Appraisal: 1900 Mark Twain Letter
Clip: Season 27 Episode 23 | 1m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1900 Mark Twain Letter
In Did Grandma Lie?, Catherine Williamson appraises a Mark Twain letter from around 1900.
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Appraisal: 1900 Mark Twain Letter
Clip: Season 27 Episode 23 | 1m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
In Did Grandma Lie?, Catherine Williamson appraises a Mark Twain letter from around 1900.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipGUEST: I brought a letter that was written by Mark Twain to my great-great-grandfather trying to get a student into the School of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri, and trying to get a response.
APPRAISER: I love this letter.
Like a lot of Samuel Clemens' letters, it's an angry, "I want to see the manager" kind of letter.
He just starts off full of rage.
The letter begins, "By argument of two experiences of mine, "I suspect that your secretary "is afflicted with the several infirmities "usual to his guild: indifference, unfaithfulness, incapacity, discourtesy, and chronic fatigue."
And then goes on to the business of, "I'm trying to get this guy into this school, what can you do?"
He actually does sign "Mark Twain," but not "Samuel Clemens," which is interesting.
At this point, in most of his private correspondence, he would have signed "Samuel Clemens."
A good, saucy Twain letter sells for about $3,000 to $5,000 at auction in today's market.
GUEST: Great!
Appraisal: 1873 California Gold Quartz Presentation Cane
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 44s | Appraisal: 1873 California Gold Quartz Presentation Cane (44s)
Appraisal: 1903 Colt Single Action Army Revolver
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 17s | Appraisal: 1903 Colt Single Action Army Revolver (2m 17s)
Appraisal: Benjamin Greenleaf Portraits, ca. 1810
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 3m 21s | Appraisal: Benjamin Greenleaf Oil Portraits, ca. 1810 (3m 21s)
Appraisal: Concord, Massachusetts Card Table, ca. 1800
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 30s | Appraisal: Concord, Massachusetts Federal Card Table, ca. 1800 (2m 30s)
Appraisal: Dalzell Findlay Onyx Muffineer, ca. 1889
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 1m 2s | Appraisal: Dalzell Findlay Onyx Muffineer, ca. 1889 (1m 2s)
Appraisal: Dedham Pottery Vase, ca. 1900
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 40s | Appraisal: Dedham Pottery Vase, ca. 1900 (40s)
Appraisal: French Campaign Clock, ca. 1790
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 42s | Appraisal: French Campaign Clock, ca. 1790 (42s)
Appraisal: French Porcelain Vases, ca. 1860
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 56s | Appraisal: French Porcelain Vases, ca. 1860 (2m 56s)
Appraisal: Hiratsuka Filigree & Cloisonné Teapot, ca. 1895
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 1m 16s | Appraisal: Hiratsuka Filigree & Cloisonné Teapot, ca. 1895 (1m 16s)
Appraisal: Hopi Kachina Figure, ca. 1910
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 1m 57s | Appraisal: Hopi Kachina Figure, ca. 1910 (1m 57s)
Appraisal: Late 19th-C. Fish Scale-decorated Anchor & Dome
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 1m 8s | Appraisal: Late 19th C. Fish Scale-decorated Anchor (1m 8s)
Appraisal: Matched-pair Diamond Ring, ca. 1910
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 57s | Appraisal: Matched-pair Diamond Ring, ca. 1910 (2m 57s)
Appraisal: Oglala Sioux Winter Count
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 3m 31s | Appraisal: Oglala Sioux Winter Count (3m 31s)
Appraisal: Oil Painting Attributed to Franciabigio
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 44s | Appraisal: Oil Painting Attributed to Franciabigio, ca. 1520 (2m 44s)
Appraisal: Old Hickory Chair Company Rocker, ca. 1910
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 3m 14s | Appraisal: Old Hickory Rocking Chair, ca. 1910 (3m 14s)
Appraisal: Ottoman Zarf, ca. 1875
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 3m 47s | Appraisal: Ottoman Zarf, ca. 1875 (3m 47s)
Appraisal: Renaissance-revival Poison Ring, ca. 1875
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 3m 39s | Appraisal: Renaissance-revival Poison Ring, ca. 1875, in Green Bay Hour 2. (3m 39s)
Appraisal: Ruby & Diamond Bracelet, ca. 1895
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 26s | Appraisal: Ruby & Diamond Bracelet, ca. 1895 (2m 26s)
Appraisal: Windsor Chair & Passport, ca. 1815
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 39s | Appraisal: Child's Windsor Chair & Passport, ca. 1815 (2m 39s)
Appraisal: Diamond & Emerald Conversion Ring, ca. 1920
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 2m 57s | Appraisal: Diamond & Emerald Conversion Ring, ca. 1920 (2m 57s)
Appraisal: Ruth & Wagner Signed Ball, ca. 1933
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Clip: S27 Ep23 | 3m 36s | Appraisal: Ruth & Wagner Signed Ball, ca. 1933, from Charleston, Hour 1. (3m 36s)
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Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.