Antiques Roadshow

GUEST: I brought in what is supposedly a Tiffany table.

There's a date on this little silver plaque here that lists 1908 given to one Harris Weinstock, who was the first president of the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

He served five years, uh, stint as a president, and on his outgoing, he...uh, they presented him with this, uh, table.

He, uh, hobnobbed with presidents and governors and he was the founder of, uh, the Weinstock's department store chain.

His son, Robert Weinstock, what I gathered was the best friend of my grandfather.

My parents, all my life, called him Uncle Bob.

Somehow it got passed on to my mother.

APPRAISER: It is a table by Tiffany Studios.

It was designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

And we can find it on the price list of Tiffany Studios in 1906.

We know that it's one of just two known bronze side table forms...

GUEST: Wow.

APPRAISER: ...that Tiffany designed in 1906.

It's rare.

It's made of patinated bronze.

It was cast--sand cast, in fact--with this oak top which now has this lovely patina and sort of green finish that's come through over time.

As you say, you've, you've had it, you've lived with it.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: It's well worn and we can see that.

But that's a lot of honest wear, and, and we love to see that.

So you were thinking of selling this at a yard sale?

GUEST: Well, it... the thought crossed my mind at one point.

In my life, there had been periods of, uh, money and not so much money.

And there was a point where I was selling a lot of things in garage sales.

But then I thought, no.

My mom, when she gave it to me back in the '70s, she said, "Be careful with this.

It's, it's an expensive table.

This is Tiffany."

She thought it was worth a thousand dollars.

APPRAISER: Okay.

APPRAISER: Okay.

GUEST: Yeah, I, I...It's worth at, at least that, right?

APPRAISER: It is worth at least that.

(chuckles) At auction, our estimate would be $30,000 to $50,000.

GUEST: (shocked chuckle) Glad I didn't sell it at that yard sale.

(soft chuckle) Wow, that's amazing.

It's a piece of history, too, you know.

And... APPRAISER: It's the important part.

It's a piece of your history.

GUEST: Yeah.