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Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Civil War 6th Michigan Cavalry Soldier Journals

Value (2016) | $4,000 Auction – $6,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
I brought in my Civil War journals from my great-great-grandfather. His name was Russell Kimball Stanton.

APPRAISER:
What unit was he in, do you know?

GUEST:
It was... oh, and I don't even remember now.

APPRAISER:
You don't even remember? That's okay.

GUEST:
He was in the Michigan one.

APPRAISER:
He was in the 6th Michigan Cavalry.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
The 6th Michigan Cavalry was formed in 1862. It came into service just before the Battle of Gettysburg in June, July of 1863, and it was under the command of Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer, who commanded the brigade, the Michigan Brigade, and they were called the Wolverines. I don't know whether you've read anything about Custer at the Battle of Gettysburg, but that's where he really got his name.

GUEST:
That's a major... yes.

APPRAISER:
So your ancestor served through the entire war. He served in 1862 and kept a journal, 1863, '64, and '65. So he kept daily records of everything through his whole service in the war. In 1863, in June and July, he's talking about the prelude to the Battle of Gettysburg and being in the Battle of Gettysburg. So there's some great things in there. And in 1865 he's actually at the surrender of General Lee's army at Appomattox, Virginia.

GUEST:
Oh, wow.

APPRAISER:
That was on April 9, 1865, and on April 10, he talks about a salute being fired over the surrender of General Lee and the Rebel Army of Virginia.

GUEST:
Oh, wow.

APPRAISER:
We talked about it a lot. It's not something we commonly find that you have his journals through the entire war and an image of him. We figure, conservatively, at auction, in the $4,000 to $6,000 range.

GUEST:
Wow.

APPRAISER:
Yeah, yeah.

GUEST:
Wow, very good-- I had no idea.

APPRAISER:
Yeah, well, we run across common single copies of this that don't have a lot of information, but there are some wonderful things inside here, as well as everyday daily weather and such, but there are some wonderful things inside. ‘

GUEST:
All right, very good-- thank you so much.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Joel Bohy
Arms & Militaria
Bruneau & Co Auctioneers
Cranston, RI
Appraised value (2016)
$4,000 Auction – $6,000 Auction
Featured In
Virginia Beach, Hour 2 (#2114)
Event
Virginia Beach, VA (June 25, 2016)
Category
Arms & Militaria
Period
19th Century , Civil War
Form
Diary/Journal , Photograph
Material
Leather , Paper

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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