Tiffany' Masterpiece: The Most Expensive Glass Vase Uncovered on Antiques Roadshow #tiffany #frenantique; #antique

It belonged to my great-grandmother, who was a New Yorker. She lived in Dobbs Ferry and then Woodwinter in Manhattan, staying at the Waldorf. It was handed down from her to my grandmother and then to me. My birthday was coming up and my mother said to my grandmother, how about giving Tiffany, which is my name, a Tiffany? And my grandmother said, sure, which one do you want? Because there were three. Two of them were kind of boring looking. I gravitated to this one because it was just so different. What appears to be pottery is actually a stunning piece of art glass, a rare masterpiece from Louis Comfort Tiffany's legendary glassworks. This round vase has a beautiful swirling pattern in warm amber and orange colors, almost like natural stone. Dark brown leaves are scattered across the surface, along with small white flowers. Thin black branches run along the top, leading to a shiny black rim. It's a piece of case glass, meaning multiple layers of glass have been fused together. The interior glows with a deep brownish cherry hue, while the matte exterior decoration creates that distinctive pottery-like appearance. This vase was crafted in 1926, just as Tiffany Furnaces was closing its doors. It came from a time of bold experimentation. Many pieces failed, but this one succeeded brilliantly. The bottom of the vase has a signature that's hard to see. It includes a number, the letter N, and L.C. Tiffany Inc., written in ink, a marking style only used in the 1920s. In a retail venue, I could see this selling for between $30,000 and $50,000. Wow. It really is a gem. Yeah. Oh, wow. I got it from my uncle's aunt. She lived in Chicago. That's about all I know about it. Well, you know a little more. You know who made it. Yeah, it's on the bottom. Yes, and what does it say? Tiffany and Company. And what else does it say? Sterling Silver and the letter T and some numbers. When you first came in, what did you tell me when you took it out of the bag? I said it's ugly. This isn't just a decorative piece. It's a stunning work of art from Tiffany and Company. This sterling silver vase is covered in colorful enamel work featuring pink, yellow, blue, and green designs. A band of semi-precious American stones, including turquoise and pink gems, wraps around the middle. Curved silver handles decorated with light blue enamel extend from the sides, and the lower body has a deep navy blue finish. This vase was crafted between 1891 and 1902 during Charles Tiffany's leadership. But what makes it even more special? It was made for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, the World's Fair held in Chicago. On the bottom, you'll find Tiffany and Company and sterling silver. The letter T shows it was made during Charles Tiffany's time. But the most special mark is a tiny globe with Tiffany, a signature saved only for World's Fair items. Any idea what it's worth? Well, just because it's sterling, maybe $15,000? If it was sterling, that's what it would be worth. But with all the enameling and everything else, an auction value on this piece in today's market, $50,000 to $100,000. Oh my, you're kidding. No, do you still think it's ugly? Yes. My mother-in-law, she's a Tiffany collector, and she allowed me to pick some pieces out of her collection as a gift. So these were two of the pieces that I picked, but she has a very wide variety of Tiffany pieces in her collection. Sometimes, the best gifts come from unexpected places, like these two Tiffany glass pieces. The first piece is a favreau glass vase, a type of art glass Tiffany was famous for. It has a shiny rainbow-like finish that shifts color as it catches the light. Vines and leaves are designed around the body, giving it a natural, elegant look. This was a more common style that Tiffany produced in larger numbers, but it's still highly valuable. The second is a calyx-style piece, named for its flower-like shape. This one is more rare and was made as an art piece, not for everyday production. The first vase was made in 1915. The second, even older, was crafted in 1903. Both come from the golden age of Tiffany glassmaking. Each piece is signed on the bottom. The first has the letter M, meaning 1915. The second has the letter A, meaning 1903. These suffix letters help identify exactly when each piece was made. And she gave you some little idea of what she normally pays? I think she said around $200. $200. Well, this particular piece would be $6,000. Nice gift. Wow. The calyx piece would be $7,500, and those are retail values. Whoa, oh my goodness. We actually found it at a garage sale in Bella Vista, and I guess the woman had had it there for several days and nobody had bought it, and we fell in love with it. It had to go home with us. She said that her father-in-law had brought it back from Japan. After the war. This Japanese vase is full of bright colors and small figures. The figures are Buddhist monks. Some hold tiny temples, some tap each other, and some look like they're talking. Each one is made with great detail. The style is called Sumidagawa, a type of Japanese pottery made for export starting around 1895. It's known for its colorful designs and applied 3D figures. While smaller pieces are common, this vase stands out for its size and the number of figures. This vase was made around 1900 by an artist named Ishiguro Koko. The vase has a signature plaque on the bottom with the artist's name, Ishiguro Koko. How much did you pay for this? We bought it for $150. Well, at auction conservatively today, you would be looking at somewhere between $6,000 and $10,000. Oh, wow. Really good investment for $150, but it will stay at the house. That's for sure. I brought a vase that I found at my dad's house that he was going to scrap. He bought it at an auction for the scrap metal. What drew you to it? The colors. It's just stunning and beautiful. This stunning vase features beautiful colors with gold and bronze finishes. It has detailed dolphin-shaped handles that curve into elegant scrolls. The body is decorated with colorful klosane enamel in the Japanese style. The vase is made of bronze with gold plating, created using a process called electrolysis. This technique was new during the Industrial Revolution. This vase was made in 1874 by Christofle and designed by Emil Reiber. Do you know what he paid for? He paid $6 for it. A conservative auction estimate would be $7,000 to $10,000. That's amazing. He did good. I found it in the attic after I purchased a home, and it's literally moved from the attic to the basement where it resided until today. And what made you bring it today? I was looking for things to take, and it caught my eye. And how about this one? Okay. This is a Rookwood pottery vase, one of America's most famous pottery makers. This vase has a deep black glaze with beautiful carved flowers, daylilies, covering the surface. The bottom fades into a soft blue tone, giving it a nice color shift. Every flower is hand-carved by the artist, showing great skill and detail. The vase features Rookwood's Black Opal Glaze, a special finish with black overglaze and detailed carving underneath. This was one of the more interesting glazes Rookwood used at the time. Made in 1927 by Rookwood Pottery, this vase was created by a Japanese artist named Kotaro Shiayamadani, who was well-known at Rookwood. The bottom has the Rookwood stamp with Roman numerals for 1927, the artist's signature, and the original paper label saying Black Opal, $35. There is one problem. A hole was drilled in the bottom to turn it into a lamp. This lowers the value, but it's still a remarkable piece. What do you think it's worth? Well, just because of the damage, I was going to go about $500. Okay. At auction, what would you say to $5,000 as a value? It's so, it's wonderful. And the women in my family on my mother's side were all born and raised in Hawaii, so this was from my great-great-grandmother in Hawaii. My mom told me that it's a Chinese celadon vase, and she said that it's very old because it doesn't say made in China. She's right. This is a Chinese celadon vase. The vase has a soft green color and detailed curvings all over. It has a long, thin neck that leads down to a round body. The designs include geometric patterns at the top, leaf shapes in the middle, and a Greek key border around it. The main design shows Buddhist lions chasing ribbons. Every ribbon is carved with care, showing layers and curves. The whole vase shows the skill of the artist who made it. Celadon is a special green glaze that started in China in the 14th century and is still made today. This vase is carved porcelain. The designs were cut into the clay by hand before the glaze was added. The carving is very detailed, with double-edged outlines and fine dots showing the skill of the artist. The vase was made in the 18th century, the high point of Chinese decorative arts. The bottle shape with a slender neck and round body is typical of that time. The bottom shows a white porcelain foot with signs of age, worn edges, scratches, and discoloration. Experts call this an honest vase, because these marks prove it's genuinely old, not a copy. I would think today in a retail setting it would be worth $25,000. Wonderful. You've made me very happy. I bought it at an auction about 25 years ago. Paid around $15. I bought it because I like daisies and I don't know anything about pottery. My girlfriend Michelle collects pottery, and she saw it and told me that it was an early Roseville piece. It's Roseanne ware. She looked it up in a book and said the value for mint condition was around $3,000. So since it's not mint condition, I was wondering what the value was. This is a Roseville Della Robbia vase, a rare piece of American art pottery known for its colorful, hand-carved designs. The vase is decorated with beautiful daisies carved all around it. The flowers are done in many bright colors, giving it a cheerful, natural look. Even from the top, the daisy design looks amazing. Every detail is carved and cut by hand, not stamped or molded. The pottery is low-fired and porous, which means it can chip easily over time. The Della Robbia line was designed by Frederick Hurton Reed, an Englishman who joined Roseville in 1904. This is an early Della Robbia piece with many colors. Later versions only used one or two colors. The bottom has a Roseanne ware medallion, which was used during a certain time in Roseville history. There are also initials from the worker who did the carving. The base has some small chips on the enamel. Most Della Robbia pieces have some damage because the pottery is fragile. Even with all these little flakes at auction, we would certainly put that at $10,000 to $15,000. You're kidding. Right now my husband's jumping up and down saying sell, sell, sell.