Antiques Roadshow To Feature First Million-Dollar Appraisal

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Jun 30th 2009 at 2:02PM

It's not that often you see "Antiques Roadshow" in the news but this week both the version here in the U.S. and the one in England have big news to report. The U.S. version will be featuring a $1 million appraisal in the new season which starts next January on PBS.

A woman brought four pieces of carved Chinese Jade that she inherited to a Roadshow event in Raleigh, North Carolina over the weekend. The pieces of carved jade and celadon dated from the Chien Lung Dynasty (1736-1795) and included a large bowl crafted for the Emperor. Asian arts appraiser James Callahan said that a mark on the bottom of the bowl indicated it was created for an imperial order. The pieces were given a conservative auction estimate of up to $1.07 million. This is far and away the biggest appraisal in the show's 13-year run, the previous record was a 1937 painting by Clyfford Still which was estimated at around $500,000. The excitement generated by this appraisal will doubtlessly send many people scrambling to the attic to revisit the treasures they've inherited. A word of caution though, an appraisal is no guarantee of a final sale price.

The British show of the same name produced by the BBC had its first million pound appraisal ($1.655 million) last November for a a scale model of Anthony Gormley's artwork, "The Angel of the North." But this week that show was also in the news when an expert from the show recognized a lost Thomas Gainsborough masterpiece at a Sotheby's auction last December. He bid for the painting over the telephone, knowing that although Sotheby's had estimated it at t £10,000 to £15,000 it was worth far more.Phillip Mould, who recently published a book called Sleuth: The Amazing Quest For Lost Art Treasures, paid around £50,000 for the painting. Now that the painting has been authenticated as a Gainsborough by several experts he is offering it to the Gainsborough's House museum in Sudbury for £750,000. And Sotheby's may be stuck with compensating the previous owner in some way for drastically underestimating the painting's worth.

[Thanks, Lana]

UPDATE: Since there's a spirited conversation going on in the comments about whether or not young people are interested in antiques, I've added a poll. Please vote.

Do Young People Care About Antiques?
Absolutely	7798 (37.2%)
No Way	2513 (12.0%)
Not as much as older people do	10662 (50.8%)

Tags: antiques roadshow, AntiquesRoadshow

Filed under: Art

Subscribe to these comments

Reader Comments (Page 4 of 7)

Michelle Jun 30th 2009 4:14PM

Well, if all the younger generation cares about is commercial value, an antique worth over a $1 million would get their attention. Just like our "hippie" generation disdained anything "commercial" for a decade and then got over ourselves and joined right in with the worst consumerism the world has ever seen. Believe me, if there's money involved, people pay attention. Sad but true.

Linda Jun 30th 2009 4:22PM

Ah, yes. But young people age and some eventually shall find history etc. an interesting pass time.

p Jun 30th 2009 4:26PM

China is going to want it back and pay nothing.

Al Swearigen Jun 30th 2009 5:06PM

I also went to the Atlantic City roadshow this month. I had a modern carved marble sculpture by Bruno Facchini of Italy from the 1970s. The appraiser looked at it and asked me what I knew about him, was his work in any galleries and then said his computer was slow and he couldn't find anything. While he was waiting for his computer, he said "if you could find where he exhibits you could call them and they might tell you what it is worth". I also had a Leon Bronstein scupture in Olive Wood and they didn't know the artist (but found him on the Internet). It was a total joke - I know people who sell at local flea markets with more knowledge. I have since received info on appraisals on both items by a knowledgeable dealer. Other than Rago and the Keno brothers, the rest are pretty shaky at the roadshow.

grannybunny1 Jun 30th 2009 4:38PM

I'm still waiting for Antiques Roadshow: The Movie!

al schrader Jun 30th 2009 4:32PM

I'm the only living human that has ever been able to paint like - Da Vinci, Van Gogh, anybody. Seeing these doesn't interest me cause I can have a version of anything. But, the original pieces I make for "me" would blow your mind. Alfred.

maschmich1 Jun 30th 2009 5:30PM

Whatever it is, it's only worth what someone will PAY for it, period.

butchman24 Jun 30th 2009 4:36PM

Who cares about old stuff lol. Its all pretty junk if you ask me lol. For people to get thousands if not millions of dollars for either a baseball card, an old chair, a chest, is pretty damn absurd. Dont get me wrong, some of the stuff is beautiful but for the most part it is all useless crap. WHats done is done and you cant change it.

Dale Holly Jun 30th 2009 4:41PM

If you have something that you consider valuable, you should take it to at least 2 appraisers or more. Antiques and collectibles are so numerous and from so many different decades and centuries, that NO ONE can know everything about everything. I am a pressed glass, depression glass, art glass collector and I have dozens of books on the subject, but I've been finding new and unlisted glass items for over 35 years. My motto is; "If you like it (and the price is fair), buy it."
Antiques should be purchased for their beauty or history, and unless you're a dealer, their appraised (or wished for) value should only be a secondary consideration. If you have no appreciation for antiques, sell them for 10 cents on the dollar at a yard sale, and let me know where and when.

liza Jun 30th 2009 4:42PM

I can understand that the majority of my generation (mid to late 20s) isn't as interested as say my parents (baby boomers) or grandparents are in Antiques. BUT to say that we have NO desire for antiques is a truly broad statement. Publications, TV shows and films my generation frequent have shown us the art of becoming avid researchers of vintage clothing, artifacts and memorabilia. The "trend" if you could call it that, is now about finding something old and bringing it back to life. We're not all about the latest gadget or buying something brand new in a store. Some of us actually do appreciate the fact that things from the past hold considerable emotional and monetary value and should be treated as such.

Hellen Jun 30th 2009 4:45PM

The best Antiques Roadshow I have seen to date, was when this young woman brought a Torche lamp in. She told the story of how her mom had purchased it from this little old lady who was moving into a nursing home, back in the 60's for something really cheap, (I can't remember exactly....I want to say like $25.00....could be wrong). Her mom had had it appraised over the years, but was told it was a "knock-off" Tiffany lamp. The appraiser who appraised the lamp said, "I used to work for Tiffany's....and this is no knock-off. This is one of the rarest lamps I've ever seen!" It was worth over 200k. It brought tears to my eyes. I think this episode was back in '97 or '98. It was the best one!!!!!!

grannybunny1 Jun 30th 2009 4:46PM

I'm waiting for Antiques Roadshow: The Movie!

Robert Jun 30th 2009 4:49PM

About 30 years ago I was digging, by hand, a trench in my parents back yard in northern Michigan. The trench was dug to route meling snowwater to go directly to the road rather than into the house. So as I was digging, I noticed a small cone shaped object made of clay. Inside the cone it looks like a ligiment from a deer or another animal that allows the person to look through the opening in the cone and it seems to somewhat magnify whatever you are looking at. I've never been able to figure out the purpose but I do assume it might be a child's toy.

l Jun 30th 2009 4:52PM

I'm a long time collector of original comic art amoung other things and have found that the appraisals on the roadshow have been on the conservative side. There were quite a few times when my wife and I mentioned to each other that we wished we could buy the item for the value that their experts gave to them. We could have flipped some of the pieces immediately and made some good money.

I get a real kick out of the Keno brothers. When appraising a piece of furniture that has caught their fancy they describe it as if it were a beautiful woman. :)

Joel Jun 30th 2009 4:57PM

There was another estimate on American "Antiques Roadshow" many years ago on a Military Helmet found by the owner stuck in between the joists in the attic of their home. Forget details: circa 1600 or so. Estimate was for $500,000 ALSO !

Marie Jun 30th 2009 8:05PM

Yes I totally remember that episode! Although I thought the appraisal was for $250k.

Bee Jun 30th 2009 5:48PM

Just visited Native American Indian land and read in one of the museums that an archeologist from another country found and took many artifacts he dug up to his country. We tried to stop him and keep materials here but to no avail. There was no law on the books saying he couldn't have artifacts. It's the same in all countries if you have the stuff you get to keep it. Not fair but what is.

Ken Scharabok Jun 30th 2009 4:58PM

I remember one episode in which an appraiser put a value of $25,000 on a Civil War era sword. Turned out it was no where near that value. He had one just like it he wanted to sell that high.

Price guides are typically put out my collectors, who have an interest in jacking up estimated prices so their own collections become more valuable. Or they can be the highest price every achieved as the result of two bidders badly wanting the item. As such, they are typical.

Note these vases or such are four items. That, the appraisal is for all of them, not one in particular.

The value of anything is what someone else is willing to pay for it. Take the BBC Cash in the Attic shows. The 'experts' are wrong more often than right on their estimates.

uleedl1 Jun 30th 2009 5:10PM

On June 6th this year I took several things to the Antiques Roadshow when they were in Atlantic City. One of the items was a rather substantial Art Deco diamond ring that I inherited which had originally been a gift from my Grandfather to my Grandmother in the 1940's, with the center stone being 3 carats. The stones were an F color and internally flawless. The diamond baguettes on each side were matched to the center stone and over 1 carat each. The appraiser appraised it at $15,000.00 AND then declared that the replacement value for the center stone alone would be $25,000.00. Then how could the whole ring of 5+ cts. be worth only $15,000.00? Later that day I had a reputable jeweler appraise it and it came in at over $60,000.00. So much for the experts at The Antique Roadshow. I really hope that they don't air my segment.

hodgepodgefarm6 Jun 30th 2009 5:04PM

It all comes down to how you are raised. I lost both of my parents when I was young, and my grandparents raised my brother and I. I loved listening to the stories that they told, and learning the history behind their "treasures". When I used to take care of three elderly sisters, all of whom lived into their late 90's, I would take my kids with me, and they would listen intently to the stories told, and learn about early farm life, and see all of the "antiques" that they had on the farm and in their home. It was the best history lesson they ever learned, and they also grew a whole new respect and understanding for the elderly. Kids these days have no interest because they are not exposed to the "old stuff" anymore! My kids are teens now, and we love nothing more than hunting around old antique stores!

Previous 20 Comments | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Most Recent | Next 20 Comments