• Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • Our Sponsors

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Complete Ticket Rules
  • How the Event Works
  • 2020 Tour FAQ
  • Williamsburg, VA — Canceled
  • Nashville, TN — Canceled
  • Boston, MA — Canceled
  • Estes Park, CO — Canceled
  • Santa Fe, NM — Canceled
Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Tour FAQs

Tour FAQs

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • Best Moments of Season 24
  • Best Moments of Season 23
  • Best Moments of Season 22
  • Cities from Past Seasons
  • About Executive Producer Marsha Bemko
  • Roadshow's Editorial Policy
Watch | Newport, Hour 2

Watch | Newport, Hour 2

Watch | Newport, Hour 1

Watch | Newport, Hour 1

Watch | Vintage Spokane, Hour 1

Watch | Vintage Spokane, Hour 1

    Quick links
  • Find Features by City
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Sports Appraisals
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • Roadshow Topics — Staff Picks
  • For Teachers
  • Vintage Minute
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Article | Burmese Gems: Legal Again

Article | Burmese Gems: Legal Again

Article | Dexter Gordon: Bebop to Copenhagen

Article | Dexter Gordon: Bebop to Copenhagen

Related | The Priciest Work Ever Sold by an American Artist!

Related | The Priciest Work Ever Sold by an American Artist!

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Maija Grotell Spherical Vase, ca. 1950

Value (2018) | $3,000 Auction – $4,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
I took a long lunch one day, and I scanned some of the old antiques shops that I'd be around. Just as I walked in the store, I saw this kind of across the room. I had to go over and pick it up and take a look. And you know, I think I paid about $40 for it. You know, it was exactly what I hoped it would be.

APPRAISER:
And you are a potter?

GUEST:
I'm a potter, so the shape and the color, you know, it just caught your eye from across the room.

APPRAISER:
And you knew what it was when you bought it?

GUEST:
I did, a piece of Maija Grotell from her time at Cranbrook.

APPRAISER:
Mm-hmm. Well, Maija Grotell was a potter's potter, so I can see why you would be attracted to it. And certainly when I knew we were coming here, this neck of the woods, I was hoping to see a Grotell pot. I don't know that we've done one yet on the ROADSHOW. So I wanted to talk about not just this piece of pottery, but about Maija Grotell as a potter. She came here in '27 from Helsinki, and she came to America, because, especially at that time, the opportunities for women in the arts were not that great in Europe, and she felt she would have a better shot at a job in, in America. So she came to New York City, and she worked at the Henry Street Project, where she taught potting. She worked at Rutgers University, across the river in New Jersey. And she's in New York for a while, and she wants a job at Cranbrook, and they wouldn't hire her initially, because they wanted a man. And when they finally hired her in '38, she wasn't sure she was going to take the job, because she did not want to be at a disadvantage with men taking credit for the work that she did there. And during her tenure, which lasted into the '60s, she taught some of the most important studio potters in America, including Richard DeVore, Toshiko Takaezu, and she was deeply influential. So it's great to see this piece and to be able to talk about Maija Grotell, her work at Cranbrook. And this, the way this pot is marked, the "MG" for Maija Grotell, and then the "C" and the "A," that's for Cranbrook, so we know this was a piece that she made there. Not all the Cranbrook pieces are marked with that "C.A.", conjoined "C.A." cipher, but the majority that I have seen have had the "C.A." mark on them. So a beautiful piece, nicely glazed. In terms of value, not a big surprise here. Because the pot's not decorated-- it's beautifully glazed and a great color, too, for her work-- but this would be at auction for somewhere between $3,000 and $4,000. It could do a bit more than that, but that's the price range.

GUEST:
All right.

APPRAISER:
Had the piece been decorated by her with her incised designs...

GUEST:
Sure, mm-hmm.

APPRAISER:
...the price would go up from there. But for an undecorated piece, it's really quite exquisite.

GUEST:
That's fantastic.

APPRAISER:
Good return on your investment.

GUEST:
Oh, yeah.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
David Rago
Pottery & Porcelain
Rago-Wright Auctions
Lambertville, NJ
Appraised value (2018)
$3,000 Auction – $4,000 Auction
Featured In
Meadow Brook Hall, Hour 3 (#2303)
Event
Rochester, MI (June 14, 2018)
Category
Pottery & Porcelain
Period
1940s , 1950s , 20th Century
Form
Vase
Material
Pottery

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.

More from PBS

The Black Church

Trace the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America.

9to5: The Story of a Movement

Go inside the movement for women's workplace equality in the 1970's.

Finding Your Roots

Discover the surprising ancestral stories of a variety of public figures.

"I know there's a lot of envious people hearing that story..." Antiques Roadshow on Facebook

What’s inside the case?

@RoadshowPBS on Instagram

William Austin Burt patented the U.S.'s first "typographer” on July 23 in 1829. 110 year later came this "The Gold Royal" typewriter… @RoadshowPBS

We're soaking up the story behind this @LeslieKeno appraisal! #antiquesroadshow @RoadshowPBS

  • Connect with us
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  • ABOUT ROADSHOW
  • Schedule
  • Contact Us
  • Credits
  • Press
  • For Teachers
  • Telephone Scam Warning
  • Roadshow Imitators Warning
  • Doing Business with Appraisers
  • Our Sponsors
  • Our Funders
  • Corporate Sponsorship

Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and Consumer Cellular. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Produced By

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is a trademark of the BBC and is produced for PBS by GBH under license from BBC, Worldwide. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. ©1997 – 2021 WGBH Educational Foundation.

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Copyright
Subscribe Hide  ×

A weekly collection of previews, videos, articles, interviews, and more!