Appraisal: Sampler is beautiful – but a reproduction

Appraisal by Edward Tindol

QHello. Was wondering if you could give me a value on a 1789 sampler done by a Betcy Tucker. It appears to be done with silk. It is, without frame, 6” x 6 1/2”. Thank you. — C.D.

Appraisal: What a beautiful example of a “Salem Long-Stich” sampler. Unfortunately, it is a reproduction of an original that is currently held in The Shelburne Museum in Shelburne Vermont. The original is by Betcy Tucker who is believed to have been a student of Sarah Stivours who was known for teaching the technique used to fill in the background with satin known as, “The Salem Long-Stitch Styler.” Sarah has had her name attached to many samplers in this style. She taught girls in Salem, Massachusetts from 1778–1794.

It would be difficult to place a value on your sampler without a hands-on approach in order to determine age and materials used. The verse on the original sampler was a favorite of the Stivous School and was often reproduced.

QI was told to contact you guys to see if you could help with the value, year, etc. on this desk. Thank you and any help is appreciated. — C.B.

Appraisal: Thanks for submitting your question. Your desk is vintage Stow & Davis Executive pedestal desk. The script “S” in the label dates it between 1945-1949.While value is based on condition and desirability, Stow & Davis desks are becoming more popular in the open marketplace. It is difficult to tell from the pictures you submitted what the actual condition is.Pictures of back and sides would have been beneficial in determining overall condition.

I can see it is missing its original hardware, which hurts the value. In the current condition and based on what I can tell from photos, I would value it between $550 and $800. If it were restored professionally and actual hardware replaced it could fetch up to $1,500 on the open market.