Antiquesmart

Jade Elephant - What is it Worth?

Question: hi. was wondering what this jade elephant is worth, Grade A I have been told. It is about 3"x 3" weighs about 12-16 ounces'

RD Langer Answers: If it is jade, from $100-150. I would have to examine it.

Jade Carving - What is it Worth?

Question: Hi I have a jade carving that I would like you to value please. When I first bought it it was covered in hard wearing paint. I have since removed the paint to discover that the carving was jade underneath. What baffles me is why would any one want to paint over such a beautiful carving. I have been advised that it may be a burmese jadeite hat ornament from the 1900s. The reason why it may have been painted was to hide the value of the item so that it would’t be confiscated by the communist goverment. Can you give me any more info on it please. No one seems to know much about it. The measurement is 6.5" x 5".

 

 

 

 

 

RD Langer Answers: Hi......I love the piece. It looks to me like $2000.-3000. at auction and possibly considerably more. I suggest you contact Lark Mason at I.Gavel, 212-289-5588. He will want an e-mailed photo. Looks to me you may have a winner. Good luck and keep me advised.

RDL Antiquesmart

Record Appraisal for Antique Roadshow

The New York Post announced today that a record level appraisal has been set for the Antique Roadshow.

The article says: Four pieces of hand-carved jade worth an estimated $1.07 million have set a new appraisal record for the popular TV program "Antiques Roadshow." "I am still stunned," said Jinx Taylor, 54, (right) a North Carolina homemaker, who brought the jade to an "Antiques Roadshow" event in Raleigh, NC, on Saturday.

Taylor said she inherited the collection -- a bowl, a vase with a ruby detail, an animal figure, and a bowl with Imperial markings -- from her father, who bought them while stationed in China as a military liaison in the 1930s and 1940s. For years, Taylor exhibited the pieces in her home but always had a sneaking suspicion that they were extra special. Exceptional, said Asian-arts appraiser James Callahan, who said the pieces probably date back to the reign of Qianlong (1736-1795). The previous highest appraisal on the PBS show, which invites the public to see if junk in their attic is really valuable, was $500,000. That was for a 1937 painting by abstract expressionist artist Clyfford Still, found in Palm Springs, Calif., last year.

This only shows that you never know what you have in your house and what it is worth. It is a good idea to get these items appraised.