Appraisal: Cast-iron Lobster Andirons, ca. 1880
Clip: Season 30 Episode 9 | 1m 55sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Cast-iron Lobster Andirons, ca. 1880
Watch Nick Dawes appraise cast-iron Lobster andirons, ca. 1880, in Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 3.
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Appraisal: Cast-iron Lobster Andirons, ca. 1880
Clip: Season 30 Episode 9 | 1m 55sVideo has Closed Captions
Watch Nick Dawes appraise cast-iron Lobster andirons, ca. 1880, in Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 3.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipThey were a gift to me from my mother-in-law and her aunt.
They were from a cottage, a seaside cottage in Maine outside of Portland that I think my great aunt-in-law got in the late 50s, maybe early 60s.
Right.
And and when did you get them?
Uh maybe six or seven years ago.
What we have is a pair of cast iron, obviously lobster form and irons or fire dogs as sometimes called, designed to stand permanently in a fireplace.
They're so obviously related to the state of Maine.
The lobsters are not unique to Maine, but come on.
Right?
This is cast iron, very crudely and simply made.
They're made in the sand casting technique whereby someone took a mold and I'm pretty confident they took a lobster.
You make a mold, you press it into fine sand, and then you have most of what you need to cast iron.
I suspect they're very local, found in Portland, and almost certainly made somewhere near in the state of Maine.
It's hard to date them precisely.
I think they were made in the second half of the 19th century, probably in the third quarter.
You can see that both of them on the arms at the back have been repaired.
this one with a kind of sleeve to hold the two elements together and this snapped in probably the same place and it's been bolted together.
Both rather crude and amateur repairs, but I love the fact that someone has loved them enough to repair them.
Right.
In a good antique shop in Maine, I see them at least $2,000, possibly $2,500.
Okay, great.
But I love them.
NewAppraisal: 1818 Chester County Redware Jar
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 59s | Appraisal: 1818 Chester County Redware Jar (2m 59s)
NewAppraisal: 1888 Celia Thaxter Painted Pitcher
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 48s | Appraisal: 1888 Celia Thaxter Painted Pitcher (2m 48s)
NewAppraisal: 1933 Notre Dame Four Horsemen-signed Program
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 1m 17s | Appraisal: 1933 Notre Dame Four Horsemen-signed Program (1m 17s)
Appraisal: 1948 Gilbert Adrian Silk Taffeta Gown
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 3m 3s | Appraisal: 1948 Gilbert Adrian Silk Taffeta Gown (3m 3s)
Appraisal: 1962 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 3m 43s | Appraisal: 1962 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Letter (3m 43s)
Appraisal: 1963 Picasso Madoura Plate
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 25s | Appraisal: 1963 Picasso Madoura Plate (2m 25s)
NewAppraisal: 1965 Roy Lichtenstein "Shipboard Girl" Offset Lithograph
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 3m 20s | Appraisal: 1965 Roy Lichtenstein "Shipboard Girl" Offset Lithograph (3m 20s)
NewAppraisal: Cartier Pendant Watch & Case, ca. 1915
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 43s | Appraisal: Cartier Pendant Watch & Case, ca. 1915 (2m 43s)
NewAppraisal: Charles Ebert Maine Islands Oil Seascape, ca. 1930
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 59s | Appraisal: Charles Ebert Maine Islands Oil Seascape, ca. 1930 (2m 59s)
NewAppraisal: Civil War US Navy Officer Sword
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 1m 4s | Appraisal: Civil War US Navy Officer Sword (1m 4s)
Appraisal: Croft Stock Ale Cone-top Beer Cans, ca. 1940
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 36s | Appraisal: Croft Stock Ale Cone-top Beer Cans, ca. 1940 (2m 36s)
NewAppraisal: Egyptian 26th Dynasty Faience Ushabti Figure
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 23s | Appraisal: Egyptian 26th Dynasty Faience Ushabti Figure (2m 23s)
NewAppraisal: Japanese Bronze Lantern, ca. 1909
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 50s | Appraisal: Japanese Bronze Lantern, ca. 1909 (2m 50s)
Appraisal: Josef Hoffmann Silver Cups, ca. 1910
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 25s | Appraisal: Josef Hoffmann Silver Cups, ca. 1910 (2m 25s)
NewAppraisal: Shell Cameo Brooch, ca. 1945
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 1m 24s | Appraisal: Shell Cameo Brooch, ca. 1945 (1m 24s)
NewAppraisal: South Carolina Surcharged Dutch Musket, ca. 1740
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 3m 1s | Appraisal: South Carolina Surcharged Dutch Musket, ca. 1740 (3m 1s)
NewAppraisal: Tiffany & Co. Needle Lace Fan, ca. 1885
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Clip: S30 Ep9 | 2m 5s | Appraisal: Tiffany & Co. Needle Lace Fan, ca. 1885 (2m 5s)
Preview: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 3
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Preview: S30 Ep9 | 30s | Preview: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Hour 3 (30s)
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