Two Sisters Bring Late Mother's Lamp To Appraiser And Discover It's Worth Big Bucks

Oct 28, 2021 by apost team

While “Antiques Roadshow” might not sound that interesting on paper — a show in which a group of experts take a look at antiques and appraise them — some high-value items can lead to some of TV’s most exciting surprises and emotional moments.

One such memorable moment from the show took place on an old 1999 episode of the reality TV show in Tampa, Florida, which aired as part of a “Tearjerkers” special on Oct. 25, 2021. According to PBS’ description, the “Tearjerkers” episode features “guests who wear their hearts on their sleeves.”

In the below clip, a sneak preview of the “Tearjerkers” special, two sisters showed up with their mother’s spectacular antique lamp. As one of the women explains, their mother found the lamp in the late 1960s thanks to a listing in a newspaper flyer.

The glass lamp had belonged to the seller’s grandfather, but she had to part ways with the magnificent family heirloom since she was moving into a small studio apartment. Their mother, one of the daughters says, “knew what it was” and quickly asked how much she wanted for the lamp. The seller asked for $125, which led to their mother immediately going to the bank to withdraw money for the purchase.

After the two sisters finish their story, Arlie Sulka of Lillian Nassau LLC then provides a bit of the lamp’s historical background — along with the piece’s long-awaited and unbelievable valuation. The lamp, Nassau explains, is a Tiffany Studios Rose Helmet lamp from the early 1900s.

Tiffany Studios was the project of Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of the founder of the more well-known Tiffany and Co., which still exists today.

What makes this lamp unique — apart from its good condition — is its golden, etched base and its rose helmet shade. What’s more, Nassau tells the sisters that it’s rare that these two original pieces of the lamp, the base and the shade, stay together over the years.

“(The base) has a wonderful art nouveau quality to it, and it’s called the arc and leaf. And if you look closely to the base, you will see these wonderful stylized leaf forms that follow all along the edge and are repeated in a slightly different style moving up toward the top of the base,” Nassau says.

“I have to say that the base is really unusual. I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen this base. It’s so unusual. This is a situation where the base is almost as great as the shade,” she adds.

When the lamp was made in the 1900s, it probably sold for around $200, which, adjusted for inflation, would cost upwards of $5,000. But as is typical with well-preserved, unique antiques, the lamp became even more valuable as time went on. In 1999, at the time of the original video, Nassau says that the lamp is worth between $80,000 and $125,000. And in 2021, the lamp is worth between $250,000 and $300,000, according to "Antique Roadshow's" updated appraisal. 

When the sisters hear the good news, they break down, shedding tears of joy. 

“Mom had a good eye!” Nassau tells the sisters before giving them a hug. 

apost.com

Have you ever discovered a valuable antique before? Are you shocked by the valuation? Let us know — and be sure to pass this on to friends and family members.