GUEST: Well, the little girl is me at age five. And the little boy in the pseudo spacesuit was a young neighbor. And we were posing for my stepfather, John Falter, who was one of the artists painting for the Saturday Evening Post.
APPRAISER: Well, when we think of American illustrator art, everyone thinks of Norman Rockwell. Especially because of the very high prices that his art has been bringing and because he's done a lot of Saturday Evening Post covers. But Norman Rockwell called John Falter one of America's most gifted illustrators. This is a fantastic cover. The fact that you have this picture, which depicts you in the same pose, just really is a charming, charming piece.
GUEST: We were in my stepfather's studio outside San Francisco, and the background is all creative license.
APPRAISER: John Falter, like a lot of the other Saturday Evening Post artists, has not risen to the sort of Norman Rockwell level. But there has been a lot more interest in this kind of second-tier sort of artist. As you probably know, about ten years ago, or earlier, this was a very hard thing to sell.
GUEST: Yes, it was.
APPRAISER: People weren't really looking for this. The market price on a picture like this was barely $5,000 to $7,000, and crept up to $10,000 to $15,000. Now, you've gotten this appraised. How much do you think it's valued at?
GUEST: $50,000?
APPRAISER: Well, this surge in price has only happened in the past five years.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And although it hasn't been record-breaking to the point of Rockwell, it's been record-breaking...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...towards Mr. Falter's prices.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: A few years ago, a Saturday Evening Post cover of Yankee Stadium, at auction, brought $150,000. That's a lot of money.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: Now, Yankee Stadium, in the 1947 cover, is kind of a specialized category. This subject, though, is just as wonderful. As a presale auction estimate, something like this we would put between $100,000 to $150,000.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And I'm sure, since this is an heirloom...
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: ...in your family, this is something that you're going to want to keep.
GUEST: Absolutely.
APPRAISER: And I would say for an insurance value...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...you should put at least $175,000 on it.
GUEST: Okay, thank you.
