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GUEST: This is my grandmother's 
table. She bought it in 
1982. She was always very

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interested in metalwork, so we 
weren't surprised when she sent 
my uncle down in his truck to

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New York City to pick 
up this table. We didn't 
really know much about 
it other than the fact

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that it was, at one point, 
buried in dirt. We did a little 
research and found out that

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it was made by the 
LaVerne Studios?

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APPRAISER: And how much did 
she pay for it, do you recall?

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GUEST: $6,000.

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APPRAISER: $6,000.

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GUEST: Yes.

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APPRAISER: So, in 1982, 
this table would have 
probably retailed for 
more than that. They

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probably actually got 
a good price at $6,000, 
believe it or not.

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GUEST: Yeah, she did mention 
that because she didn't use 
a designer, that they took

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$4,000 off the price of 
the table because she 
purchased it directly.

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APPRAISER: Right. In the '80s, 
this company had already been 
producing these tables for

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about 15 or 20 years. So in 
1982, it was probably brand-new. 
My information says that these

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were about $10,000 retail at 
that time. By the mid-1980s, 
the design team of Philip and

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Kelvin LaVerne-- a 
father-and-son team in 
New York-- were very 
well-known. They were

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highly prized works that 
were sold through decorators, 
through high-end design shops,

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and, of course, you can 
buy them directly from the 
LaVernes if you knew somebody.

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GUEST: (chuckling): Right.

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APPRAISE: It's made out of 
bronze with a proprietary 
process that Philip 
and Kelvin LaVerne were

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able to make by etching these 
bronze plates and attaching 
them to a substructure. In this

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case, to a scroll shape, but 
the same pattern here, called 
the marriage whirl, would've

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been used on consoles, end 
tables, various other types of 
furniture. The LaVernes took

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their objects and would actually 
bury them in a proprietary 
mix of soil to give it a

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patina. Your example 
is in really beautiful 
condition. There's no 
heavy scratches, dents.

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I think that if this came up in 
a well-publicized auction, it 
would probably sell for between

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$15,000 and $20,000.

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GUEST: Well, that's... that's 
really good. (laughs) I'm just 
a little stunned. (laughs)

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Very good.

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APPRAISER: Yeah.