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

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Learn more about ROADSHOW's 2022 Tour
  • 2022 Tour Complete Rules
  • 2022 Tour FAQs
  • Past Event: Nashville, TN — May 10, 2022
  • Past Event: Boise, ID — May 31, 2022
  • Past Event: Santa Fe, NM — June 14, 2022
  • Past Event: Woodside, CA — June 22, 2022
  • Past Event: Shelburne, VT — July 12, 2022
On Tour

On Tour

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

FAQs

FAQs

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • Best Moments of Season 25
  • 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 | Philbrook Museum, Hour 1

Watch | Philbrook Museum, Hour 1

Watch | Philbrook Museum, Hour 2

Watch | Philbrook Museum, Hour 2

Watch | RECUT: Desert Botanical Garden, Part 2

Watch | RECUT: Desert Botanical Garden, Part 2

    Quick links
  • Detours Podcast
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Sports Appraisals
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • Roadshow Topics — Staff Picks
  • For Teachers
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Article | Read a Speech by a Native American Activist from the Early 1920s

Article | Read a Speech by a Native American Activist from the Early 1920s

Article | Sitting Bull Presentation Tomahawk and Letter

Article | Sitting Bull Presentation Tomahawk and Letter

Field Trip | Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve

Field Trip | Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserve

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

George Nakashima Grass Seat Chair, ca. 1965

Value (2019) | $2,000 Auction – $2,500 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
I went to answer an ad in a penny saver. It was an ad for a mattress set, and I was a starving student in college. I went to go buy the mattress set, and I met the person, and I saw the chair. And I just fell in love with its design, and she allowed me to sit in the chair, the owner. But she told me it's not for sale. And so I said, "Oh, my goodness, I love this chair." It felt so wonderful. She said, "I'd only sell it to the right person." I left her my name and my number. A couple of weeks later, she called me, and she said, "You're the person." And she said, "How much could you afford?" And I said, "Maybe $25." And she said, "Okay, um... How about $23?" (chuckling). And so that's what I bought the chair for. And then, a couple of years later, I was in a bookstore, and I was looking at a book about Nelson Rockefeller's house, and there is the chair. I found this name, George Nakashima. It was before internet, so I didn't have that advantage. So about nine years ago, I'm at a party here in Sacramento. A man walks in, he's kind of a cowboy. I said, "What do you do?" And he says, "I'm a walnut farmer." And I said, "Nuts?" And he said, "No, wood." I told him about the chair and I said, "I think it was made by George Nakashima." And he goes, "I know George!" And he tells me about how he was sourcing walnut to George. It's something, a part of my life. And it's in my living room, and my kids sit on it, and we just enjoy the chair.

APPRAISER:
It is very early in his career. In the late '40s, after he was interned during World War II in a Japanese camp, he was exposed to Japanese traditional woodworking techniques there. His first designs, of which this is one of the first designs, had a very strong Japanese traditional feel to it. Hundreds and even thousands of years of Japanese woodworking had really remained unchanged, and traditional techniques had been passed down from generation to generation. George was taking those techniques, honoring them, but then shaping that tradition gently towards modernism. And what this chair is, it's a very elegant, sophisticated, modern version of a traditional Japanese crafted chair. By the time he died in 1990, he had been making them continuously for over 40 years. And his daughter Mira is continuing that tradition and making them today, so there's quite a lot of them that, that are out there. There are also quite a lot of people who wanted to make chairs that looked like George's. So how do we know that this is by George?

GUEST:
I don't know.

APPRAISER:
A couple of little, small details. The grass seat is original. This is seagrass that's tightly woven, which is a traditional Japanese technique. It's completely put together with wood pegs. This was all crafted by hand. These side rail spindles here are pegged right here on the side. That's typically a traditional woodworking technique, but George had a very specific way of creating those and attaching them to the rest of the structure. Also, these side rail spindles are shaped by hand. The legs, which are also hand-turned, turned on a lathe... Some chairs that I've seen by other makers never have those types of subtle details that George had. So this chair is by George Nakashima.

GUEST:
That's great.

APPRAISER:
Uh, and it's known as the Grass Seat Chair. And it's very hard to date it, except by looking at the patina. The original oiled finish is a little worn, but it has a really wonderful warm patina. And what year did you buy it?

GUEST:
1986.

APPRAISER:
1986. So George was still alive at that time.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
They were made exactly the same between the late '40s and the time you purchased it in 1986. But I would think that this chair is probably from the mid-1960s. The wood is American black walnut. These were made in New Hope, Pennsylvania. You paid $23 in 1986. What do think it's worth today?

GUEST:
(inhales, exhales) Okay, I'm gonna just go for it, I'll say $2,300?

APPRAISER:
That's a pretty good guess. This chair, at auction, typically sells for between $2,000 and $2,500.

GUEST:
Okay. Thank you so much.

APPRAISER:
Yeah. They're rarely marked. I've probably sold a hundred of these chairs...

GUEST:
Really?

APPRAISER:
Over 30 years, and I have never seen one that was marked.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Peter Loughrey
Furniture, Paintings & Drawings, Prints & Posters
Los Angeles Modern Auctions
Appraised value (2019)
$2,000 Auction – $2,500 Auction
Featured In
Crocker Art Museum, Hour 1 (#2407)
RECUT: Crocker Art Museum, Part 2 (#R0306)
Event
Sacramento, CA (May 13, 2019)
Category
Furniture
Period
1960s
Form
Chair
Material
Wood

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 on This Appraisal

Nakashima Collection
More from PBS

Benjamin Franklin

Get to know one of the 18th century's most influential figures.

Now Hear This | Great Performances

Discover the secret histories of some of the greatest music ever written.

Putin's Road to War

Explore what led to Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine.

"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 American Cruise Lines. 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 – 2022 WGBH Educational Foundation.

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

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