WEBVTT 00:01.866 --> 00:04.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: This is my grandmother's table. She bought it in 1982. She was always very 00:06.366 --> 00:09.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% interested in metalwork, so we weren't surprised when she sent my uncle down in his truck to 00:11.400 --> 00:14.833 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% New York City to pick up this table. We didn't really know much about it other than the fact 00:14.833 --> 00:19.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that it was, at one point, buried in dirt. We did a little research and found out that 00:19.566 --> 00:22.133 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% it was made by the LaVerne Studios? 00:22.133 --> 00:24.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% APPRAISER: And how much did she pay for it, do you recall? 00:24.333 --> 00:25.333 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: $6,000. 00:25.333 --> 00:26.333 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% APPRAISER: $6,000. 00:26.333 --> 00:28.400 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% GUEST: Yes. 00:28.400 --> 00:31.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% APPRAISER: So, in 1982, this table would have probably retailed for more than that. They 00:31.333 --> 00:34.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% probably actually got a good price at $6,000, believe it or not. 00:34.933 --> 00:38.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: Yeah, she did mention that because she didn't use a designer, that they took 00:38.733 --> 00:42.633 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% $4,000 off the price of the table because she purchased it directly. 00:42.633 --> 00:46.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% APPRAISER: Right. In the '80s, this company had already been producing these tables for 00:46.933 --> 00:51.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% about 15 or 20 years. So in 1982, it was probably brand-new. My information says that these 00:53.933 --> 00:57.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% were about $10,000 retail at that time. By the mid-1980s, the design team of Philip and 01:00.300 --> 01:05.200 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Kelvin LaVerne-- a father-and-son team in New York-- were very well-known. They were 01:07.166 --> 01:11.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% highly prized works that were sold through decorators, through high-end design shops, 01:13.500 --> 01:17.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and, of course, you can buy them directly from the LaVernes if you knew somebody. 01:17.133 --> 01:19.733 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% GUEST: (chuckling): Right. 01:19.733 --> 01:23.100 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% APPRAISE: It's made out of bronze with a proprietary process that Philip and Kelvin LaVerne were 01:23.100 --> 01:28.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% able to make by etching these bronze plates and attaching them to a substructure. In this 01:31.366 --> 01:36.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% case, to a scroll shape, but the same pattern here, called the marriage whirl, would've 01:38.333 --> 01:41.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% been used on consoles, end tables, various other types of furniture. The LaVernes took 01:44.400 --> 01:49.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% their objects and would actually bury them in a proprietary mix of soil to give it a 01:51.400 --> 01:55.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% patina. Your example is in really beautiful condition. There's no heavy scratches, dents. 01:57.600 --> 02:00.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I think that if this came up in a well-publicized auction, it would probably sell for between 02:01.666 --> 02:03.733 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% $15,000 and $20,000. 02:03.733 --> 02:08.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% GUEST: Well, that's... that's really good. (laughs) I'm just a little stunned. (laughs) 02:10.400 --> 02:11.566 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% Very good. 02:11.566 --> 02:12.766 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% APPRAISER: Yeah.