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

Discovering America’s Hidden Treasures ™
On Tour
Watch
Special Features
Appraisals Archive 
Appraisers 
 Shop
    Quick links
  • Complete Ticket Rules
  • How the Event Works
  • 2020 Tour FAQ
  • Williamsburg, VA — Canceled
  • Nashville, TN — Canceled
  • Boston, MA — Canceled
  • Estes Park, CO — Canceled
  • Santa Fe, NM — Canceled
Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Latest: 2020 Tour Update

Tour FAQs

Tour FAQs

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

Things We Commonly See at ROADSHOW

    Quick links
  • Watch Episodes Online
  • TV Schedule
  • 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 | Vintage Spokane, Hour 1

Watch | Vintage Spokane, Hour 1

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 3

Watch | Harrisburg, Hour 3

Watch | Vintage Orlando, Hour 2

Watch | Vintage Orlando, Hour 2

    Quick links
  • Find Features by City
  • Video "RoadShorts"
  • Roadshow Topics — Endangered Species
  • Roadshow Topics — Sports Appraisals
  • Roadshow Topics — Best Moments
  • Roadshow Topics — Staff Picks
  • For Teachers
  • Vintage Minute
  • AR "Extras" Newsletter Sign-up
Article | Collecting Kachina Dolls

Article | Collecting Kachina Dolls

Article | Read President Abraham Lincoln's Letters

Article | Read President Abraham Lincoln's Letters

Article | Overview of Current Ivory Law

Article | Overview of Current Ivory Law

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Samuel Mudd Marquetry Box

Value (2015) | $20,000 Auction – $30,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
What we have is a box, one apparently of three, that was built by Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was one of the indicted co-conspirators in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

APPRAISER:
And of course everybody who's read American history, or should have read American history, knows that Mudd was indicted for setting the broken leg of John Wilkes Booth on the night of April 14, 1865, as Booth was trying to get out of Washington. How did you come by this box? And I'm going to lift it up so people can see the lid a little bit here.

GUEST:
This was a gift to me, almost 20 years ago now, by a very dear friend who had owned it for, apparently, about 50 years. As she was getting late in years, she said she had to dispose of her property, knew that I was a Lincoln fanatic, and wished to give it to me if I wanted it.

APPRAISER:
The outside is this beautiful marquetry, but what's really neat, of course, is when you open it up and you see this marvelous wreath of seaweed with the inscription that was apparently written by W. Butler Bach of the 5th Artillery U.S. Army, who presumably was a guard at Fort Jefferson.

GUEST:
Yes.

APPRAISER:
Saying that it was made by Dr. Samuel Mudd in prison at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas, which of course are about 65 miles from Key West, Florida, where Mudd was sent when he was imprisoned. And it was apparently made from driftwood that he picked up on the beach. Carl Sandberg, in his book The Lincoln Collector, describes one of the other three boxes, one that was made for Mudd's own daughter. And Dr. Richard Mudd, who has led the fight for his grandfather's exoneration, has come down two or three times to look at it, and he's acknowledged that, "Wow, this is one of the ones my grandfather made." If I were to put this in an auction, I would estimate its value at somewhere between $10,000 to $15,000 or $15,000 to $20,000.

GUEST:
Hm! Wow, that is impressive. I must tell you that it's among the possessions I would least like to dispose of.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
Wes Cowan
Books & Manuscripts, Decorative Arts, Folk Art, Photographs
Hindman Auctions
Cincinnati, OH
Update (2015)
$20,000 Auction – $30,000 Auction
Update (2014)
$15,000 Auction – $25,000 Auction
Appraised value (2000)
$10,000 Auction – $20,000 Auction
Featured In
Denver, Hour 1 (#0509)
Vintage Denver (#1927)
Event
Denver, CO (June 17, 2000)
Category
Folk Art
Period
19th Century
Form
Box
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 from PBS

The Black Church

Trace the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America.

9to5: The Story of a Movement

Go inside the movement for women's workplace equality in the 1970's.

Finding Your Roots

Discover the surprising ancestral stories of a variety of public figures.

"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 Consumer Cellular. 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 – 2021 WGBH Educational Foundation.

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

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