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1817 Rhode Island Sampler

Value (2016) | $35,000 Retail – $45,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
This is a sampler that's been in my family since 1817. Parthenia Wilcox West is my great-great-great-grandmother, and she was an illegitimate child. This was passed down through my great-grandparents to my great-grandmother, and then at that time when she passed away, my dad was in Rhode Island, where Parthenia was, and so it came to him, and he has given it to me.

APPRAISER:
And we can see over here "Parthenia Wilcox West."

GUEST:
Uh-huh.

APPRAISER:
She was born in 1797, and it says that she did this sampler in 1817.

GUEST:
Correct.

APPRAISER:
It is a Rhode Island sampler, and one of the reasons that it's different than the typical Rhode Island samplers that we see is because if you do the math, she was 20 years old. She's already out of school. She's not being influenced by the formulaic Rhode Island school designs that the schoolgirls had to comply with, and she's free to do her own artwork. And it's done on a brown linen ground, and that's also not typical. It's usually white. We have things like this wonderful federal eagle with a shield. The bowls of flowers are really extraordinary. They're so beautiful, they're so delicate. When we go down the side, we can see these beautiful birds. Once again, these bowls of flowers. And a young woman, possibly her, possibly it's her own self-image. And it's so refreshing on these samplers to see the black thread in such wonderful condition. And the dyes that they used to dye the silk black were very corrosive, so usually on these very early samplers, the black thread is the first thing to disintegrate.

GUEST:
Oh, my.

APPRAISER:
Yeah, so the fact that they're totally intact says that this had a very peaceful life. Do you think it was stored somewhere?

GUEST:
I have no idea until it got to my father. We saw several samplers on the ROADSHOW, and one day, he said, "Oh, I have some of that in the basement." So I know it was not exposed to light. We then started to be aware of what it meant to have a sampler like this, had it restored at University of Rhode Island, and then it did get displayed for a while, but it has not been out that many years.

APPRAISER:
This would be very desirable to a sampler collector, and I think a very fair retail value in today's market would be $35,000 to $45,000.

GUEST:
Oh, my God. That's unbelievable. Well, thank you so much, and I know my dad thanks you too.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Allan Katz
Folk Art
Allan Katz Americana
Madison, CT
Appraised value (2016)
$35,000 Retail – $45,000 Retail
Featured In
Fort Worth, Hour 1 (#2101)
Event
Fort Worth, TX (July 23, 2016)
Category
Folk Art
Period
19th Century
Form
Sampler
Material
Synthetic Dye , Thread

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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