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Related | John Fery Oil Painting, ca. 1895

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Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Hotel Del Coronado

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1931 "The Compleat Angler" with Drawing

Value (2013) | $4,000 Auction – $9,000 Insurance
Watch  

GUEST:
Back in 1969, we were reading the Dallas Morning News one day and noticed that our bookstore was having a moving sale. And all their books were half price, so we went down and found a rare book at half price.

APPRAISER:
Nice, and what I really like about the book that you brought, it is The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton that was illustrated by Arthur Rackham, but it came in this wonderful box here, and whenever a book is in a box, you know it's either one of two things. It's either something that can't come out of a box because of its condition being too bad, or in this case, the pleasant surprise, when it's in beautiful condition. It's what we call a gift book. And Arthur Rackham, who was an English illustrator, became very famous for and became the preeminent illustrator for what we call gift books: books that would have been given out, special occasions, usually with a box, but they don't often survive. The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton, it's really one of the most sought after fishing books and most famous fishing books known. It's in a nice green Morocco leather binding, which is a deluxe condition that you'd like to have a book in. Here is the title of the book, The Compleat Angler. It was published in the 17th century in London. This copy was published in London, but in 1931. It's illustrated with these very wonderful illustrations that Arthur Rackham has become so world renowned for. And in this case, the subject matter is angling, or fishing. And fishing is a very, very popular subject to collect. Another unexpected surprise with this copy is, on the half title, he has done an original drawing of an angler taking a nap, it looks like, while here, a crow or a bird has come in to steal his fishing bait away. Signed and dated 1931, the year of publication. It's all the things we look for: its condition, it has the extra inscription with the drawing, it's a good subject matter that's highly collectible. And the market for Arthur Rackham is very good. Do you recall what you paid for it?

GUEST:
Somewhere in the $300 to $500 range, I don't remember.

APPRAISER:
Okay, that's 1969. Well, you did very well and you kept it well. I would put an auction estimate of $4,000 to $6,000 on it, and for insurance, I would be looking to put a number of $8,000 or $9,000 on it, so you've done very well with it.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Francis J. Wahlgren
Books & Manuscripts
Christie's
New York
None
New York
Hindman Auctions
Appraised value (2013)
$4,000 Auction – $9,000 Insurance
Featured In
Baton Rouge, Hour 2 (#1808)
Event
Baton Rouge, LA (July 27, 2013)
Category
Books & Manuscripts
Period
20th Century
Form
Book
Material
Leather , 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.

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