GUEST: I brought a tea caddy. I believe it to be a tea caddy. I think it's abalone, perhaps? My husband bought it for me from an online site.
APPRAISER: It is a tea caddy. It's made out of oak, and it's veneered abalone. And then it's mounted with this silver plate. Then if you open it up, even the covers-- these were the compartments where the tea were-- they're even veneered with abalone. Sometimes we see tea caddies that have accents of abalone. This is, the whole tea caddy is made out of it. This maker marks stand for Henry Bourne and Daniel O'Neil. They were silversmiths in Birmingham, England, between 1881 and 1886, and Birmingham was, at that time, was, like, the center of silver-making. Do you know how much he paid for it at all?
GUEST: Well, in speaking with him now, he said, like, $600.
APPRAISER: Okay-- how long ago?
GUEST: It was, I believe, in 2009.
APPRAISER: This is... I mean, I think it's, like, a psychedelic tea caddy, it's so cool. So we think that at auction, it might bring between $3,000 and $5,000.
GUEST: (gasps)
APPRAISER: Yeah.
GUEST: (voice breaking) It's wonderful.
APPRAISER: Yeah, it's amazing. It was a very nice present. (laughing) It's amazing.
