Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

When my parents bought their first home, my mother wanted to fill it with American, early American antiques.

APPRAISER

And when was, when was this?

GUEST

1950, 1951.

APPRAISER

1950. And where, was it right here, in Spokane?

GUEST

No, it was in Los Angeles. I wanted to know their value, because I want to insure them properly. My father always warned me that they were valuable, but that's all he ever said.

APPRAISER

Okay, that's it. No numbers or anything?

GUEST

No.

APPRAISER

First of all, I love Windsor chairs.

GUEST

I do, too.

APPRAISER

Okay. You love them, too? That's great.

GUEST

I have seven at home.

APPRAISER

Seven of them. Well, which one of these do you think is the better chair?

GUEST

I don't know, I mean...

APPRAISER

Which would you pick?

GUEST

I would think this one's older. But I wouldn't know.

APPRAISER

That's older, okay, all right. But you don't have any idea of value comparison?

GUEST

No.

APPRAISER

Okay. Let me just quickly say, this is a lovely oval seat, probably New England. You always look underneath here at the wood, and that looks like white pine. It suggests it's New England because they used a lot of white pine there.

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

Nice chair that has, that's a rocker. But it's not going to be that valuable, okay?

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

This little rocker could be insured for about $600. If it had paint, it'd be more valuable. I'm going to slide this rocker back and come over to this one. It's a Rhode Island Windsor from about 1760 to 1770.

GUEST

Oh, cool.

APPRAISER

Okay? And what's neat about Rhode Island Windsors is that there are a group of them with this profile-- do you see this curved profile?

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

This is the crest rail, these, usually hickory or ash-- because they're bendable-- spindles...

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

...come down to this little pillow on top of the seat rail.

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

You see how it's echoed, this S-curve is also echoed here?

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

Now, the arms-- I'm going to tip it forward just a little bit. What kind of wood do you think that is? It's a light-colored wood, very hard.

GUEST

I don't know.

APPRAISER

Maple? Maple?

GUEST

Maple.

APPRAISER

It's a wood that they used a lot in Rhode Island. They used hardwoods. This seat, it looks like it's chestnut. That makes sense for Rhode Island. And the wonderful seat with this-- let me just show you this. See that little flair?

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

Now, that was something that you see a lot on English chairs.

GUEST

Oh, mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

That wonderful little flair that gives it that extra, extra curve. And this fits the bottom quite nicely, right?

GUEST

Yes, it's very comfortable.

APPRAISER

Very comfortable, right? And one of the really nice things about the chair is that the feet are original.

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

These feet usually get cut off, they turn them into rocker chairs, like the other chair was turned into a rocker. Original feet. It's... I couldn't believe it. I looked very carefully to see.

GUEST

Uh-huh.

APPRAISER

Because they're often replaced. You need to check that, and that takes away about 80% of the value.

GUEST

Oh!

APPRAISER

But these feet are good. So it's a really, really nice chair.

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

Now, there's one thing that it used to have that it doesn't have anymore. It's missing paint.

GUEST

Paint?

APPRAISER

It lost its paint. Almost every Windsor was painted.

GUEST

Oh, I didn't know that.

APPRAISER

If you look at the bottom...

GUEST

Oh!

APPRAISER

Do you see this? It has the original wash and then the white, the white paint. So this is what stayed, it's like the DNA...

GUEST

Oh!

APPRAISER

...that remains after they took away that surface, probably a hundred years ago.

GUEST

Amazing.

APPRAISER

Now, for insurance purposes, you could easily put this chair for about $16,000.

GUEST

$16,000?

APPRAISER

$16,000, yes.

GUEST

Wow.

APPRAISER

(chuckles)

GUEST

16!

APPRAISER

I mean, just for this chair. So that's quite a difference.

GUEST

Wow. That's a lot.

APPRAISER

That's a lot.

GUEST

For a chair.

APPRAISER

For a chair, it is a lot for a chair, and it should be protected. Would you like to sit in it?

GUEST

Sure.

APPRAISER

Have a seat-- do you mind if I sit in this, this?

GUEST

No.

APPRAISER

And I can look up at you.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

Now, if the white paint were still on there...

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

...it would probably be, kind of on a bad day, $60,000.

GUEST

Wow.

APPRAISER

Now, your mom didn't take the paint off, so you can't blame her.

GUEST

No. No, she didn't.