GUEST: My husband used to work for a moving company in Boston, and someone just gifted it to him.
APPRAISER: Wow.
GUEST: That… Someone he was moving.
APPRAISER: Have you had it on your wall for a long time?
GUEST: Yes, it's been on my wall for, like, 20 years.
APPRAISER: Okay-- do you have an idea who the artist is?
GUEST: Ed "Roo-sha," I believe? I looked him up, but I don't know much about him.
APPRAISER: Well, I was really excited when I saw you bring this to the table.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: Because this is very, uh, much an Ed "Roo-shay" kind of print. Ed Ruscha was born in 1937, and he continues to make art today. He's a California artist...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...known for his work in Los Angeles. This is a big screen print. This is a five-foot by 24-inch-wide print.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: I could tell it was Ed Ruscha, but I hadn't actually seen this print before.
GUEST: Oh, really?
APPRAISER: It is an original screen print, and it's hard to see, but it is signed and dated 1980. As well, there's a, what we call a blind stamp. It's like a little emboss pressing, and that's usually the mark of the printer or the publisher. The artist published this print himself.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: So, I don't know if this is his embossing or the printer. Over by you, lower left, is the number. The edition is 27 of 35. Ed Ruscha is known for his images of Los Angeles and California.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: He really epitomizes what we would call California cool. Very influential artist. Part of the Pop movement in Los Angeles. He was very influenced by signs and travel, car travel. He's probably best known for his Standard Station, which is also a nice, big, long, panoramic image. In most of his images, there aren't many people. It's really about signage and the landscape. He moved to Los Angeles. He grew up in Oklahoma and traveled Route 66.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: You gave me the title, you knew the title.
GUEST: Yes, I found the title online. Two Similar Cities.
APPRAISER: Exactly. So you can see the two cities lit up at night. He's a really important American artist. His works are in every major museum collection. And this is a scarce print. It's an edition of 35. It really hasn't come to auction very often.
GUEST: Oh, really?
APPRAISER: I would give a conservative estimate at auction at $15,000 to $25,000.
GUEST: Wow. Nice. (chuckles)
APPRAISER: Yeah. It…
GUEST: Well. That's a surprise. (laughs)
APPRAISER: I think it could do a, as well, and if not more. The last time it came to auction was five years ago.
