Chinese Bronze Censer, ca. 1800

Chinese Bronze Censer, ca. 1800
VALUE (2013) | $2,500 Auction – $4,000 Auction

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW APPRAISAL

On this episode of Antiques Roadshow Lark E. Mason appraised a Chinese Bronze Censer, ca. 1800.

APPRAISED VALUE (2013) | $2,500 Auction – $4,000 Auction

This appraisal was featured in Rapid City, Hour 3 (#1715) and was filmed in Rapid City, SD  on July 14, 2012.

APPRAISAL TRANSCRIPT

GUEST:
It's a dialect that one of my Chinese friends, even he could not cipher.

APPRAISER:
That's why you came here, right? So we're going to translate this. Ready?

GUEST:
Yep.

APPRAISER:
Okay. (speaking Chinese)

GUEST:
Oh, yeah?

APPRAISER:
Nice to meet you, see you.

GUEST:
Okay.

APPRAISER:
No, just kidding. I'm going to tell you what it is. So that means this is made in the great Ming Dynasty, in the Xuande period, but it's an honorific mark. Which means, it was actually made later, but they said that to indicate the quality of the workmanship. So it's most likely made during the late 18th, 19th century.

GUEST:
Really?

APPRAISER:
The quality of the casting is really good. The only negative, really, is that someone polished it.

GUEST:
Yes. That was my wife that messed with that and I told her I'm going to pay the price for that.

APPRAISER:
Well, it was an expensive polishing job. But even so, today, if you sold it at auction, you're going to sell it between $2,500 and $4,000.

GUEST:
Oh, is that right?

APPRAISER:
If it had not been polished, it would have been worth likely in the $6,000 to $9,000 range.