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Related | 1919 Howard Chandler Christy "The Spirit of America"

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Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

Related | Playboy "Womb Chair" Spread

Related | Playboy "Womb Chair" Spread

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Baroque Bureau Brisé, ca. 1690

Value (2019) | $3,000 Retail
Watch  

APPRAISER:
You've brought this incredibly early and heavy chest. Where did you find this?

GUEST:
Uh, Plattsmouth, Nebraska, on our way to a wedding in Omaha. And my husband kept stopping, and I just wanted to get to our destination. We drove into this little town based on a sign he saw, and it was formerly a shoe store, formerly a candy store, now an antique store and novelties. He bought bubble gum cigars, and I bought this chest. (laughing)

APPRAISER:
Well, you always need bubble gum cigars.

GUEST:
Absolutely. And I have enough chests already.

APPRAISER:
Right, right, right. So what year was that?

GUEST:
Uh, eight years ago.

APPRAISER:
Eight years ago. So a relatively new purchase.

GUEST:
New to me, yes.

APPRAISER:
Yeah, yeah. Well, I'm going to describe it with three Bs. It is a Baroque bureau brisè. And it is probably from Southern Germany, Northern Italy, in the 17th century.

GUEST:
(gasps)

APPRAISER:
So it's, it's very early. It's almost 350 years old.

GUEST:
Oh!

APPRAISER:
Yeah, it's...

GUEST:
Well, no wonder it spoke to me! (both laughing)

APPRAISER:
Yeah; so the thing that, that is really stunning for me about it is that it retains many of its original brasses. If you look at the frieze along the top...

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
...you'll see this wave motion, carved waves.

GUEST:
Yes, yes.

APPRAISER:
And then, you look down the chest itself, and the brasses have wonderful mermaids on them.

GUEST:
That's why I bought it. We thought perhaps it was firewood with really good brasses.

APPRAISER:
Well, the brasses are really good.

GUEST:
Wow! APPRIASER: And it's one of my favorite parts about it. But the fact that this has been together for this long is extraordinary.

GUEST:
Oh!

APPRAISER:
Yeah. So they call it a bureau brisè, and brisè is a French word for "break."

GUEST:
Yes, right.

APPRAISER:
So let's open it up and see what we've got, which is, essentially, a little desk inside.

GUEST:
Right.

APPRAISER:
Walnut. It's got some veneers on the front of it, but all hand-carved.

GUEST:
Nice.

APPRAISER:
And it's a real antidote for our throwaway society. So any idea of its value?

GUEST:
I'm hoping it's worth $800, which is what I paid for it.

APPRAISER:
Well, well, yes, yes. It's certainly worth more than that. I would say, if I saw it in a shop, possibly not in, in Nebraska, but maybe New York City, we probably would expect to pay around $3,000 for a piece like this.

GUEST:
Wonderful! Well, I'm just delighted to know its age, because it stumped me.

APPRAISER:
It's really built to last.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Karen Keane
Decorative Arts, Furniture
Skinner, Inc.
Boston, MA
Appraised value (2019)
$3,000 Retail
Featured In
Philbrook Museum, Hour 2 (#2311)
Event
Tulsa, OK (April 21, 2018)
Category
Furniture
Period
17th Century
Form
Bureau
Material
Brass , Carved , Walnut

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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