APPRAISER: I see there's a nameplate with initials and a date on it.

GUEST: Well, yes, it's the monogram of my great-grandfather, who I'm told designed the railroad system in Germany.

Tsar... it must've been Alexander, came to Germany and said that he wanted a railroad system comparable to Germany's.

And so it ended up that he became a consultant, or he hired my grandfather, who was an engineer, to design the system in Russia.

I don't know the value of of this set.

It was a gift by Tsar Nicholas.

Um, the, the dates on the top are 1873 to 1898.

APPRAISER: Well, let's open it up and see what the set is.

Um... we have GUEST: The thing that I I think is so remarkable is the fact that it's lined in doeskin, and then that little tufted pillow, in all these years it hasn't fallen apart.

APPRAISER: And what's very interesting about the case is each piece has an individual niche to hold it.

So there's no mistaking where anything goes.

And it's a combination of silver and porcelain.

But the silver is of Russian manufacture.

Uh, the porcelain is Sèvres, it is French porcelain.

GUEST: What is the gold brushing on the silver?

APPRAISER: Um... GUEST: Is that, is that typical?

APPRAISER: It's, it's gilding, uh, it's called silver gilding.

And it's a wash of gold placed over the silver.

What's happened through the years, it's, it's become a little worn from polishing.

Uh.

but there's another interesting technique involved in the silver manufacture called niello work.

And that's the black stain that you see... GUEST: Oh, yes.

APPRAISER: on the silver surface itself.

APPRAISER: It's a permanent black dye.

So it's, uh, not only silver, but it's silver gilt and niello.

According to the marks on the back, uh, the, the items were made in Moscow in 1871.

So the set is older than the date it was presented to your great-grandfather.

Um, and it was put together.

They found a nice three-piece tea set with matching tray and added the teacups and saucers.

Probably because of the association with the tsar, with your great-grandfather, what he did in the country, the interesting silverwork... Uh, probably a fair market value would be around $4,000 for the set.

And it's very nice.

GUEST: Well, thank you.