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Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Close Up | Poet Rainer Maria Rilke's Quote

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Owner Interview | Korean Yayoi Stone Dagger, ca. 750 BC

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 3

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Chinese Commemorative Box, ca. 1925

Value (2019) | $1,000 Auction – $1,500 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
The box I brought was for my late husband, and he was in World War II.

APPRAISER:
Okay.

GUEST:
And he brought this along back from China.

APPRAISER:
What have you come to know about the gentleman on the cover of this box?

GUEST:
I understand it was Ming, from the Ming Dynasty. Mr. Ming himself.

APPRAISER:
Mr. Ming, Mr. Ming himself, perhaps? The box itself is just a very simple box. It's kind of a coppery brass. Now, this does not date from the Ming Dynasty. This figure on the cover is a gentleman named Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen really was the father of modern China. Sun Yat-sen was instrumental in establishing what was called the Republic of China. This happened around the year 1914. Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, and I believe this box was made to commemorate his life in the year 1925. I think the value on this at auction today would be $1,000 to $1,500 at auction. GUET: Okay, well, thank you.

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Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Richard Cervantes
Asian Arts, Rugs & Textiles
Heritage Auctions
New York, NY
Doyle New York
New York, NY
Appraised value (2019)
$1,000 Auction – $1,500 Auction
Featured In
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, Hour 2 (#2402)
Event
Winterthur, DE (June 18, 2019)
Category
Asian Arts
Period
1920s
Form
Box
Material
Brass , Copper

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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