GUEST: I like to yard sale, but I get a lot of grief from my sons all the time, so I've been trying to, like, not do it as often. (laughing) But I saw a sign and I stopped, and I saw these and I liked them.
APPRAISER: Okay.
GUEST: And the price was right.
APPRAISER: Can I ask what you paid for them?
GUEST: For all of them, $25.
APPRAISER: How long ago?
GUEST: Just a few months ago.
APPRAISER: Really? When you came in, you had these all in a folder...
GUEST: That I bought last night.
APPRAISER: That you bought last night. (laughs) Probably for almost the same amount.
GUEST: Yeah-- yeah, it was $20 for the folder, yeah.
APPRAISER: Yeah. And the top one was this one up here.
GUEST: Yes. I really liked it and I'm familiar with the artist, but I wasn't sure if it was real or not.
APPRAISER: And it's signed Edward Hopper underneath.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: So then I flipped the page in the book and this piece showed up. This is by Kenneth Hayes Miller, who is, was, in his day, a very important artist and instructor, but isn't somebody who's really withstood the test of time. But what's interesting about seeing these two together is, the Hopper was in a portfolio called "Six American Etchings: The 'New Republic' Portfolio." That was published in 1924. This was also in that same portfolio.
GUEST: Oh...
APPRAISER: So just by having found the two together, that strengthens the provenance even more.
GUEST: Oh, okay.
APPRAISER: To tell me this looks very good. Also in that same portfolio of six prints was a John Marin print, an Ernest Haskell print...
GUEST: Ah!
APPRAISER: And a Peggy Bacon print.
GUEST: And I left one behind.
APPRAISER: And that was by John Sloan?
GUEST: I don't know, because I didn't have enough money. I only had, like, $25, so I left one behind. (laughs) And I just took the one that I didn't...
APPRAISER: So that was probably a print by John Sloan called "The Bandits Cave."
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: So the fact that you have all these together is wonderful proof that this is indeed what it purports to be. The Hayes Miller, also pencil-signed, also an etching-- lovely print. Not in terrific condition. Realistically, were you to sell this at auction, you might expect it to bring about $80 to $120.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Not a tremendous amount.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: The Ernest Haskell, also signed, called "Sentinels of North Creek"-- another lovely etching, but again, not very important-- $200, $300. Peggy Bacon, a fairly unusual female artist, this is a more important print, it's called "Promenade Deck." At auction currently, you're probably looking about $500 to $700 for
it.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: The John Marin is interesting. When the portfolio first came out, it included this John Marin print, which is called "Brooklyn Bridge 6 (Swaying)." Okay. After just a few of the edition was published, he changed out that print for another print called "Downtown, the El." This is the more rare and desirable print.
GUEST: Oh!
APPRAISER: So, this is a fantastic etching and it's in lovely condition. So at auction for the John Marin, you're looking about $15,000 to $25,000.
GUEST: Oh, my God. (chuckles): Oh, my God! I'm glad I didn't leave that one
behind. (laughs)
APPRAISER: The Hopper is possibly one of his best-known prints, and at auction, you're looking $30,000 to $50,000.
GUEST: Crazy. Absolutely crazy.
APPRAISER: Are your kids going to give you grief after this?
GUEST: No, they better not. (both laughing) They better not. No, not at all-- they better not.
APPRAISER: The one you left behind, the John Sloan, $500 to $700 at auction.
