GUEST: This is a Rose Bowl trophy from... it was actually my grandfather's. It was Oregon State and Duke University in 1942 for the Rose Bowl game. And it was played at Duke. It is the only year that I know of that the Rose Bowl was actually on the East Coast. Usually it's played in-in California. And it was Duke and Oregon State. Actually, Oregon won.
APPRAISER: Tell me about your grandfather and his role on the team.
GUEST: His name was Louis Shelton, or he went by "Choc," Choc Shelton. And he was a fullback for the Oregon State Beavers. He was Choc because from an early age, he really liked chocolate, so it was just a nickname that stuck throughout his whole life. So, actually, people, I don't even think, knew his name was Louis, but everyone called him Choc.
APPRAISER: And so here we are in Portland, Oregon.
GUEST: Yup.
APPRAISER: And we get to celebrate some Oregon State Beavers football history today.
GUEST: That's right.
APPRAISER: Was there anything else the family told you about the trophies?
GUEST: It's been through... some rough times. There's a couple dents and scratches.
APPRAISER: So, as you mentioned, the 1942 Rose Bowl was moved to Duke, to North Carolina, to play Duke because of the security concerns after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: So, as you said, they loaded up the teams, they went cross-country, and the only time in history they played the Rose Bowl outside of Pasadena.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: Started in 1902, and going to this to now, that's the only time they ever played. The Tournament of Roses East-West Game, it was called. Oregon State Beavers football history, do you know how many times they were in the Rose Bowl?
GUEST: I don't know.
APPRAISER: Okay, three times they were in the Rose Bowl.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: In this case, they defeated Duke, who was heavily favored, and they did beat them, as you said, 20-16 in that 1942 Rose Bowl. We only know of two years, I can only find two years in the 1934 and the 1942 Rose Bowls where the players and/or coaches, or both were issued trophies, everybody on the team. Now, the interesting thing for Duke from this trophy, Duke only awarded this trophy to their coaches and coaching staff, not to the players. So, that dent can be corrected, in my experience, for somewhere between maybe $400 to $600.
GUEST: Okay. And then it does have a little smudge right here. When my grandfather came back, his high school sweetheart was my grandmother, and she had a much younger sister, and she wanted to see the trophy and she had lemon juice on her finger, and she touched the trophy right here and actually marked it. So, from pretty much the get-go, it's always had this little mark on it, right here.
APPRAISER: Have you ever had these items appraised before?
GUEST: Never.
APPRAISER: Well, his letterman's jacket-- on this one, it's in excellent condition. Again, we have the provenance of him playing at Oregon State. On this one I would put a value for insurance of $750.
GUEST: Not bad.
APPRAISER: Now, the trophy. For insurance value, I would put a value of $7,500.
GUEST: Are you kidding? (laughing) Wow, that's crazy. That's crazy. Wow, well, I don't plan on selling it, but that's amazing.
