A WOMAN has discovered that her great-grandfather’s hobby could earn her thousands of dollars.
She recently took some of his belongings to Antiques Roadshow for a second look after suspecting they were worth some money.
Youtube/RoadshowPBSA woman was left shocked at the value of her great-grandfather’s belongings[/caption] Youtube/RoadshowPBSAntiques Roadshow appraised the two items for thousands[/caption]“My great-grandfather was an amateur pocket billiards (pool) champion in the early 1900s,” she told expert appraiser Grant Zahajko during an episode of the acclaimed PBS series.
A trophy and an artist’s rendering of her great-grandfather playing billiards could be seen on display.
“This is a trophy from one of his championships, and then this is a sketch done by a cartoonist in Cleveland of my great-grandfather, J. Howard Shoemaker,” she added.
The art showed a profile view of her great-grandfather in the center, with smaller comic-like depictions of him playing with written captions around the outside.
Zahajko quickly inquired about how many amateur billiards championships the woman’s great-grandfather won, to which she replied with 17.
“My understanding was that the first tournament he won was in 1913 and he was active all the way through 1937,” she explained.
The appraiser pointed out the alignment of markings on the trophy to the woman’s story, as it was awarded to the amateur champion and from the year 1912.
“At this time, it was more commonly called pocket billiards,” Zahajko said.
“We now call it a game of pool.”
TROPHY DETAILS
He quickly noted that the trophy itself was made of sterling silver and that it was crafted by the Whiting Manufacturing Company, which was operational in New York around the early 1900s.
“It has the Whiting hallmark and the sterling hallmark underneath the lid, it’s also marked on the base as well,” the appraiser noted.
However, it was the “actual pool table” resting on top of the trophy that “put it over the edge” for Zahajko.
“It’s just unbelievable craftsmanship.”
“With how expensive it would’ve been to have this trophy made, it shows how respected and how popular this tournament was, even being an amateur tournament,” he added.
Antiques Roadshow best finds
Antiques Roadshow has helped people put a price on their treasures since 1979. Here are some of the most interesting finds
A hand-me-down ring that had been in the family for generations was valued at $595,000 A silver coin found on a farm is worth $30,000 A Rolex that cost just $120 is now worth $45,000 The portrait of a woman’s mother at four years old and its frame was worth $32,000 A book of hymns that was kept in a basement was worth $50,000 A rare sculpture bought at a flea market in 1961 was worth $100,000 An antique floor lamp from an estate sale was worth $15,000 A mobile from the 1940s was worth a whopping $2 million A tablecloth drawn on by a baseball legend was worth $1,500 A Picasso plate that hung above an oven was worth $15,000The woman’s great-grandfather’s name was etched into the trophy for 1913 and 1915, and she said he’d melted down most of the other trophies when silver was in high demand in the 1980s.
A peak in the price of silver was hit on January 18, 1980, at $49.45 per ounce.
WHAT’S IT WORTH?
It’s a good thing he kept this one, though, as it was appraised by Zahajko between $12,000 to $16,000 at auction.
“Oh, my goodness. Wow!” the woman exclaimed in disbelief.
The artist rendering was also worth about $400 for a total of about $16,400 considering the set.
Sports memorabilia can often go for high amounts.
Several Antiques Roadshow guests have brought in baseball-related items that have been appraised for thousands.
An old baseball card featuring an all-time MLB legend was valued at $8,000 by the PBS show recently.
A rookie card hidden within baseball cards in a cigar box was valued at a whopping $150,000 by appraisers as well.
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