'Antiques Roadshow' guest struggled to speak after expert revealed the value of Tiffany vase
No matter how much sentimental value people attach to family heirlooms, which they know have significant monetary worth as well, appraisals on “Antiques Roadshow" always catch them off guard. They're either left speechless, stunned, gasping for breath, or even struggling to keep their balance after learning of the true value of such artifacts. Something like that happened to a guest named who brought a vase made by Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces, Inc. She received the item as a birthday gift from her grandmother.
The guest said that she had a choice between three Tiffany vases during her birthday and chose one that looked unique. Even the expert, Arlie Sulka, said that she wasn’t sure if she had ever seen another one quite like it. When the time came to place a value on it, she said that the vase was worth $30,000 to $50,000 in a retail setting, which left the guest speechless.
“Oh my God. Wow. I had no idea,” she said. What made this vase so unique was the fact that it was made in 1926, which was a year when the company was experimenting with its products and not doing all that well. “There was a lot of experimentation and innovation in the glass-blowing department. And a lot of it was unsuccessful, but in this case, this was a crowning achievement,” Sulka said.
The expert also said that it was a piece of case glass, meaning that there was more than one layer of glass that went into making the vase. The inside had a brownish cherry color, and the exterior appeared to be an agate finish. “Yeah, I liked it because it looked like pottery, but it’s glass,” the guest quipped. It turns out that she was gifted the Tiffany vase because her name was Tiffany.
However, she was not named after the company. “Not after the jewelry store, after the family dog that was named after the jewelry store,” she added. Sulka has been an expert on “Antiques Roadshow” for many years, and in her time, she has seen a lot of Tiffany products. The valuation of some of those products left guests in tears. It happened on a different episode of the show in which a guest had brought a couple of lamps made by the company.
Sulka revealed that both lamps were created in 1905, and she figured that out thanks to the nature of the glass used in the lampshades. "At the time, when people were first using electricity, or even using fuel, in order to get any light, the glass had to be very transparent," she said. After speaking about the items for a bit more, it was time to place a value on them.
The expert said that the bigger lamp was worth $85,000. This was a surprise for the guest, who almost broke down into tears. The second lamp was valued at $45,000, which meant, together, they were worth $130,000. The guest was left speechless and could only say, “Great!” after hearing it.
