GUEST: Well, it's something I've had since 1966. My parents were working for an elderly lady in northern Virginia. And when she passed away, the family told my parents to basically take whatever they would like to have. And it's traveled a lot with my parents, it's been across the ocean six times. (laughing) So it's... it's truly a steamer trunk.
APPRAISER: This is a wonderful example of a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk, as you had said. Louis Vuitton is one of the most iconic designers, one of the most popular and most recognized...
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: ...brands in the world. He started business in 1854 in Paris, and his sole business was trunks-- transportation, luggage, that sort of thing. And in 1858, he introduced his first flat-top trunk, which at the time was really unusual, because most of the trunks were domed.
GUEST: Right.
APPRAISER: So a flat-top trunk was really almost groundbreaking. And it was in a grey canvas that he called "trianon." Later on in the 1870s, he introduced a striped canvas trunk. He wanted to keep going and changing design so people wouldn't copy him. Which is ironic now, because Louis Vuitton's copied all the time.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: This check design was introduced in 1888. And what's interesting is, they've actually reissued the check design, and it's now more popular than the Louis Vuitton monogram.
GUEST: Oh, good.
APPRAISER: So the LV monogram that we know today, that trunk was introduced after his death in 1896. So this one we know comes from the late 19th century, after 1888. Starting at the top, you have this wonderful latticework ribbon. And you would be able to stick cards and notes and any little bits of information, travel paperwork within here. There is some fraying, which is totally fine. And stained, yes. And staining and water damage. And what's most obvious here is that we have this fabulous large label. And it says "Louis Vuitton," and then the numbers down here, which is 34233. That's the serial number. And with a little bit more homework, we could almost certainly date it to the year it was issued.
GUEST: Oh, nice.
APPRAISER: Inside, also, there used to be trays. I'm going to close it up now, so watch your fingers. A couple of other things to point out on the exterior. You have these strap loops here. And each of them actually say, "Louis Vuitton Paris." Which is fabulous. And then it's also got London in there, as well. He slowly opened stores in London, and then also across the world. When we look at this, the condition is well-used and loved, but it's actually in really remarkably good condition. So if I were to see this come up for auction today, I would feel very comfortable in saying that it would sell for around about $10,000. Very good. If we were to insure it, you would need to place an insurance value of $20,000 or more on it.
GUEST: Ooh. You made my weekend. (chuckling)
