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Trading Ship Documents & Pitcher, ca. 1816

Value (2017) | $2,000 Retail – $3,000 Retail
Watch  

GUEST:
The captain of the ship the Mary Ann, he was my great-great-great- grandfather. And we're just really interested in finding out a little bit more about what we have. One of the pieces has James Madison's signature, so that was something that we thought might be of value.

APPRAISER:
Well, basically the ship was a China trade ship. And much of the wealth of New England was going to China, picking up goods, exotic goods, whatever they could get...

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
Bringing them back, trading them, sometimes even trading them along the way. The crew, they'd sometimes be out a couple of years at a time, but when they got back safely, the captain would get paid very well, the merchants who owned the ship made a huge amount of money, and the crew were paid.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
Now, this is the sort of invoice book for the whole ship.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
And it tells everything they got, everything they picked up, where they got it, where they brought it to, and the sums, the amounts, the weights. And so it's a very interesting item of what a China trade ship was doing.

GUEST:
Yeah.

APPRAISER:
This document, which is the one signed by Madison, this is basically the passport. The passport is for the captain. And the last document, which I really like for the engraving at the top...

GUEST:
I do, too.

APPRAISER:
It's a bill of passage. And it was sort of a safe passage to Canton, China, and without that, they could get stopped.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
And the War of 1812 was just at the end, and they needed to make sure they could get there. Now, this pitcher-- actually, it's a beautiful pitcher. It's United States on this side.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
It was done in Liverpool, and these are relatively common, but the real thing that helps is the ship.

GUEST:
The name, okay.

APPRAISER:
I mean, that's what brings it all together. What you have as a group would probably be in the value of $2,000 to $3,000.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
In a retail market.

GUEST:
Mm-hmm.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Ken Gloss
Books & Manuscripts
Brattle Book Shop
Boston, MA
Appraised value (2017)
$2,000 Retail – $3,000 Retail
Featured In
Newport, Hour 3 (#2218)
RECUT: Newport, Part 5 (#R0107)
Event
Newport, RI (September 18, 2017)
Category
Books & Manuscripts
Period
19th Century
Form
Document , Jug , Pitcher

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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