Road Trip
Dateline: 06/10/00
Owners of all types of antiques and collectibles arrived in droves as Chubb's Antiques Roadshow made a stop in Austin, Texas to kick off its summer 2000 tour in early June.
The Austin appraisal event will provide at least two episodes of Antiques Roadshow for the new season to begin airing on PBS in January, 2001.
Some folks clutched bags and boxes filled with treasures, while others pulled wagons and luggage carts into the Austin Convention Center, all hoping to hold an elusive item worthy of on-air attention.
Among these trinket-toting thrill-seekers were Kenneth and Yolanda Yancey of Coupland, Texas.
The Yanceys have been picking up and saving old items for years. Two of the pieces they brought for appraisal, an old framed picture and and ornate metal handle fashioned with Oriental styling, had been in the couple's possession for quite a while but they had no clue what they were worth.
"We found them in an old house we bought in Washington, DC," Kenneth said.
The other two items were a family heirloom handbag and a ladies pocket watch Kenneth had purchased for Yolanda at an auction before they moved to Texas.
The first stop for the couple and their loot came at the generalists table where two appraisers gave their items a quick look and issued tickets to the appropriate tables in the taping area.
Before they knew it, Kenneth and Yolanda were ushered into the inner circle amid the lights, television cameras and swarms of people buzzing with excitement as they moved from line to line obtaining appraisals.
Kenneth approached an appraiser at the artwork table first.
The woman took the rather realistic looking framed picture of a child into her hands and looked at it casually. A few seconds later she pronounced the piece to be an enhanced photograph, rather than a painting.
"It's something that was actually quite common," she said referring to the enhancement technique.
Photographs were often enlarged and doctored to resemble paintings during the Victorian era. A picture of this type sells for about $100 today, according to the appraiser's assessment.
At the clock and watch table, Yolanda presented her pocket watch, still in the original box, to appraiser Kevin Zovian.
Zovian examined the piece in detail and determined that it was yellow gold with enamel applied to both sides. Set in the center of the enameling were numerous rose cut diamonds, which are rather crudely cut and applied over foil to give them brilliance.
He also estimated that the piece was Swiss, made around 1850 and originally sold in Russia, since the store name's lettering was still legible on the inside of the presentation box.
"What kind of enameling did you say that was?" asked Yolanda after listening intently to Zovian's assessment.
He explained that the enamel decorating the watch is called guilloche. This type of enameling is rather clear and often brightly colored. Being applied over delicate engraving gives it a distinctive look easily recognized by a trained eye.
Zovian went on to tell Yolanda that her watch was very attractive and popular worn as a jewelry item, but not extremely rare. Since it was a gift from her husband, she has no intention of selling the piece but enjoyed learning more about it.
Yolanda's next stop brought more information about the painted metal mesh handbag Kenneth's mother had received as a wedding gift in 1925.
The appraiser told Yolanda that the dating was appropriate for the styling of the bag. She noted by a marking on the inside of the frame that the bag had been manufactured by Whiting and Davis, the most famous producer of this type of purse. She also noted a condition problem with the paint explaining that it was originally brighter when it was new.
Once again, a piece pronounced to be a very nice collectible and a great family heirloom, but not really rare or highly valuable.
The surprise of the morning came at the Asian arts table.
Kenneth made his way there after a metalwork appraiser was unable to give him a value on the dragon shaped handle, and noticing a Japanese mark on the underside, referred him to his colleagues across the room.
After carefully examining the piece, two appraisers agreed that the mark was that of a well-known Japanese craftsman. They also determined that part of the handle was fashioned of gold.
The appraisers figured it had originally graced a letter opener that was probably part of a desk set at one time. Even though it was missing the blade, the appraiser estimated the piece to be worth $1,000-1,500, much to Kenneth's surprise.
Would he sell the piece if someone offered him $1,000? Kenneth's answer was quick and to the point.
"In a heartbeat!"
Photos by Bob and Pamela Wiggins
Additional resources:
Find out where they'll be and how to get tickets in Antiques Roadshow Tour 2000, from your Guide.
Visit the Antiques Roadshow website for specific Ticketmaster information. Click on the name of the city nearest you to get ticket issue times.
Get this month's Roadshow Tips of the Trade provided by the show's appraisers.
