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Margaret Tafoya Water Pot, ca. 1940

Value (2012) | $12,000 – $14,000
Watch  

GUEST:
Someone was having a house sale, and I think we were the first people in the house and saw it and decided that was it, it was ours. And it was, and I've enjoyed it every, every day.

APPRAISER:
How much did you pay for it?

GUEST:
Five dollars.

APPRAISER:
Five dollars?

GUEST:
(laughing) Right. At a garage sale.

APPRAISER:
Well, let me tell you a little bit about the pot. It's an unusual pot. It is made by a lady named Margaret Tafoya.

GUEST:
Oh, yes.

APPRAISER:
And she is a Native American that lived in Santa Clara Pueblo, which is an Indian pueblo in New Mexico, and they were well known for making a style of pottery which is called blackware pottery. And this symbol, what you see here, is a bear claw, and that was her personal symbol which she used as a signature for her name, and it represents good luck. The reason why they chose the bear for good luck and for the water pot was because the bear could always find water. So this pot was used as a water storage jar. And she was known for making these large pots like this. And the large pots are hard to find, especially still intact. You can see this pot has a chip out of the top rim here, which isn't that uncommon, and luckily, that's all the damage that's been sustained to it over the years. They made this pot in a very unique way. They reduced the oxygen in the firing and it caused the clay to carbonize or turn black. Then they took pebbles and they polished the pot until it got this nice, glossy black sheen to it. And it's prized for this kind of glossy black finish. Margaret Tafoya's very well known as a Santa Clara potter. She's very famous in her work. And this pot today on the market would probably bring close to $6,000 to $8,000. So I think that your five-dollar investment at a garage sale paid off very handsomely.

GUEST:
Very well.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Roy Harrell
Arms & Militaria, Tribal Arts
Update (2012)
$12,000 – $14,000
Appraised value (1998)
$6,000 – $8,000
Featured In
Milwaukee, Hour 1 (#0305)
Vintage Milwaukee (#1723)
Event
Milwaukee, WI (June 20, 1998)
Category
Pottery & Porcelain
Period
1940s
Form
Pot
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.

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