Japanese Komai Iron & Gold Vase, ca. 1890
Watch
GUEST:
My sister, who is now divorced, this and another one was purchased by her husband's grandmother in the early 1900s in a Park Avenue antique store in New York. When they divorced, my sister ended up with both of them, and she gave me one. She believed they were from Japan. Her ex-husband did say they were very valuable.
APPRAISER:
Yes.
GUEST:
We were hoping that was true.
APPRAISER:
Well, we're going to find out. So the first thing that strikes one about it is they're metal.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
They're heavy.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
It's got an extraordinarily large amount of detail and very fine quality workmanship, and it's really amazing when you look at it close up. For instance, on the front, you'll see this kind of cartouche shape outline that encloses a scene having to do with Buddhist mythology. But as we look around to the side and see this extraordinary pattern, it's kind of almost diaper, each of which contains geometric, foliate, figural, all types of designs. And then we go to this side, and a continuation again of this mythological scene with references that would have strong references to somebody who's familiar with Japanese mythology. But also, it's in high relief, so there's a real sense of depth and distance, and it gives it a sense of liveliness and vitality. And the combination of that with the varying colors, which come from inlay, and different materials, including gold...
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
...really makes this an object that can be enjoyed from a distance and close up. Now, coming back here to the front, we also have some more information here beyond just the workmanship, and it is a type of workmanship that we see in Japan. And we see right down here, we have a little rectangle that basically says, "Komai, made west of Kyoto," in reference to a company called the Komai Company, K-O-M-A-I. The Meiji Dynasty extended from 1868 to 1912. During that time, there was a period of dramatic change in Japan. You had a system that had been based largely on a feudalistic system that was becoming part of the world stage economically, politically, and all different types of ways. And Komai was an interesting man because he was a metallurgist. He made things in iron, which is what this is made of, and it's inlaid iron with various materials, exactly the same kind of thing that he would have used to create the various elements that would be associated with making swords. So he took this skill and he transferred it to decorative works of art. You can see almost any one of these little cartouches, these little panels, in themselves could have been a unique work of art. I estimate that this was probably made 1890 to 1900, somewhere in that time frame. So do you have any ideas about what kind of value this might have?
GUEST:
No.
APPRAISER:
You must have some idea.
GUEST:
No, I don't, I really don't.
APPRAISER:
Well, then you might be a little surprised when I say it's worth about $80,000 to $100,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Really? Really? We have two of them. We have a matching one. $80,000 to $100,000?
APPRAISER:
That's right.
GUEST:
I can't bel... oh, wow.
APPRAISER:
The market is very, very strong, so I think it tends to overlook something that's relatively minor, such as a small hole in the base, which happened when it was made into a lamp. It's always hard to speculate on what the value of something would be as a pair, but there's certainly more value as a pair than a single. Based on the latest market trends, I'd have to say somewhere between $200,000 and $300,000 at auction, for the pair.
GUEST:
Whoa, okay. Wonderful news. I almost want to cry. My sister's going to faint when I call her.
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.
