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Léveillé & Rousseau Perfume Bottle, ca. 1890

Value (2021) | $5,000 Auction – $6,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
It's really funny, because I took it at the last minute because I didn't really know what it was. I thought it was a perfume bottle. I collect perfume bottles, but I thought it was a cruet when I bought it, because of the stopper, but I put it on my perfume tray.

APPRAISER:
And where did you get it? Where did...

GUEST:
I got it at a flea market, and I'm not sure-- somewhere in Virginia, because I go to so many flea markets, and I just happened to find it, and it, you know, it was very inexpensive. I didn't even really know it was silver at the time.

APPRAISER:
What did you pay for it?

GUEST:
I don't think any more than $20, $25. It was really a good deal.

APPRAISER:
And you know when that was?

GUEST:
Maybe ten years ago-- I'm not sure.

APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, what we have here is a, it is a perfume bottle.

GUEST:
Oh.

APPRAISER:
And it's French Art Nouveau.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
And it's, Leveille-Rousseau is the manufacturer of it, about 1883 to circa 1900.

GUEST:
Wonderful.

APPRAISER:
So then if you notice, you have multi-colors in here.

GUEST:
Yes, I love the art glass.

APPRAISER:
And got kind of a, a burnished red and then silver mounts. This makes it extremely rare, with silver mounts. The glass itself, it's not signed, but the silver is French and you have a wonderful flame finial, and the base is basically floral and leaf pattern with an X-border on the foot. Now, the interesting thing is that we see damaged glass, and we're always concerned when glass is damaged because it definitely affects the value. So if you look in here and you see all this crazing-- do you see that?

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
Well, the great news is, this glass was made to look like that.

GUEST:
That's what I was thinking.

APPRAISER:
This is not damage.

GUEST:
That's what I was thinking.

APPRAISER:
This is perfect. And the wonderful part is, it's a perfume bottle.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
And there's perfume collectors all over the world.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
Have you ever taken this anywhere to have it appraised?

GUEST:
No, no, I just... put it on my shelf with all my little bottles.

APPRAISER:
Well, it's a wonderful bottle. The value would be, for auction, $6,000 to $8,000. GUEST (gasps): Oh, my word. (laughs) Well, I guess it'll have to go to a place of honor.

APPRAISER:
A place of honor. (laughs)

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Kathleen Bailey
Glass, Pottery & Porcelain, Silver
None
Seattle, WA
Update (2021)
$5,000 Auction – $6,000 Auction
Appraised value (2013)
$6,000 Auction – $8,000 Auction
Featured In
Richmond, Hour 2 (#1817)
Best Bargains (#2521)
Event
Richmond, VA (August 17, 2013)
Category
Glass
Period
19th Century
Form
Bottle
Material
Glass , Silver

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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