GUEST: I found it in the shed in a box. It had this little note tied to it, which was from this woman who was my husband's great-great-great-grandmother. In the note she's giving it to her grandson. She says she's had it 86 years, I think, at that point, and she gave it to him in 1889. I took it to an antique shop locally one time, and the guy said, "Hey, you know, it's cute, but it's probably only good for family history, so keep it and enjoy it."
APPRAISER: This actually is a very early piece of American ceramics.
GUEST: Really?
APPRAISER: It's a Moravian Pottery piece, made by the Moravian potters of Old Salem, North Carolina.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: And the pottery there in Old Salem was built around 1770. And the Moravians came there and they were making redware pottery not far away in South Carolina. John Bartlam founded the first English-type pottery in the United States. His foreman was William Ellis, and after Bartlam failed, Ellis went to the Moravian potters and taught them how to make pottery in the English manner instead of the German manner and do press molding. Now this is a press-molded little flask in the form of a fish. And he also taught them to make bottles in the form of squirrels, bears, and they are very, very highly collected these days. And this, though, is about the smallest I've ever seen.
GUEST: Really?
APPRAISER: I mean, this is for someone who couldn't take much whiskey. (both laughing)
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: It has a green glaze, which these animals mostly either had green or brown glazes that they made. I would say that this fish dates between 1805 and 1815.
GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: It's possibly the finest piece of American pottery I've ever seen on the ROADSHOW.
GUEST: I know you noticed it's got a little crack under the lip. Does that...
APPRAISER: Well, a piece is missing.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: But a piece of this importance, it doesn't make much difference. It can be restored for a couple hundred dollars, something like that. As to a value, get ready.
GUEST: Oh no.
APPRAISER: $27,000 to $30,000.
GUEST: Oh, my gosh. (laughing) Oh gee.
APPRAISER: How does that strike you?
GUEST: Pretty amazing. (laughs) Wow.
APPRAISER: It made my day, believe me.
GUEST: Made my year. (both laughing) Thank you.
