Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

Now, I got this vase from my mother when we built our home.

APPRAISER

Okay.

GUEST

She gave it to me, but before then, I can remember it as long as I've lived that it was on my grandmother's front porch. My grandmother gave it to my mother when she built her home. So Mother passed that on to us, and it's been on my front porch for at least 18 years. And then one day, a friend who has a little antique shop came by, and before she got in the front door, she turned and looked, and she said, "Why is that on your front porch?" And I said, "Because that's where it belongs." It had umbrellas in it, it had canes in it. All the old folks kept it on their front porch. And she said, "You bring that in. That is a Teco." And I did not know, had never heard of Teco pottery. And she said, "I'm sure it's a Teco. Let me see if it's signed or what." So we carefully turned it over, and it was Teco. So I did bring it in the house and kept umbrellas in it, and canes, and so forth. And I am curious if I need to put it back on the porch.

APPRAISER

Put it back on the porch.

GUEST

(laughs)

APPRAISER

Okay, I think we can solve that question.

GUEST

All right.

APPRAISER

You don't know where your grandmother got it.

GUEST

No. My family is from Maryland.

APPRAISER

Okay.

GUEST

And I'm pretty sure she bought it in Baltimore.

APPRAISER

Well, it is Teco. Made around Chicago, but sold at a lot of different places. Particularly interesting to collectors are large pieces like this. We know that Frank Lloyd Wright used a lot of Teco in, in some of his installations. Teco being a, a uniformly green piece. What's nice about this is the size, and the strap handles, which are applied. Typically, Teco is molded. These are hand-applied handles. And the piece is in nice condition with the exception of some chips around the base.

GUEST

Yes.

APPRAISER

That doesn't help. But when you get Teco as big as this, those don't matter as much. Roughly what had you thought it to be worth?

GUEST

This friend said that she thought it could be from $6,000 to $8,000.

APPRAISER

Okay, well, I think at auction...

GUEST

Uh-huh.

APPRAISER

...a vase like this would sell between $15,000 and $20,000.

GUEST

(laughing) Oh, my goodness. It stays in the house. (laughs)

APPRAISER

It's gonna stay in the house?

It's gonna stay in the house. APPRAISER

I think that's an excellent idea.

GUEST

(laughs) Oh, my g... How much?

APPRAISER

Between $15,000 and $20,000.

GUEST

$15,000 and $20,000.

APPRAISER

At auction, mm-hmm.