• 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
  • Nashville, TN — May 10
  • Boise, ID — May 31
  • Santa Fe, NM — June 14
  • Woodside, CA — June 22
  • Shelburne, VT — July 12
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 | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

Watch | Portland, Hour 1

Watch | Portland, Hour 1

Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 1

Watch | Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 1

    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
Related | 1919 Howard Chandler Christy "The Spirit of America"

Related | 1919 Howard Chandler Christy "The Spirit of America"

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

Appraisal Collection | All Our Appraisals from Colonial Williamsburg, Hour 2

Related | Playboy "Womb Chair" Spread

Related | Playboy "Womb Chair" Spread

  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

1953 Fender Telecaster Guitar

Value (2002) | $8,000 Auction – $10,000 Auction
Watch  

GUEST:
Well, I had a friend of mine years ago, about 1962, that somehow he got in financial trouble. He sold it to my brother for $40. Guitar and case, and a few... about ten years later, I traded my brother a guitar he had as a young man, and I gave him that guitar and he gave me this one. And I've had it ever since.

APPRAISER:
Well, these guitars came out from the Fender Company. They were the brainchild of Leo Fender, who everyone in guitars knows that he was one of the inventors of the solid-body electric guitar. This particular model is called the Telecaster. And they were introduced about 1952, and immediately became very popular with country western musicians and continued all the way on through the rock era with rock and blues artists using them. This has always been the main guitar of people like Bruce Springsteen and a lot of stars. The first thing we notice about it is that it's largely untouched and unaltered, which is wonderful. The body is finished with what we call the butterscotch finish. And it's a kind of a transparent varnish over ash wood. And the beauty of this guitar is that it's never been repainted. It's just like any other antique-- the first thing we look at is the finish and the surface. Never been altered, it's got a beautiful patina. As we go up the neck, we can see that it has had quite a bit of playing, especially in these upper positions where the fingers have worn right through the varnish, right through the wood, and we've got all these pits in it. We've got the insignia, which is the earliest type of insignia used on Fender guitars. This is called the string retainer here. It's the round type. This is one of the identifying marks of an old Fender guitar. Moving down, we come to the pickguard. And before 1954, they used just a single layer of black plastic. This was before they got a little fancier with laminates and other things, multilayer designs. This is just the plain black pickguard. As we take off the pickup cover here, it's wonderful that you still have this, because most people just take it off and use it as an ashtray or something else. But this uncovers some more clues about its age. We've got a pickup where the pole pieces are just even with the top of the pickup itself. They don't protrude at all. We've got bridge pieces that are solid brass, very heavy and very wonderful sustaining power from those solid heavy brass pieces. The only thing that's not original on the piece is this switch here. And that's mainly because it falls off easily. Your brother bought it for $40. In today's market something this rare and untouched would be in about the $8,000 to $10,000 range.

GUEST:
Oh, that's very good.

APPRAISER:
It's highly sought after by musicians. Highly sought after.

GUEST:
That's wonderful. My daughter will be happy. She's going to inherit it.

APPRAISER:
Oh, well, thanks for coming to the ROADSHOW today. It was a pleasure to see such a great instrument.

GUEST:
Well, thanks for having me on.

Support provided by: Learn more

Appraisal Details

Appraiser
David Bonsey
Musical Instruments
New York Violin Consulting, Inc.
New York, NY
Appraised value (2002)
$8,000 Auction – $10,000 Auction
Featured In
Hot Springs, Hour 2 (#0714)
Vintage Hot Springs (#2120)
Event
Hot Springs, AR (July 13, 2002)
Category
Musical Instruments
Period
1950s
Form
Electric Guitar
Material
Brass , Plastic , 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

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!