HALLIE EPHRON: Given that I so often write about stuff--the stuff we collect, the stuff our spouses collect--it should come as no surprise that Monday night in our house is Antiques Roadshow night. I've probably seen most of its 27 seasons, and I'm looking forward to their 28th.
Many of their most recent shows have been comprised of repurposed footage showing how (ten years later) the value of Aunt Minnie’s priceless vase has gone up, down, or tacked sideways.
In the Age of IKEA, it’s pretty depressing if you collected old stuff. Virtually any kind of antique furniture (except for mid-century modern) has gone down. WAY down. Ceramics and pottery, with rare exceptions, also down, now that eBay has flooded the market with items that were previously thought to be scarce.
Old toys are… down, as the generation that cherished them downsizes. Old children’s books and stamp collections are just about worthless.
In the wake of Covid, PBS is filming new Antiques Roadshows. I’ve twice signed up for their ticket drawing but never gotten picked. If I did, here’s what I’d bring.
I think it’s a buckle. Cast bronze? Possibly for a cape. I bought it ages ago and have always wondered whether it has any value. Once upon a time, I sewed a black velvet ribbon to it and have worn it as a belt with a long slinky black sheath. Very glam.
I’d also love to know if these glasses that I bought years ago in California have any value. I think they're gorgeous.
If you could go to Antiques Roadshow, what would you bring to show their appraisers?
What an intriguing buckle . . . it certainly would be interesting to know its history.
ReplyDeleteI have a large collection of Precious Moments and so, over the years, we’ve had occasion to discuss the worth of collectibles. I’ve always reminded the girls that it truly doesn’t matter what someone says a piece is worth . . . that value assumes that you’re willing to part with it and that someone would actually pay that price for it.
Still, it’s interesting to know what value someone “in the know” would place on something. To that end, we once made a bit of an effort to have a value placed on some things, but we weren’t very successful . . . . I’d asked about a Lucite purse with an intricately-carved lid [Lucite purses are like boxes with handles], but the gentleman knew nothing about Lucite. [Oh, for the Antiques Roadshow folks who’ve actually heard of some of the old stuff we’ve collected . . . .]
We also tried to price an oil painting done by Bobby Troup [jazz musician of “Route 66” fame] and a wood carving done many generations ago by a distant uncle . . . . we couldn’t get a price for either because they are religious in nature [the painting is a crucifixion scene; the carving is the Lord’s Prayer] and the gentleman said it was almost impossible to place a value on religious items [although he said he’d be willing to take the oil painting . . . I wasn’t willing to give it up, though].
So, if we ever found ourselves headed to Antiques Roadshow, I’d take any of those three items, just to satisfy my own curiosity . . . .
That Lucite purse sounds terrific! And how right you are, 'value' is only real when someone actually pays that amount for it.
DeleteI have a beautiful gold cameo set that belonged to my late godfather's mother - it's from about 1910 - brooch, earrings and ring. I'd be curious what it's worth, but I could never part with it. I've worn the brooch to luncheons in the past, and people always comment about it. You just don't see them anymore. I've always called our home "my little old lady house" - I love all our antiques, vintage china (my collecting obsession; I've many sets) and the sterling silver tea strainers I collect. However, I have nothing in our home that we don't use. They make me happy.
DeleteWriter Annette Blair writes a series called Vintage Magic that features a vintage clothing store...she features a different collectible purse at the end of each book. She might be able to help you value your purse...
DeleteHugh used to collect Art Deco objects, and he still has a cool bronze naked women statuette (don't worry, it's tasteful). She's reaching up and holding an orb. I would bring that.
ReplyDeleteI have my parents' coffee table. Sleek, blond wood, rounded corners, heavy. Is that mid-century Modern? It might be. It's a great coffee table! And I have a lovely painting by Richard Gruelle, one of the Indiana Five painters, that should be worth something.
I have that coffee table, too! It was made to order when my parents renovated in the late 50s. And I'll bet that painting is worth something.
DeleteCool! We had a dining room set that matched, and I think two end tables. (Will check my memory with my sisters. And if I clear all the books and New Yorkers and EQMMs off the table, I'll turn it over and find the brand.)
DeleteI have a heavy sterling silver teaspoon that I would bring.
ReplyDeleteLove old silver...
DeleteI love Antiques Roadshow! I have several items from my grandparents and great aunt that I'd love to have appraised. A crystal cake plate, a large stoneware crock, and an ancient book of maps are three top contenders. I also have a wooden bowl and paddle and a full-sized wooden shovel that someone carved. Not sure I'd part with any of them though.
ReplyDeleteI have a crystal cake plate, too, that I love.
DeleteOld maps! Seems like those are one of the few things that have appreciated.
DeleteThat wooden shovel must be amazing, Annette!
DeleteOh, my. The Roadshow guys should just come here! Antiques galore, lamps 18th century violin, furniture, costume jewelry, artwork...etc. Because they will be coming here, I was thinking about something easy to carry and decided on a sterling silver Art Deco powder compact about 3" round. It weighs ad much as a cellphone so it doesn't go places with me anymore but it was my mother's. (Sigh.)
ReplyDeleteToo bad comments don't have pictures - I'd love to see that compact.
DeleteBy "here" I mean to Connecticut. But I would open the house to them and let them look around.
ReplyDeleteI love those glasses, Hallie!
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who went to an open call for Roadshow in Florida. She brought a lamp with a stained glass shade she inherited from her grandmother. It had never been converted from gas and so was currently decorative, but intact as an original. Her heart was broken to be told it had a generous value of $25 and that they had been mass produced by a Boston company (her family was from Mass).
What would I bring? Probably my Limoges platters and casserole. I doubt they have much value - ceramics and porcelains are out of style, but I love them and I've always been curious. My grand father worked security for road construction in New York State. the early highway system was built over the corpses of mansions abandoned by owners when the areas were no longer fashionable. Part of his job was to inspect the houses before demo to ensure they wasn't occupied by men of the road. He discovered the items in a closet and took them home. Eventually, they came to my mother and then to me. I think the road was the Major Deegan in Westchester County.
Ooooh, those platters and casseroles - I'd love to see them. I have some cups and saucers that my parents said they bought at when items from Hearst Castle in Calfornia went up for auction. Always wondered...
DeleteWith 2 house fires I can't think of anything I have now that would even be an antique. Although there is a very large ceramic ashtray with a picture of Nubble lighthouse on it. My son found it somewhere and gave it to me because of Nubble Light. No date but it was made in Finland, which I had not realized until just now.
ReplyDeleteFires - so scary. And it would put you off getting too attached to any of your belongings.
DeleteI have a Polyphon music box that my grandparents brought over on the boat from Germany in the 1890s. It's a wooden box, about ten inches square, eight inches high, and it plays tin discs, lovely sound. There's a few on e bay right now, and one just like mine is prices at $6700. But I don't plan to sell it. However I'd love to have it appraised on Antiques Road Show.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, sounds like a very valuable music box. (The hard thing about researching values on line is it's easy to find asking prices, harder to find prices actually realized.
DeleteYes. That’s why I’d like to have it appraised.
DeleteI think the philosophy of it is so fascinating… How much joy there is in possibility—-and how much your perception of something would change if you knew it wasn’t “valuable.” I have some things that I wonder if they are monetarily special… But I would not bring them to the TV show. I just want to believe what I believe..
ReplyDeleteYour glasses and buckle are gorgeous!
I wonder what your raven is worth...
DeleteYes, like Hank, the old things that I value are the ones that I believe what I believe about. It is not for their monetary worth that they are valuable to me.
DeleteMy “ugly bowl” known as Bouckware. It was made by the Charles Bouck-White, who is notable for hand building a castle in upstate NY, his politics and being tarred & feathered. It languished in my donate box for years. I felt guilty after seeing a hand written note that it was purchased by my Aunt Ethel and Uncle Hubert while on a road trip. I did a google search and learned its origin. It’s still ugly, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of it.
ReplyDeleteI just looked him up and it turns out he was from my county! Never heard of him although I have heard of people being tarred and feathered, which I never believed was real. You can find a picture of the "Helderberg castle" which is interesting and now on private property with many signs warning against trespassing.
DeleteI looked him up, too - Bouchware is pretty cool looking. I'd keep it, too.
DeleteWell, he certainly had a unique style. I'd probably keep it for the memories but if you didn't really love Aunt Ethel and Uncle Hubert I think you would be well justified to find a collector who loves it and entrust it to them.
DeleteHallie, your buckle is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteI've always enjoyed watching AR. I have two items I've never been able to find anything close to on antiques sites or ebay. One is a small oak Mission-style desk with a single drawer, still with the wooden pulls, X-cross-pieces on the sides, and simple turned feet. The other is an ornate rocker, caned seat and back, flat arms, decorative inlay on the back--probably late 19th century. I'd like to know their value for insurance purposes, but would never part with either piece.
I love mission style anything. We have a bookcase that's probably first cousin to your desk.
DeleteFlora, I am sitting at an antique Mission desk right this minute. Only mine has a bookcase on either side. It's a graceful little piece handed down from an aunt.
DeleteI love Mission style too. All our end tables are Mission. My husband does woodworking in his spare time and Mission tables are his specialty. He built all the tables in our house, except the kitchen table. I'm waiting for him to get around to building a coffee table.
DeleteLove the buckle!
ReplyDeleteWe have a house crammed to the gills with "family treasures", none of which is worth much. For fun, I'd take the gas-converted-to-electricity bronze lamp of Minerva, which originally was on the newel post in my great-grandparent's house. It's hideous, one of those statement pieces every room should have. It's been the piano lamp for years.
Minerva! We once bid on an fabulous Victorian with her as a lamp at the foot of the stairs on the newel post - I put it in a book, and she freaks out the homeowner who realizes upon returning home that the statue is facing backward. We didn't buy the house.
Deletelove it! which book?
DeleteNEVER TELL A LIE
DeleteLove the glass, Hallie. What beautiful lines.
ReplyDeleteOur house is loaded with antique furniture. All of it A) too big to haul to a Roadshow callout, and B) now considered "brown furniture" and therefore not highly valued by today's buyers of furniture, more's the pity. But I like it.
Most of the artwork and other pieces small enough to take for valuation are from my in-laws' home, and we have almost no history about their provenance, which would limit their value, right? However, as a wedding gift in 1982 we were given two pages of hand-colored prints from a large John Gould book, Hummingbirds of the World. The giver was at the time the director of the Museum of Natural History here in Cincinnati, and dear friends of my husband's family. Even if they were considered valuable, they're dear to us, and charming, so I'd never part with them. And they will go to our daughters, eventually, who I hope will feel the same about them.
LOVE Gould's hummingbirds. There was an exhibition of them here years ago. We have 2 early Gould bird prints... European robins so not so colorful, made when he was still working with his wife. The hummingbirds are much more collectible.
DeleteThe glasses are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWe have some old silver-rimmed glassware. And my husband's parents' original silver knives/forks/spoons/ladle/etc.
Before the elastic dried and broke, I would have taken my original Madame Alexander dolls. I really need to find a doll hospital and get those fixed.
l have a portrait of my father's aunt, whose husband was a vice-president at Chase Manhattan Bank. I think he had the painting done in the 1930's and it always hung over their fireplace in Pelham, NY. It passed through a couple of family members and now I have it. I have always wondered who painted it and when. It's rather large but if I had tickets to the Road Show I would find a way to get it there.
ReplyDeleteHallie, those glasses are just lovely. Antigues Roadshow is a must-watch around here. Anyone who's read my books would guess I like the history that goes with the object. My husband is the surprise - he's not at all interested in history, but he finds the show fascinating anyway. We have nothing we could bring. Grandchildren of impoverished immigrants, there's no "handed down" treasures. My mother in law , who loved "things", was sure she had some valuable items like Rosenthal china...and did not believe me when I asked a few dealers about them! ("Out of fashion, no market") We do have a lot of handmade pottery though, a few from well- known studios. So maybe bring those?
ReplyDeleteWorth a shot! Though pottery is seriously down, too. Ask David Rago.
DeleteWhen Antiques Roadshow was in Pittsburgh (around 2008?) I signed up to be a volunteer. It was a blast. I was there all day directing people to what line they should be in, etc. It was fun seeing all the behind the scenes stuff. There's a large area out of the camera view full of computers with Roadshow employees doing research on items that will appear on TV. The scenes where the appraiser talks to a person about their item and then gives them the price take a long time to set up. With the exception of one,the appraisers are really nice. Volunteers were allowed to bring two items to be appraised. I took a German stein that turned out to be a souvenir from WWII given to soldiers in trade for cigarettes, worth about $25. The other was a gold bracelet with small springs so it will stretch, circa the 1860s or so worth about $200. I can't remember names, but I also got to talk with Civil War guy with blond hair about a cadet sword we have that saw some use. And the fabric guy has a wonderful backstory-he started out making doll clothes for his sister when he was a child. And the lunch they had for us was fabulous. If you ever get a chance to volunteer, do it!
ReplyDeleteVolunteer! How brilliant of you. Thanks for the inside scoop... and of course I'm dying to know who the not-nice appraiser but best not to say. And your description confirms what I've suspected that there's a whole lot of standing around.
DeleteYou’ve seen my house, Hallie. Full of inherited antiques from John’s family. The ones I’d be curious about value are the Chinese plates. Chinese things have risen in value after the cultural revolution smashed so many priceless objects.
ReplyDeleteYes, anythng Chinese and old seems to have appreciated as the Chinese try to buy back their heritage.
DeleteRoadshow footnote: does anyone remember Rudy Franchi, who used to appraise popular culture items? I haven't seen him in the last few years. He was married to the late Barbara Franchi, who was his partner in the collectibles career, but also was a mystery fan and one of the founders of the Reviewing the Evidence website. Back when, I used to see them at conventions and once rode in an elevator with him and told him I recognized him from Roadshow. He seemed amused.
ReplyDeleteI remember meeting her and findng out that Rudy Franchi was her husband. She died in 2009.
DeleteAntiques Road show is fun. I have always wanted to know about a World War 1 Doughboy spoon that grandma gave me. He is completely dimensional, front and back. He even has a rifle with bayonet. I have other old spoons but he has always been the I've wondered about the most. There are some heavy costume jewelry pieces that grandma wore back in her active Eastern Star days. The company listed on the backs actually says Hollycraft. Maybe her teapot. It's large, also dimensional and never been used. Grandma was a coffee drinker but every young bride was supposed to have a teapot back in the day.
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched AR in years, but I used to love it and caught it every week. I'd probably take a Victorian crazy quilt--all silk and velvet with embroidered seams--that dates to my great-great-grandmother's era. Aunt Sara and Aunt Mary were seamstresses in Kewanee, Illinois, which was a manufacturing hub back in the day. They used the scraps from the dresses they made to make the quilt.
ReplyDeleteMy other thing would likely be a candlestick that came down from Aunt Maude (same generation, other side of the family) and is supposed to be from England, originally. There's a story behind it but it would take a trip to History Detectives to get through all that.
I think Joyce has the best idea. Volunteer to work the show! I'll bet that's so much more fun than having your hopes dashed and your treasures trashed.
I'm afraid most of our handed down family things are worth peanuts. Mom always wanted someone to take a blue Chinese or Japanese vase to AR to be appraised. I'm not sure who has that now. I'm curious about an old metal Turkish coffee pot purchased by my great Aunt Rose. She wrote a note about it: she was in Aleppo, Syria in 1928 to visit friends and saw the old coffee pot at a Friday market. Her friends negotiated the price and she bought it. My mom had an ivory necklace given her by her new brother-in-law after WW2. He had been in North Africa and that is where the necklace came from. She also had a moonstone and amethyst necklace (bracelet originally) that came from Burma, also WW2 vintage. I'd haul those things to AR for the lowdown.
ReplyDeletePat D,
DeleteRegardless of the value, are they things that you like?
Diana
What a fun post, Hallie, and I love the glass. And thanks for reminding me to watch AR. Used to be a staple but I somehow got out of the habit. Years ago I gave away all my parents' mid-century modern, alas. I did keep the Chinese painted secretary that came from one of my great aunts. It would be fun to get that appraised, but of course it's not portable. I have a large collection of out-of-print London Transport posters, but those aren't very portable either. I suppose I could take some of my vintage quilts. I wonder if the value of those has gone down as well.
ReplyDeleteI've been doing a good bit of furniture shopping with my daughter lately, as she's furnishing a new house, and I have to say that everything out there is SO BORING. Everything in every store looks exactly the same, and none of it has the least bit of charm. Do you suppose huge neutral sectional sofas will be collectible in fifty or a hundred years?
That's why I love my new tables, both in the kitchen and the hall. They are handmade or hand painted, and not boring.
DeleteI have to agree most new furniture is pretty boring. My daughter was super smart and when she moved into her first apartment she bought a mid-century modern bedroom set - 2 bureaus and a headboard - off Craigs List. Needless to say they're worth more than my Victoran oak.
DeleteBoring is the word! When I was dreaming about and then planning our house I went to see all the designer show houses. Even though they were meant to showcase the most innovative design they were all so bland. The same leather furniture or monochromatic color schemes, all neutral, in every house. Nothing ever stood out as unique or interesting. It's so disappointing.
DeleteKaren in Ohio,
DeleteI totally get what you mean by "bland". It's funny how I love old things that were made before my great grandparents were born.
Diana
Deborah,
DeleteMy great grandmother was uber modern and did not like "old fashioned stuff". She gave away the family tiara because she thought it was out of fashion. LOL.
Diana
What a fun post, Hallie! I love the British Antique Roadshow because it is always at interesting locations and often we hear from people whose relatives or neighbors had connections to royalty.
ReplyDeleteIF I was going to the Antique Roadshow, it would be a tough choice. My father has a sword set that looked like it could be from the Crusades ? He is descended from Joan of Acre who was born in the Holy Land when her father King Edward I and her mother were there during the Crusades.
And I have this pitcher ? with Cyrillic writing at the bottom that I think is from my maternal great grandparents?
Diana
Half the fun is figuring out what things ARE as opposed to what they're worth.
Deletehalf the fun, right?
DeleteA rocking chair that was given to my grandmother in the late 40s / early 50's. She was working on a farm, somewhere in Maryland, after my grandfather died in 1947. I don't know how she managed to get it home to WV when she came back. I was born in 1955, and when I was quite young, she told me that the chair was over 100 years old. So by now, it's 150-160, at least. I love this old chair. It has many memories attached. I'll post photos in the FB comments.
ReplyDeleteWe have an old rocker that someone was throwing out... refinished and repaired one of the rockers. Not worth anything but loaded with memories.
DeleteHallie, that's a beautiful buckle and glass. I love old things, vintage and antique. There are quite a few items I'd love to see what The Antique Roads Show valued them at, but most are heavy pieces of furniture that I couldn't get there. My old spinning wheel would be easy to take though. My mother had it, but I don't know where she got it. I swear I saw one just like it in the Smithsonian. I have some glassware and other dishes and vases I wouldn't mind having appraised, although I think I have a pretty good idea about most things through the wonder of Googling. My mother's blue salt-glaze pitcher and my mother-in-law's Hull vase are in pride of place on the living room mantle (it's a long mantle, reaching from one side of the room to the other on the shorter width side). I have some Occupied Japan figurines I wouldn't mind getting assessed. I would have a complete set of beautiful Occupied in Japan dinnerware, but I lost it in the division of my mother's possessions among my siblings and me (the only sore spot in the division for me). I have an old Tiffany-looking lamp that I'd like evaluated, too.
ReplyDeleteBut, of course, I know that no matter what the valuation on my possessions, they mean way too much to me to sell. They hold the history of families.
I'd take carvings and a basket my father brought back from Alaska, where he helped build roads and landing strips in WWII, in hopes of learning more of the history of them. Value, as you say, is only meaningful if one is planning to sell, or for insurance valuation. A friend pointed out that one sponsor of the show is an insurance company, as it might well encourage people to increase coverage. I visited an estate sale in the neighborhood recently, and it does seem a perfect way to furnish a first home.
ReplyDelete