Antiques Roadshow

GUEST: This is a piece that my husband and I bought at an auction in Mobile, Alabama, in, uh, 1997.

But we were curious about it just 'cause of the signature.

That it's, uh, "A. Rodin," which is The Thinker.

That's, that's all I know.

CREW: And what did you have to pay for it at the auction?

GUEST: Um, $500.

My husband is a hand therapist.

CREW: Mm!

GUEST: So we bought it because we liked the hands.

APPRAISER: That's interesting.

Really, more so than anything.

Thi, this is a model of, um, Rodin.

Right, a cast or something, yeah.

It's a cast of Rodin called Cathedral.

GUEST: "Cathedral," right.

APPRAISER: And it's really lovely.

These are casts that are made from casts that are made from casts.

So they start to lose detail...

GUEST: Right.

APPRAISER: ...uh, over the years, and that's what you have here.

So basically, the whole form is wonderful, 'cause you get the, the larger idea of the, of the forms of the hands.

But when you start to look at the details, like these fingernails, you see how very crude and rough they are.

GUEST: Hm.

APPRAISER: Uh, in terms of the value, it is bronze.

Um, it, it's probably worth in the $800, maybe $1,000 range.

GUEST: Yeah, yeah.