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Jacob Hurd Small Sword, ca. 1720

Value (2017) | $8,000 Auction – $12,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
It's been in the family as long as I can remember. We always thought this sword was from the Civil War until, recently, my mom did some research, and we believe it might be even older.

APPRAISER:
Actually, it is. What was your ancestor's name?

GUEST:
Thomas Noyes.

APPRAISER:
Thomas Noyes.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
He's from Newbury, Massachusetts. And he was a lieutenant colonel in the militia. He died about 1730. But right here, we have "T.N." for Thomas Noyes. One of the other things I noticed, as soon as I looked at it... ...was right here, we have a little touchmark. And it says, "Hurd." Jacob Hurd was a silversmith from Boston whose dates were 1702 to 1758. There are a few issues with some rust on the blade.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
And some pitting on the blade. But the silver hilt is in wonderful condition. Over here, that's the original silver hook that would go on the scabbard, so you slide it into the frog and hold it in place. This is what's called a small sword. It was a gentleman's sword, and they would use it as a badge of rank. Not a fighting sword, necessarily. So it would have a very thin blade. You knew he was an officer because he was wearing this formal sword.

GUEST:
What is this made out of?

APPRAISER:
It's steel, iron-- steel.

GUEST:
Iron.

APPRAISER:
Yep, it's early, it's got all the proper touchmarks. It's got two stories-- the story of Thomas Noyes and of Jacob Hurd as a silversmith. I took it around to some of the silver experts and Americana experts, and we all agreed that given how early it is, and with the two provenances to the maker and your ancestor, that at auction, it would probably be in the $8,000 to $12,000 range.

GUEST:
Wow. (laughs): Wow.

APPRAISER:
If it didn't have initials or that touchmark on it, it would be around $800 to $1,200.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
So, yeah, you've got a great sword here.

GUEST:
Awesome.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Joel Bohy
Arms & Militaria
Bruneau & Co Auctioneers
Cranston, RI
Appraised value (2017)
$8,000 Auction – $12,000 Auction
Featured In
Newport, Hour 3 (#2218)
RECUT: Newport, Part 5 (#R0107)
Event
Newport, RI (September 18, 2017)
Category
Arms & Militaria
Period
18th Century
Form
Sword
Material
Iron , Silver , Steel

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.

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More on This Appraisal

Related Appraisal
Jacob Hurd Cream Jug, ca. 1745
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