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Enamel Pendant Ball Watch, ca. 1895

Value (2013) | $8,000 Auction – $10,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, it was my grandmother's. From what we can tell from a receipt we have, she purchased it in the early '60s in St. Louis, Missouri. And then a few years ago, my mother gave it to me. But other than that, I really don't know anything.

APPRAISER:
You not only know that she purchased it at a department store in St. Louis, you had showed me the original bill of sale with a typewritten letter.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
Do you remember what the price was?

GUEST:
Was it $1,350, or...

APPRAISER:
It was right around $1,300 and change.

GUEST:
Yes, yes.

APPRAISER:
What year was that?

GUEST:
1964.

APPRAISER:
It was clearly written on the bill that it was a ball watch.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
And that's what we call them because of the shape of the watch. Everybody can't see it right away, but if we lift it up, we can see the dial of the watch. You told me something fell off.

GUEST:
There was the second hand.

APPRAISER:
These watches do not have second hands.

GUEST:
Oh, okay, all right.

APPRAISER:
It's all right, you were close. It's the minute hand.

GUEST:
Oh, okay.

APPRAISER:
Now, one of the reasons it fell off is the crystal is missing. To get a new hand and to get a new crystal is a rather simple repair, not the end of the world, it can be fixed. The movement in the watch is Swiss. The watch was manufactured in France. The time period for this watch, when it was manufactured, is around 1895. You have this beautiful pink guilloche enamel. There's engine turning underneath on the gold, and then they put the translucent enamel on top, and it gives us this beautiful pattern and this beautiful chatoyance. What I love about this piece is that it's pink.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
You just don't see pink a whole lot of the time. It's trimmed with this white enamel, and the white enamel was done in such a way that the enamel has a little bit of a cabochon, a little dome to it. It's a special technique. And then on either side of that, you have these rose-cut diamonds. They even did the cap in rose diamonds. And then you look at the bail and the swivel, and the swivel has a spring mechanism in it, which allows you to take the watch off and on, and they're also encrusted with rose diamonds. So many times these come in, they don't have the original chain with it. And here, you not only have the original chain with these matching enamel sections, in between, you have natural pearls, and natural pearls have become very rare and sought after today. When we opened it up, it was unsigned. They just came out of the factory unsigned. They were sold and retailed, but it's not signed on the piece. So any thoughts on what this may be worth?

GUEST:
Boy, well, I don't know. Maybe, like, $5,000?

APPRAISER:
You know, they were worth $5,000 about three, four years ago.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
At auction, you have $8,000 to $10,000.

GUEST:
Oh! My mom is going to want this back. (laughing)

APPRAISER:
Oh, really? You should have gotten it in writing.

GUEST:
Yeah!

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Kevin Zavian
Jewelry, Watches
Doyle New York
New York, NY
Appraised value (2013)
$8,000 Auction – $10,000 Auction
Featured In
Boise, Hour 2 (#1802)
Event
Boise, ID (June 29, 2013)
Category
Jewelry
Period
19th Century
Form
Pendant , Watch
Material
Diamonds , Enamel , Gold

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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