APPRAISER: Well, when you walked in with this, I heard a couple of people say, and the crew right here were saying, "You can get a lot of tea out of that. It's the biggest teapot I've ever seen."
GUEST: Yes, yes-- yes.
APPRAISER: But do you know what it is?
GUEST: No.
APPRAISER: Because it's not a teapot.
GUEST: Oh, really?
APPRAISER: No, ma'am.
GUEST: I keep tea bags in it.
APPRAISER: Well...
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: Well, that's as good as a use of it as any. But see what it says here. "Another little drink won't do us any harm."
GUEST: That's what caught my eye.
APPRAISER: Well, that's not talking about tea. It's talking about what this is designed to serve, which is punch.
GUEST: Oh.
APPRAISER: Alcoholic punch.
GUEST: Oh, I see.
APPRAISER: And when I first saw this, I thought, "Oh, this is a great Victorian punch pot." I thought it was probably made in the 1860s or '70s or something like that. But then if we look at this verse on the other side...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: It tells us, "Present to a friend, 1925," which is quite unusual.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: That's very late for this, uh, type of thing.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: How much did you pay for it when you got it?
GUEST: I paid $75 at an estate sale in Fredericksburg.
APPRAISER: Okay, well, I, I think you made a nice buy, because in a good quality shop, it would have to be at least $400 or $500.
GUEST: (gasps) You're kidding!
APPRAISER: Oh, yeah.
GUEST: Oh, well, thank you-- that's exciting.
APPRAISER: Well, you keep your tea bags in it. I think that's perfect.
GUEST: (laughs) Well, maybe I'll let 'em ferment a little.
APPRAISER: Yes.
