APPRAISER:
That is a lot of uniforms. In fact, Uncle Sam had it figured out to the day how often every soldier would need another uniform. So in addition to being four-and-a-half million men in service, every single one of those gentlemen was going to need a new coat approximately every 79 days. HOST: It's important to note that the uniform then is not like it is now where you had a camouflage uniform for battle and a different one for everyday use. This was the uniform that most soldiers wore.

APPRAISER:
That's exactly right. There was a dress uniform, but most of those guys who entered the service specifically for World War One never would have seen one. This is the model 1912 coat, and that is what the army troops fighting in World War One wore. A plain jacket with no insignia on it is going to be sold at retail somewhere between $50 and $100. But the thing that makes a uniform special to a collector is the insignia that was applied to them after the end of the armistice that distinguishes individual units, and that's what collectors are looking for. There are a lot of clues that tell you who this fellow was and what he did. These two chevrons tell us that the soldier served overseas for a minimum of 12 months. Each one of those signifies six months overseas service. We know that he was honorably discharged, he has an honorable discharge chevron. There is the Italian War Medal, and most importantly for the collector on the left shoulder is the Italian-made, Lion of St. Mark, bullion-embroidered patch that was worn by the American ambulance service and the 332nd Infantry. He has Medical Corps collar insignia, and we know right where this guy was. This uniform would sell at a retail value of around $900 to $1,000. HOST: Let's move to this next uniform here, and this is pretty important as well. Tell me about this one.

APPRAISER:
This particular officer was a pilot in the Army Air Service in World War One. This was the first large-scale use of military aviation in U.S. military history. The uniform has an Air Service rondel, shoulder insignia, but the most important part of this particular uniform is the reserve military aviator wing that he wears on his left chest. HOST: With all that, what then is the value for this uniform?

APPRAISER:
For an army aviator uniform from World War One, a collector can expect to pay between $1,000 and $1,500 at retail unless there's something else particularly special that drives the value higher. HOST: Like if we knew he was an ace or something.

APPRAISER:
Exactly right. HOST: Very good. Well, thanks so much for sharing this, Jeff. It's really remarkable to see these great uniforms survive over the years.

APPRAISER:
Thanks. Mark.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Jeff Shrader
Arms & Militaria
Advance Guard Militaria
Burfordville, MO
Appraised value (2011)
$1,900 Retail – $2,500 Retail
Featured In
Eugene, Hour 2 (#1605)
Event
Eugene, OR (June 04, 2011)
Category
Arms & Militaria

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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