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1881 Carved & Polychromed Cane

Value (2012) | $4,000 Retail – $5,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, it was a cane that was brought to my mother's house by my aunt in the early '80s. We had never seen it before, but she was kind of a worldly person that was all over the place. So she may have acquired it anywhere. She bought it in the early '80s and used it up until the day she died.

APPRAISER:
So this was actually her cane?

GUEST:
Absolutely.

APPRAISER:
And you've done a little research on the maker?

GUEST:
His name was J.D. Batz. He carved it in 1881, and he was a sheepherder. He would winter in California, and carve canes, I guess. From what I can find out, he carved five of them similar to this. He used to take them to the agricultural fairs in California. And I found several places where he won prizes or a diploma, it said on one of them. And $2.50 on another one, so...

APPRAISER:
As prize money?

GUEST:
As prize money, yes.

APPRAISER:
Well, it kind of makes sense because it has a very feral-like theme to the cane.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
Many times when we find wonderful canes, we say the artist who made them was one and done. The artist made one piece, and he was satisfied with his work and he really did not create a body of work. But J.D. Batz had a small body of work. I have never heard of him. So in all the books on canes and all of my work with canes, I've never heard of J.D. Batz. So I'm thrilled to see a piece of his work.

GUEST:
Good, good.

APPRAISER:
And as we explore the cane, it's really extraordinary. It says on the top there are 182 figures carved into the cane.

GUEST:
Correct.

APPRAISER:
Wow.

GUEST:
Yeah, it's amazing.

APPRAISER:
I mean, this piece of wood is his canvas. You start over here with fishes. Here, we see a beautiful hammerhead shark, we go down here, and we're visiting the animal kingdom. We go further down, and we get into reptiles. And here, we have this alligator.

GUEST:
Alligator,yeah.

APPRAISER:
And insects.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
He wrote what each of the figures and animals were. At the very bottom, we see a different tone to the wood, because that's where a metal ferrule, it is called, would have been. And cane makers put those on the end of their canes just to protect the woods, because they were made to be used. Over here on top, he used a piece of bone for the handle. Overall, wonderful piece of work. Now, the main drawback to this is the fact that some point in its history it was shellacked.

GUEST:
It appears to be, yes.

APPRAISER:
It was varnished. And the varnish, what happens, it turns yellow. It's covering up and darkening some of the wonderful color and the polychrome paint that J.D. Batz used when he produced the cane. So it holds back the value a little bit. I think a nice retail value on a beautiful piece like this would be in the $4,000 to $5,000 range.

GUEST:
Oh, wow, great.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Allan Katz
Folk Art
Allan Katz Americana
Madison, CT
Appraised value (2012)
$4,000 Retail – $5,000 Retail
Featured In
Rapid City, Hour 1 (#1713)
Event
Rapid City, SD (July 14, 2012)
Category
Folk Art
Period
19th Century
Form
Animal , Carving , Walking stick
Material
Paint , Wood

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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