Extraordinary Finds

During ROADSHOW’s 2013 Detroit event, a guest named David brought in the working script for the beloved Hollywood classic, The Wizard of Oz. The script had belonged to the actor who played the Cowardly Lion, Bert Lahr, who was David’s step-grandfather. After expert Simeon Lipman gave the script an insurance value of $150,000, David decided to contact appraiser Catherine Williams to sell it.

A woman named Joan brought in an exquisite Louis Comfort Tiffany necklace that had been in her family since her great-grandmother received it as a gift in the early 1900s. Jill Burgum gave the necklace a value of $30,000 to $40,000 and recommended that Joan contact the Tiffany archives to confirm the necklace’s provenance. Learn from Jill what happened after Joan followed up with Tiffany.

During ROADSHOW’s 2007 Louisville, Kentucky event appraiser Nicho Lowry inspected one guest’s “incredible” collection of posters and maquettes, by a relatively unknown artist named Bern Hill. He put an auction estimate of $37,000 to $42,000 on the whole set. Later, Lowry helped the owner, Greg, sell the posters. ROADSHOW caught up with Nicho recently and learned what happened after the appraisal.

During ROADSHOW’s 2014 event in New York City, Sports Memorabilia appraiser Leila Dunbar met Gail, the owner of the earliest known baseball-fan collection in history. Re-watch the iconic one-million-dollar appraisal and see new footage of Dunbar expanding on why Gail’s archive was the greatest she has ever seen on ROADSHOW.

During ROADSHOW’s 2000 event in Denver, appraiser Wes Cowan met Gerald, the owner of a handmade wooden box crafted by Dr. Samuel Mudd, who was convicted as a co-conspirator in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Hear more of Mudd’s story from Cowan and learn what happened to the box after ROADSHOW!

In 2017 at ROADSHOW’s St. Louis event, appraiser Robert Waterhouse was approached by a guest who brought in a bodhisattva. In a recent interview with ROADSHOW, Waterhouse describes the intricate details of the bodhisattva, clarified details only discovered later, reveals its even more impressive present-day value, and explains why it was so difficult to date the sculpture in the moment.

During ROADSHOW’s 2016 stop in Salt Lake City, Utah, appraiser Grant Zahajko met Cary, the owner of a rare red variation of the 1969 Hot Wheels “Beach Bomb” prototype — whose astounding value Zahajko estimated at $100,000 to $150,000. In the spring of 2019, Cary met up with Zahajko again, this time to hand over his “Beach Bomb” for Zahajko to sell on his behalf. Watch the exchange!

During the 1999 appraisal event in Tampa, glass appraiser Arlie Sulka came across an object that certainly brightened her day. It was a magnificent Tiffany Studios lamp shade and base, that was brought in by two sisters, who told Arlie that their mother had purchased the lamp back in 1967 for $125. In a recent interview, Arlie recalls delivering some good news so good it brought tears of joy.

Ever wonder how an appraiser arrives at the value of an object? Leila Dunbar describes an appraiser’s process for determining the worth of art, antiques, and memorabilia.

Paul Hartquist explains what's so special about premium watchmaker Patek Philippe.

Allan Katz talks more about how and why he became such a Folk Art fanatic.

Leigh Keno explains why the value of brown furniture has declined in recent years, and why some types of classic furniture have become potential deals.