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1902 Gifted Watch & 1904 Roosevelt-signed Photo

Value (2017) | $11,000 Auction – $16,500 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
It's a signed photograph from Theodore Roosevelt, and signed by himself and all of his sons. Theodore was cousin to my grandfather's first wife, who died at a young age, and I inherited it through my father's side of the family.

APPRAISER:
And what was her name?

GUEST:
Her name was Christine Kean Roosevelt.

APPRAISER:
And what else do you know about her?

GUEST:
I have several photographs of her. She was obviously very attractive, a very small lady. She was introduced to society in New York, along with her cousins and friends. After marriage, my grandfather was posted to Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia. She developed pernicious anemia.

APPRAISER:
Oh, my gosh.

GUEST:
And died. My grandfather retained all of her possessions and they've been passed down through the family.

APPRAISER:
You've brought a photograph and a watch.

GUEST:
A watch.

APPRAISER:
And she is a really, a remarkable figure. She was a debutante the season of 1902, which was famous because five Roosevelt cousins came out that year, including Alice Roosevelt, Theodore's oldest daughter, and Eleanor Roosevelt. You've got a photograph of Theodore and the four sons, which are Theodore, Jr., Archibald, Quentin, and Kermit, and it's taken in 1904. They're all seated together on the couch, and each of them has signed. So Theodore is here, in the center, and here's Theodore, Jr., and this is Archie, and that's Quentin, and there's Kermit in there. And what we love about this one, you pointed this out to me earlier, is that Quentin messed up and scratched out and tried it over. He was very little, he was only six years old. The other signature here is that of the photographer, who has signed and then dated it 1904. And you also have this lovely pocket watch, which was a gift, you said…

GUEST:
It was a gift.

APPRAISER:
…from Theodore to Christine. And it has her initials engraved on the outside, and if we take it off and look inside, in the back, there's an actual presentation inscription to her from Theodore and his wife, Edith. So this is a really lovely group of items. Have you ever had this material appraised before?

GUEST:
I have never had anyone even look at the watch before other than a jeweler to open it, so I could see what was inside. I had the photograph, I sent a scan to a fellow online who was auctioning off historic photographs. He said he thought it would bring between $6,000 and $8,000 at auction, and then he said, "But I know a collector, and I'll buy it from you for $8,500."

APPRAISER:
And you did not do that.

GUEST:
No.

APPRAISER:
Yes.

GUEST:
I've learned from watching the ROADSHOW.

APPRAISER:
Okay, I'm glad you didn't do that. That's perhaps not best practices. It's not very hard to find a signed photograph of Theodore Roosevelt-- he was president, he was a public figure for many years. And if you were just to find a small-format signed photograph of him, it wouldn't cost you very much money. You might spend between $800 on the low to $3,000 or $4,000 on the high end. What I like about this one is that it's Roosevelt and the sons. And when I looked back through the auction records, I really found only one comparable record from more than 20 years ago. So it's very rare to find the family photograph with signatures of the children, as well as the father. I would say that at auction, I would list it between $10,000 and $15,000. It certainly could do much, much better. Some of the larger-format photographs of Roosevelt have sold in the $20,000 range. The watch is by American Waltham. It's a 14-karat-gold pocket watch. By itself, it's probably a $300 watch, but with the association, we would list it at $1,000 to $1,500.

GUEST:
Wonderful.

APPRAISER:
Yeah, so all together, at least $11,000 worth of property.

GUEST:
That's great, thank you. It won't be sold.

APPRAISER:
It won't be sold?

GUEST:
No.

APPRAISER:
Fantastic.

GUEST:
It'll stay in the family.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Catherine Williamson
Books & Manuscripts, Collectibles
Bonhams, LA
Los Angeles, CA
Appraised value (2017)
$11,000 Auction – $16,500 Auction
Featured In
New Orleans, Hour 1 (#2204)
Event
New Orleans, LA (July 22, 2017)
Category
Books & Manuscripts
Period
20th Century
Form
Photograph , Pocket Watch , Watch
Material
Gold

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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