• 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 Las Vegas 2021, Hour 1

Watch | Vintage Las Vegas 2021, Hour 1

Watch | Meadow Brook Hall, Hour 3

Watch | Meadow Brook Hall, Hour 3

Watch | Vintage Louisville 2021, Hour 2

Watch | Vintage Louisville 2021, 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 | "Only Angels Have Wings": A Model Performance

Article | "Only Angels Have Wings": A Model Performance

Appraisal Update | Cut Glass Centerpiece Base, ca. 1885

Appraisal Update | Cut Glass Centerpiece Base, ca. 1885

Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

Extraordinary Finds | Hear More from Lowry About the Auction!

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

1925 Tom Lea "Rati" Painting

Value (2014) | $5,000 Auction – $7,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
It's a pen-and-ink and watercolor by a well-known Texas artist.

APPRAISER:
Who is that?

GUEST:
Tom Lea. It was painted when he was in high school. He was a friend of my grandmother's, and he gave it to my grandmother, and it's stayed in the family ever since.

APPRAISER:
Okay, and he gave it to your grandmother around the time it was painted.

GUEST:
Yes, in 1925, when, I think, he was 17 or 18 years old.

APPRAISER:
Now, you said earlier that there was a little bit of a romantic situation between them?

GUEST:
I think he dated my grandmother very briefly.

APPRAISER:
Okay.

GUEST:
And growing up, I thought this was a painting of my grandmother.

APPRAISER:
Okay.

GUEST:
Just a few years ago, I learned it's not a painting of my grandmother.

APPRAISER:
Okay. It was painted for a costume design for the school play. It hung in my grandmother's house for years and years, probably until the '70s, and then my mother gave it to me probably 15 years ago.

APPRAISER:
What would you like to find out about it?

GUEST:
I'd just like to find out how much it's worth. Not that I'm interested in selling it, just... I may have to insure it, I don't know.

APPRAISER:
Okay, let me tell you a little bit about Tom Lea, a little bit more. As you do know, he's a famous Texas artist, and he actually did graduate from El Paso High School in 1924. Tom Lea is known not only as an artist, but he was also an illustrator, an author. He was a war correspondent. He also wrote several novels which were later made into films-- two of the novels that he's famous for. One is The Brave Bulls, and the other is The Wonderful Country. This is a very early work. What he's very well known for are some of his murals done in the 1930s, when he was working for the WPA. Now, his connection to El Paso is deep. I think from 1915 to 1917, his father was the mayor of El Paso as well. He did study at Art Institute of Chicago under another famous muralist, then he worked at the WPA, and then he became famous for being a war correspondent and war artist.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And he was very well known as being what would be called today an embedded reporter, really. He really risked life and limb to bring stories back from both the European and Pacific theaters. As far as the painting goes, most of the works that do come onto the market are 1930s, 1940s and later. It's written lower left here, "Rati." And Rati was the Hindu goddess of love.

GUEST:
Yeah. I believe that was the character in the play that this was going to be the costume for.

APPRAISER:
Right. If I were going to put this at auction, I would put a conservative auction estimate on it of $5,000 to $7,000.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm. Well, I'll be keeping this in the family, so...

APPRAISER:
Great. As far as insurance goes, probably about two or three times that.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Gene Shapiro
Paintings & Drawings
Shapiro Auctions
Appraised value (2014)
$5,000 Auction – $7,000 Auction
Featured In
Austin, Hour 2 (#1905)
Event
Austin, TX (June 28, 2014)
Category
Paintings & Drawings

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 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!