18th-Century Philadelphia Chippendale Chair
Watch
APPRAISER:
John, this is one of the oldest pieces of American furniture we've seen today. It's actually a Philadelphia side chair made of mahogany, about 1760 or so. And it has all the attributes of the Philadelphia Rococo school, including this rocaille shell with these volutes and ruffles and acanthus leaves. Scrolled terminals, strapwork splat with volutes flanking. And then this trapezoidal seat, which is supported on these acanthus leaf carved and volute carved cabriole legs, ending in beautifully carved claw-and-ball feet. It's actually a great example of a Philadelphia side chair. You can see this beautifully striped mahogany that the cabinetmaker and the carvers chose to feature on the seat rail in the front here, and also on the splat. What I love about this chair is when we turn it sideways, you can look at the profile, and it's just got this beautiful, unusually dramatic flair to the rear legs.
GUEST:
Uh-huh.
APPRAISER:
I love that rake also. It makes it look like it's leaning forward, ready to take off. And in addition to what Leslie pointed out, I like the fact that it actually has its original poplar seat frame, which is marked number one, number one in the set. It's absolutely original. It's an 18th century, you know, 1770 seat frame with a reproduction crewel stitch on it. Yeah. And on the chair itself, you actually also have a number one. And the chair has its original poplar two-part glue blocks, typical of a Philadelphia glue block. So everything makes sense on it. Now, John, you said that you came about this chair in a very unusual way.
GUEST:
A couple of years ago I had a roommate who owed me some back rent which he just couldn't pay. So instead he offered me this chair, and I accepted it, because I loved it. It was already in the apartment. He inherited this from his aunt who had passed away a few years before. That's about as much as I know about it.
APPRAISER:
Did he have a pretty good idea of the value when he gave it to you, or he just...
GUEST:
Well, he seemed to think that it was an authentic 18th-century chair. And I could never prove that, but I took him at his word.
APPRAISER:
And may I ask how much the rent was?
GUEST:
It would have been about $700.
APPRAISER:
Well, how would you feel if Les and I told you that this chair could easily be estimated at auction in the range of $15,000?
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, $15,000 to about $18,000.
GUEST:
That's unbelievable. I had no idea.
APPRAISER:
Do you think he's watching the show? He's probably like, "That's my roommate! "I gave him that chair. I want it back."
GUEST:
I hope he's not watching.
Appraisal Details
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.
