Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

My ancestors are from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, and they came through Ellis Island in 1892. It was Daniel Dorries, who's the father in that picture.

APPRAISER

That's the gentleman here?

GUEST

Mm-hmm. He's my great- great-grandfather. This was taken in Guernsey, and it's Daniel's house.

APPRAISER

And how does this letter here tie in with your information?

GUEST

Um, those were notes that came with it. I inherited it from my great-aunt. I was glad that came with it, because it gave me a little bit of information, because I don't know much about it.

APPRAISER

Well, some of them you believe, and some of them you have to take with a grain of salt.

GUEST

Right.

APPRAISER

And the jug. What do you know about it?

GUEST

My great-aunt told me that it was very special, and she said-- and also in that older note-- that they used it for buttermilk, which seems amazing.

APPRAISER

Yeah, I think this was more ornamental. Most of the pink lustre of this sort in a piece of earthenware was made in a town in England called Sunderland.

GUEST

Okay.

APPRAISER

Sunderland had numerous potteries. And there were several potteries that specialized in the manufacture and decoration of pink lustre on their wares. Now, one of the companies, Dixon & Company, was also known for doing a lot of commemorative wares.

GUEST

Hmm.

APPRAISER

Now, in England, any reason, any excuse to make commemorative wares for any occasion, they did it. We have flags on this side, and we have a nautical verse on the front.

GUEST

Mm-hmm, which is so beautiful.

APPRAISER

And then, on this side, we have these two nautical gentlemen holding their flags. Now if we go back to this side, the two portraits that we have on this side...

GUEST

Uh-huh.

APPRAISER

One is supposedly depicting Napoleon III.

GUEST

Uh-huh.

APPRAISER

And one is depicting Queen Victoria.

GUEST

Mm.

APPRAISER

Now, the way this is produced is with transfer prints. It's a printed decoration that has then been color-enhanced by hand.

GUEST

Ah.

APPRAISER

All of the designs here all represent the Crimean War.

GUEST

Oh.

APPRAISER

Now, the Crimean War took place between 1853 and 1856.

GUEST

Uh-huh.

APPRAISER

So it makes it relatively easy to date the jug between those periods.

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

The alliance of France and England against Imperial Russia. So this was a bonded friendship between the two countries. And this was the reason that the jug was produced.

GUEST

Ooh.

APPRAISER

It's a very large example. Jugs they made in all different sizes, but this is really what I would call a beefy piece of pottery. GUEST (laughs) These jugs actually were tremendously popular, starting from about the mid-1980s. And we don't have as many collectors now as we used to have. And I think it probably even peaked then, versus what it might be worth now.

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

On today's market, I would expect it to sell at auction somewhere in the $1,500 to $2,500 range.

GUEST

Oh, wonderful.

APPRAISER

It's in great condition, and I'm thrilled that you brought it in.

GUEST

Oh, great.