'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'I can't believe that' after hearing the value of her 1921 vase
"Antiques Roadshow" is a place where people discover the unexpected and often shocking value of heirlooms and artifacts. While a vase can be a precious relic, a guest was caught by surprise when her father's old porcelain vase was found to be worth thousands of dollars. The owner of the 1921 Arthur Conant Rookwood Vase knew very little about the significance of the item until the show's expert, Suzanne Perrault, shed light on its past. The guest was left astonished after a $6,000 appraisal.
The guest shared that she got the vase from her father's estate, and she didn't know much about it. Perrault then took over to share that the vase was made by the firm of Rookwood. "Rookwood was a big pottery in Cincinnati, and they started in 1880, and went on for a very long time, closing many times during the 20th century, off and on," the expert shared.
She then went on to talk about one of the first-rate decorators, and one of them was Arthur Conant, who was also the creator of the vase. "Arthur Conant joined Rookwood in, I believe, 1915, and he was there for about 25 years," she said. She then showed the guest the markings at the bottom of the vase that indicated the vase was made by Rookwood, and it had a C in a box, which indicated that it was created by Arthur Conant.
Coming to the vase, Perrault noted that the creator used Japanese woodblock prints to create the design. She then went on to explain that even the background wasn't two-dimensional, as it had a lot going on. "Right, when you put it under your light was the first time I really noticed that and fell in love with the vase again," the guest said. The expert then shared that even her colleagues were intrigued by the design. "I was just showing that to my colleague at the Asian table there, and I was wondering why they would do it," she shared.
Coming to the appraisal, Perrault said, "So you've got a really pretty porcelain vase. At auction, I would put an estimate on this of $4,000 to $6,000," leaving the guest in shock. The owner of the vase started gasping as she couldn't believe how valuable the vase was. "Oh, my golly, I don't believe that. That is awesome, thank you!" she said.
In the end, the guest shared that she was the only member in the family who wanted the vase as she loved it. "I fell in love with the bird. I can't believe this. Oh!" she exclaimed in the end.
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