• Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Our Sponsors

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Complete Ticket Rules
  • How the Event Works
  • 2020 Tour FAQ
  • Williamsburg, VA — Canceled
  • Nashville, TN — Canceled
  • Boston, MA — Canceled
  • Estes Park, CO — Canceled
  • Santa Fe, NM — Canceled
Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Tour FAQs

Tour FAQs

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • Best Moments of Season 24
  • Best Moments of Season 23
  • Best Moments of Season 22
  • Cities from Past Seasons
  • About Executive Producer Marsha Bemko
  • Roadshow's Editorial Policy
Watch | Vintage Spokane, Hour 1

Watch | Vintage Spokane, Hour 1

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 3

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 3

Watch | Vintage Orlando, Hour 2

Watch | Vintage Orlando, Hour 2

    Quick links
  • Find Features by City
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Sports Appraisals
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • Roadshow Topics — Staff Picks
  • For Teachers
  • Vintage Minute
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Article | Collecting Kachina Dolls

Article | Collecting Kachina Dolls

Article | Read President Abraham Lincoln's Letters

Article | Read President Abraham Lincoln's Letters

Article | Overview of Current Ivory Law

Article | Overview of Current Ivory Law

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Thomas J. Wheatley Vase, ca. 1905

Value (2014) | $1,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
My husband's grandfather passed. He was about 100 years old. This was up in the attic in their house, and I told him to go get it and bring it down because I wanted it.

APPRAISER:
And how long have you had it?

GUEST:
Almost 30 years now.

APPRAISER:
This vase was made by Thomas Wheatley. Thomas Wheatley was a potter from Cincinnati, Ohio, and in 1880, opened the T.J. Wheatley Company, where he made copies of a famous style of work called Limoges ware that other people in Cincinnati, Ohio, were doing. He filed a patent for the technique, eventually went out of business, and in 1903 formed another Wheatley Company, which is this one. And this company, also in Cincinnati, copied the work of Grueby Pottery in Boston, Massachusetts. So Wheatley was big into copying work that others did. And I mean, that's not necessarily a bad thing, because a lot of companies copied each other. I would date this piece, since he's copying a Grueby precedent, the Grueby precedent would have been made around 1900 to 1902, so I would date this to around 1905 or 1906. This is almost an exact copy of a vase that Grueby made: straight-sided vase with leaves encircling the top, and then these fern fronds forming tight little handles, covered in this vegetal matte green glaze. The difference between this piece and a Grueby piece is, were this Grueby, the pot itself would be hand-thrown on a wheel. You'd see the finger marks on the inside. And then further, these leaves that we see on the outside of the vase, that thrown vase would have clay stuck to the side and the leaves would be sculpted out with a carving tool, as opposed to being part of the mold that was used to make this piece. And finally, these handles would be formed from flat pieces of clay, where they would stretch them out and roll them and apply them to the side at Grueby, rather than cast and applied as they are here. So Wheatley approximated the Grueby look in a very good way. It's a fairly honest representation, but at a much lower cost. The Grueby's green glaze is a signature. Over 100 companies copied the matte green glazes that Grueby used. When you walked up to the table, I knew this was Wheatley because this is their signature glaze.

GUEST:
Ah.

APPRAISER:
The Grueby glaze would be a little bluer in color, a little less texture, a matte crystalline surface to it. There'd be a lot more distinction to the Grueby vase. There is one issue with this pot. It's not marked, or if it's marked, the bottom is covered with a sufficient amount of glaze that we can't see it. But there's a crack running through the bottom of the piece that does come up the side, which is going to limit the value. It's a pretty good-sized body crack. I still think because it's such an extravagant example, at auction, it's still worth $1,000. Without the crack at auction, it's about a $3,000 piece. And if this were a piece of Grueby made a couple years earlier in Boston, Massachusetts, at auction, it'd be about $7,000.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
David Rago
Pottery & Porcelain
Rago-Wright Auctions
Lambertville, NJ
Appraised value (2014)
$1,000 Auction
Featured In
Albuquerque, Hour 2 (#1920)
Event
Albuquerque, NM (July 19, 2014)
Category
Pottery & Porcelain
Period
20th Century
Form
Vase
Material
Clay

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.

More on This Appraisal

Article
Art Pottery & The Imitation Game
More from PBS

The Black Church

Trace the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America.

9to5: The Story of a Movement

Go inside the movement for women's workplace equality in the 1970's.

Finding Your Roots

Discover the surprising ancestral stories of a variety of public figures.

"I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story..." Antiques Roadshow on Facebook

What’s inside the case?

@RoadshowPBS on Instagram

William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer” on July 23 in 1829. 110 year later came this "The Gold Royal" typewriter… @RoadshowPBS

We're soaking up the story behind this @LeslieKeno appraisal! #antiquesroadshow @RoadshowPBS

  • Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • ABOUT ROADSHOW
  • Schedule
  • Contact Us
  • Credits
  • Press
  • For Teachers
  • Telephone Scam Warning
  • Roadshow Imitators Warning
  • Doing Business with Appraisers
  • Our Sponsors
  • Our Funders
  • Corporate Sponsorship

Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and Consumer Cellular. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Produced By

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS by GBH under license from BBC, Worldwide. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ©1997 – 2021 WGBH Educational Foundation.

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Copyright
Subscribe Hide  ×

A weekly collection of previews, videos, articles, interviews, and more!