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Patent Models, ca. 1870

Value (2012) | $1,700 Auction – $2,430 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
I was selling my home. And it was through a bartering process, it was a gift, because the man knew that I was a collector of things. And this was his way of clenching our deal.

APPRAISER:
Right, okay.

GUEST:
He just thought I would enjoy them, and I have.

APPRAISER:
Good. In the 19th century, anybody in the United States who wanted to patent something had to provide to the Patent Office in Washington, D.C., a model of their invention, be it a clothespin, a steam engine, a telephone... Anything that was patented had to have a model. And that's what these are. The one I like particularly is this one, the clothes dryer. You have a little burner down here, and you put some kind of fuel-- either coal or wood-- in here. And the heat goes up here to dry the clothes. Now, the tag that was on it, this was on it when you got it?

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
Okay. It's got its patent number there, and that it's a clothes dryer, and that it was invented by Mr. E.B. Gildersleeves of Wading River, New York, in 1873. This instrument here is a collar cutting machine to produce these types of collars, these gentleman's paper celluloid collars. But this is just a model of what the actual room-size machine would have been. I'm going to put a card in here and then turn the handle... (clicking) and you can hear it cutting, and there it is. There we go. You've got a gentleman's collar. This here is just a steam valve. It's really quite boring, but what's nice about it is that it's got its original patent label from 1874. Now, the difficult thing with these is putting a price on them. Each one is different. So you have to think how interesting it is, how historically important it is. The steam valve, I would have thought it's worth about $50. This is the most mechanical, it's the most complex, and it's fairly interesting. I would have thought that's worth in the region of $600 to $800. But this is, again, my favorite, because it's so quirky, and it obviously was never made.

GUEST:
No.

APPRAISER:
I would have thought this is worth in the region of about $1,000 to $1,500. So not a bad gift.

GUEST:
Oh, it's wonderful. It's very exciting, yes.

APPRAISER:
Good.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
George Glastris
Science & Technology
None
Chicago, IL
Update (2012)
$1,700 Auction – $2,430 Auction
Appraised value (1998)
$1,650 Auction – $2,380 Auction
Featured In
Los Angeles, Hour 1 (#0303)
Vintage Los Angeles (#1722)
Event
Los Angeles, CA (August 01, 1998)
Category
Collectibles
Period
19th Century
Form
Model

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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