Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

My husband and I were at a charity auction, and I liked it, and so we bid on it, and we got it.

APPRAISER

Uh-huh.

GUEST

The person who offered it at the charity said it had been hanging in the courthouse.

APPRAISER

Uh-huh.

GUEST

And it hangs in our office now. And when people come to our office, they can point out where they lived, and say the detail is very precise.

APPRAISER

Well, this is part of a great number of prints that were made primarily after the American Civil War. It's called a bird's-eye view. And these were made by mapmakers who would actually make a map of a community, and then they would extrapolate what it looked like from an angle, so that you would be able to see the streets. And, of course, it shows the pride of Spokane, the great falls with the water pouring forth. And it's all very dramatic. This is done through lithography, and they would have used more than one plate to get the various shades and colors. This was done in 1905. The inset showing Fort Wright is there, because Fort Wright is not in that grid pattern. It's farther down the river, but it was important to the settlement. What did you pay for this at the auction?

GUEST

Uh, $400.

APPRAISER

You paid $400 for this! Let me tell you something. If this was in a shop, they would have this at about $5,500 to $6,000.

GUEST

Whoa! Wow!

APPRAISER

It is really wonderful. The fact that something so big lasted in such good condition for so long is, is really remarkable.

GUEST

Oh, well, thank you.

APPRAISER

So, yeah.

GUEST

That's great.