WEBVTT 00:01.933 --> 00:05.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: I brought a Royal typewriter that was presented to my grandfather, and he worked 00:07.533 --> 00:11.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% at Royal for many years. For his ten-year anniversary as vice president of sales, he 00:11.066 --> 00:16.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% was presented this typewriter by his staff, and all the top salespeople were able to sign 00:19.333 --> 00:24.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% it, and then get it-- and so it was engraved at Cartier. And it's gold. (chuckles) And 00:26.166 --> 00:30.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% my dad also worked at Royal, and so it went from my grandfather to my father to me. 00:31.533 --> 00:32.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% APPRAISER: And they do refer to this as the Gold Royal. 00:32.833 --> 00:34.966 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Right. 00:34.966 --> 00:38.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: So Royal Typewriter Company was founded in 1904, but it wasn't until the 1930s, 00:38.000 --> 00:41.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% when your grandfather was in charge of national sales, that they really started to take off. 00:41.500 --> 00:43.500 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% GUEST: Right, right. 00:43.500 --> 00:45.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: Which, as a result, led him to be the top salesman, and then eventually the 00:45.200 --> 00:47.266 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% president of the company. 00:47.266 --> 00:50.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: Right, and he actually only had an eighth-grade education and became president 00:50.533 --> 00:53.000 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of a Fortune 500 company. 00:53.000 --> 00:56.066 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% APPRAISER: Right. There's 1,064 names inscribed in this. 00:56.066 --> 00:58.100 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Oh, wow. 00:58.100 --> 01:00.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: And they're inscribed by a fellow named Warner MacDonald by hand, individually. 01:00.333 --> 01:05.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The typewriter itself has 2,257 different parts. What Royal did is, they then took a 01:06.433 --> 01:08.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% completed typewriter, took it to Cartier... 01:08.833 --> 01:10.900 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% GUEST: Yes, okay. 01:10.900 --> 01:13.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: And every exposed piece, large and small, was plated in 24-karat gold. That 01:13.766 --> 01:18.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% was in 1939 at a cost of $5,000. When I asked some of the appraisers at the jewelry table... 01:19.800 --> 01:21.766 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Uh-huh. 01:21.766 --> 01:23.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: "What would you think it would cost to have something like this commissioned 01:23.833 --> 01:26.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% today?", they couldn't even put a number on it, barely. Because of, the cost of labor 01:26.900 --> 01:27.900 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% was less back then. 01:27.900 --> 01:30.533 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Right. 01:30.533 --> 01:32.233 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% APPRAISER: And the cost of gold was less back then. $150,000, $200,000, perhaps, they speculated. 01:32.233 --> 01:37.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It was exhibited in the 1939 New York World's Fair. 01:37.000 --> 01:39.000 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Okay. 01:39.000 --> 01:41.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: Then it went on tour all around the U.S. at the offices of Royal sales agents. 01:41.633 --> 01:46.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And it was presented in 1940 to your grandfather. Half a dozen appraisers were all involved 01:46.300 --> 01:47.300 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% in this with me... 01:47.300 --> 01:49.400 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Uh-huh. 01:49.400 --> 01:50.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: As we tried to talk about the different components to it. We would put a value, at 01:50.366 --> 01:52.833 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% auction, of $30,000 to $40,000. 01:52.833 --> 01:57.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: Oh, my God. (laughs) Awesome! That's amazing, wow-- I had no idea. It's been in 02:01.800 --> 02:02.233 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% my closet. (chuckles)