1837 New York Grain-painted Pine Lock Box
Watch
GUEST:
A collector friend of mine had purchased it from a local estate. And several years later he offered it for sale. And I fell in love with it.
APPRAISER:
So in Florida, a local estate in Florida.
GUEST:
Yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am.
APPRAISER:
Interesting. And so did he buy it from the estate itself or...
GUEST:
I'm not sure, I just know it came from a local estate.
APPRAISER:
What I love about it is that it is this lock box or lock chest that's got original grain painting on it. The box itself is a pine box, which was a very inexpensive wood in the 19th century. And they always painted pine. You would not really have seen pine furniture just by itself. The wood was too available and inexpensive for pine furniture to stand on its own. It is in just superb condition.
GUEST:
Oh thank you.
APPRAISER:
You can see the graining across the front of it. There's also that panel in the center, which has an acanthus leaf carving on it. And little initials when you look really carefully, you can see there's an "R.C." And let's turn it to the side and show the graining on this side. The painter even painted in a knot from the wood here. He just did a superb job. And it's in incredible condition. And if you can flip it up and we'll look at the bottom. We see probably the maker of the box. It's possibly the owner's name, R. Cole from Mayfield in Montgomery County, New York, and dated 1837. I did a little work, and there are Coles up in that area, but we'd need to do some more genealogy to figure out who actually R. Cole was.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
So let's turn it back again.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
The R.C. on the front is matching the R. Cole on the bottom. Any idea on what these boxes were used for?
GUEST:
My guess is it's a diminutive blanket box, at least that's what I call it. But I would just think just personal storage.
APPRAISER:
I think you're absolutely right. That people would like to, in the business, talk about this being a miniature blanket chest. But indeed, I don't think it is. I think it was just a lock box for someone to put their important personal possessions in, and to be able to lock it. It's fascinating that you have the original key from 1837. I mean when does that happen? It's a functional lock. So it's really a terrific piece. I would say if it were to sell at auction it would probably sell in the $1,200 to $1,800 range.
GUEST:
That's very good.
APPRAISER:
And because of its original paint.
GUEST:
I paid nine. I think I did okay.
APPRAISER:
I think you did, yeah.
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.
