Welcome to the Mississippi Antique Showcase, where our expert appraisers take a closer look at your rare finds, family heirlooms and quirky collectibles.

We'll uncover the stories behind these unique treasures and of course, find out what they might be worth.

All right, I'd like to welcome Eden Brent, local superstar, if you will, blues musician from Greenville has brought us something awesome down here to Antiques Showcase.

Welcome and tell us what you brought.

Oh yeah, this is a photograph of my mother and Elvis Presley.

And the photograph was taken at Elvis's homecoming concert in 1956.

I think the month was September.

I'm not sure of the date, but we could look, I could look it up.

But I have forgotten the day of September.

And if I'm not mistaken, the Mississippi State Fair was going on, so a lot of people there.

And my mother went to the concert, and there was a photographer there who said, "If you'll watch my things, then you can sit here in the press box close to the stage."

And so after the concert, she got a chance to meet Elvis.

And in the photograph you see, she's holding a piece of paper and a mechanical pencil.

Years later, she and I were looking through a box, and we found this autograph.

And I said, oh, mama, you should frame these two together.

Because obviously, she's holding the autograph.

Well how did she get this photo after watching the photography equipment?

The photographer was working for the Memphis Press-Scimitar and I believe that he sent it to her afterwards.

In fact, I think there might have been numerous photographs taken, but this was the nicest one and so this is the one she framed.

Yeah, amazing.

Well, your mom was quite a looker and there she is with Elvis.

You almost would think this was a model shoot or something, or one of Elvis' girlfriends when you go look online.

You know she did do modeling.

My mother did modeling.

She was Miss Ace Records and she did all kind of Billups Tire advertisements and different things.

She was living in Jackson, Mississippi when she was from Greenwood originally, but she was in Jackson, Mississippi when this was taken.

Well, this is great.

You told me a fantastic story off camera about trying to figure out what it was worth.

Would your mom tell you to do?

Oh yeah.

Well, she thought we should put it on eBay and see what kind of offers we would get.

We never did that.

So your mom was going to sell the picture of herself with Elvis saying "To Carol" from Elvis Presley online.

Maybe she just wanted to know what it was worth.

You know, when they met, my mother's maiden name was Lamb.

This is before she met my dad, 56.

And so he said, "What's your name, darling?"

and Elvis said, "What's your name, darling?"

And she said, "Carol Lamb."

And he said, "You look like a little lamb."

[laughing] - Of course.

- She was smitten.

- I bet.

What a great Elvis story.

I mean, that is fantastic.

You can't beat the provenance on this, as we say.

So, do you have any idea what it's worth?

- I don't know.

- Without doing the eBay?

- Priceless to me, but I don't know.

- Oh, it's absolutely priceless.

And the stories and your mom being in it, I mean, I wouldn't sell it ever if I were you, but if you go back and you look at Elvis Signatures, which is what we do, so you look at what Elvis Signatures bring, you look at what signed photographs bring, and who signed it, who he's with, and all that stuff, then the value we would place on something like this with the signature and the provenance, it's roughly about $1,000 to $2,000 at auction, you know.

But again, to you, this is priceless.

The story is amazing.

This was great.

I can't believe you brought this in.

We love hearing stories like this and we've had nothing but great stories here at Stoneville.

And this is another one that we can just add to the list.

So thank you again for bringing this in and thank you for sharing this story with everybody out there.

Thank you so much.

Well, welcome to the Antiques Showcase.

We're happy to have you.

It seems like you brought us an interesting mask.

Why don't you tell us a little bit about it, maybe where you acquired it.

where you acquired it.

Okay, so I purchased it in Arusha, Tanzania in approximately 1997.

I had been living in Tanzania teaching economics at a secondary school on Kilimanjaro since '95, and before I went home I visited this shop and purchased the mask for about $200.

And you were working for the Peace Corps?

That's right.

I was a volunteer.

Volunteer.

Well, that's interesting.

I always like to see some African masks.

I think I was telling you off camera that Stevens Ocean Company just did a decorative arts and had about 50 or 75 masks.

So I feel like I've been looking at a lot recently over the past three or four months.

So I'm glad to see another one so soon.

I wasn't expecting.

Clearly what we have is a carved wood mask in the style of African tribal mask.

I think date what we're looking at just based on everything I've seen we can probably say mid-century so 1950, 1960 and even though I know you were saying you bought it not kind of along a tourist lane maybe in a Indian shop owner.

I still think this was probably made probably more for the commercial or tourist market.

So what I'm seeing from this, the inside also tells another story.

And the reason why I would say it was probably made more for the commercial market is because you don't see a lot of things you would see if it was actually used ceremonially.

So you see age, you see wood chip tools, you see even some insect damage.

And so, but it just doesn't have those same indentations.

It doesn't have the same wear that is if it was actually used in ceremonial form as a It's a fine example, so it's not like you pick this up, you know, just like at a some, what did you call it?

A tourist trap.

Yeah, a tourist trap.

I don't think that's what this is.

I mean, I think you do have a fine, well-made carved mask.

It's just not an actual tribal artifact mask.

Nevertheless, it's still interesting.

You can tell a lot about its form based on the front, back, and sides.

So I think what you have here, commercial market, West African, not East African.

And so the next question I'll always say is, what do you think the value would be?

Let's start with what you paid for it.

Maybe we'll have a better idea.

So I think it was about $200.

It was definitely no more than $300.

OK.

Yeah, I mean, just depending on all we say being in the auction world, if you had a well-advertised auction like we just had, and you had buyers who were interested in African, even 19th, 20th century African artifacts and/or commercially made, I think you're looking at probably about three to $600.

That's a good auction estimate.

Always say two if you have two bidders who may want it.

You never know, ah, what the ceiling is.

Might be best.

Probably a good estimate that I would put it in my auction, if we were to have it.

Otherwise, it's an, it's an older, it's a very nice piece.

We really appreciate you bringing it here.

Thanks so much.

Absolutely.

Here's a little bit more about the Mississippi Delta.

I'm Benjy Nelken and I'm the owner and operator and curator of the Greenville History Museum.

And I certainly am glad to welcome you guys in the museum.

And this museum is something I started pretty much by myself, if not all by myself, around 35 years ago.

And I thought it was time for us in Greenville, Mississippi to start saving some history, because we had no museums at all here, so I said I'll just do it.

I put this thing together and it's basically the history of Greenville from 18, about the early 1800s to around 2000.

It's all kind of artifacts from Greenville, Mississippi.

And we also have a section of Greenville Americana, which is a little bit of stuff that was nationally famous throughout the history.

I moved back downtown after closing my store.

I had nothing to decorate the office with, so I started putting up all this paraphernalia artifacts that my parents had saved, my grandparents had saved, and I kept saving and then voila.

Now, let's get back to the showcase.

We are here with Elizabeth Kunefke from right down the road in Inverness, Mississippi.

Welcome.

Hi, I'm so glad to be here.

I'm so glad y'all came to this area.

Well, we're glad to have you here and I will tell you, Elizabeth, you've brought probably the most unique piece I've seen today anyway.

Tell us a little bit about it.

The appraiser Adam said that I stumped him.

I can imagine.

Yeah, he said, "I was stumped."

He says, "I'm still kind of stumped.

I'm really not positive yet what it is."

But I told him the story about it.

Which is?

Which is my maternal grandfather, who I call Pawpaw, he was a rock hound, later became a lapidary.

He loved cutting, polishing, making jewelry.

Well, this was always with his rock collection.

And do this and you can hear the rattle.

>> Okay, so there's a little- >> He claimed it was a clay ball on the inside.

And that the Native Americans would use this in ceremonial dances.

Well, of course, Papa passed away and now we have Google in the Internet.

So I went to see if I could figure out something about it.

I have never found a Native American rattle that's made with rock.

They're always gourds or leather.

So the appraiser said, I don't know.

I'm thinking that it might be a conglomeration that was naturally occurring.

But we've also looked at how perfectly it's formed with this little handle and it looks like a little beak here and a little comb on the top.

So he says, "Who knows, maybe somebody decided just to make something."

That's what it looks like I'm certainly no expert, but it looks like somebody put that together.

It's still a mystery.

He said that I could contact a heritage auction house in Dallas, Texas.

That they have different departments.

I could contact them and talk to the people that tend to the minerals and rock formations and possibly find out more.

So that's what I'm going to do.

Well, I don't blame you because I would be curious to know about that.

Yes, of course we'll never get rid of it, you know, but it would be nice to know exactly what it is.

Well, it's sentimental to you because it was your grandfather.

Right, right.

And it's something that all of us grandchildren and great-grandchildren talk about.

Well, it's quite a unique piece.

Thank you, Elizabeth.

Thank you.

Hey, we are here with Anita Minton and we're excited she's here.

She's brought a ring to show us.

So Miss Anita, we're glad you're here on the showcase today.

And so tell them about yourself.

Tell them where you're from and all those things.

I'm from Leland and I actually worked out here at Stoneville for the last 16 years and then I retired.

Yeah, right here in the research center.

Right here in the research center.

That is awesome.

We're glad you're here today and you brought this ring.

So tell us more about the ring, Miss Anita.

It was my grandmother's or my great-grandmother's, I'm not sure which.

It came from Italy.

And it sat in a cedar chest at my mother's and I got it and I had it for years and I took it to a local jeweler and had the coral put in because the center stone was not there.

The seed pearls are original to the ring.

So, yes, you see you've got the coral and the seed pearls.

This ring, you know, with the weight, .08 ounces, and of course the coral, the coral don't add as much to it, but it's still a beautiful piece.

The Sea Pearls make an awesome accent, but the piece itself is just beautiful antique.

How old do you think that ring would be if your grandmother, it was your grandmother's, My grandmother at least, and they came over like in the early 1900s, so I'm assuming the ring came with them then, so it would be at least 100 years old.

Yeah, so the ring has antique value for sure.

So the gold value in that ring is around $250 to $275, around $275 in gold value.

I would say if you add just the antique value, and it's probably, in my opinion, it's going to be worth more to you, sentimental of course, but I would say even with you add a few hundred dollars for just the antique side of it, I think you're still looking at about a $600, $650 ring today.

So I think that's a great value, you know, because you've got antique value and you've got the actual gold value in it.

So today I think your ring would be in that, you know, around that $600 range.

So as far as antique value, but again, I don't think you'll be selling it.

It was an heirloom, but if you were, that's what I think the value would be.

Okay.

Well, Stefanie, you brought us something very old today.

Can you tell me how you acquired this?

I acquired this from my mom who got it from her mother.

My grandfather actually was a local farmer and tilled it during his normal farming process and found it.

My grandmother thought it was an interesting pot and it's just kind of been in the family for as long as I can remember.

I just wanted to see any information about it.

Was it already in this condition?

Yes, as far as I know.

So it must have been in the earth.

This type pot goes way back, probably 1840s, 1830s.

And the way they would use this, they'd put the lid on it, a very heavy lid.

They put the lid on it and you could set it in the fireplace on the coals and you could cook on it.

And most fireplaces had an extension that come out of the fireplace built in and they would hang this over it and then it would hook under each side.

But this thing is frozen up.

It's been in the ground for so long.

So we're afraid to mess with it much because it'll just finish breaking.

But probably wouldn't be usable at all.

>> Yeah, we've never used it, just had it on the shelf, basically.

>> What do you think something like this would be worth?

>> I have no clue, that's why I'm here.

Okay, now if it were in perfect condition, you know, it would be worth, could be worth five or six hundred dollars, but the conversation that you have about it belonging to your grandmother and all that, it makes it worth more than that to you.

As far as selling it at auction, there may be a museum or something that would like to have it in this condition.

But people to buy it at auction, it's probably worth $100, $150.

But it's an amazing piece.

We sell a lot of, at auction, we sell a lot of iron, a lot of iron things.

And people, modern people, I mean, they love cooking in the old iron because it's even, it cooks even.

And so it's back pretty popular again.

And at our auction, it brings great prices as well.

And we appreciate you coming and bringing this to us today and sharing this part of your family with us.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

♪♪ We're here with Carol Mathias, another attendee here at the Mississippi Antique Showcase that made the long trip from Natchez.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Carol has a beautiful piece here and I want you to tell me what it is and tell me all about it.

It's a very dated photo album.

I inherited it from my grandmother who inherited it from her grandmother who inherited it from her grandpa.

Oh my goodness, this has been in the family a long time.

Do you have any idea about the age of it?

Well, some of the pictures are dated in the early 1800s.

Oh my goodness.

So at least 200 years old.

Yeah.

Wow.

We don't get many items that old.

Well tell us about it.

What I was wondering about is it has several Confederate, I think, soldiers in here, generals, and it also had some people that were probably prominent in Natchez at the time.

It also has a picture of someone that looks real familiar to me from history books of Aaron Burr.

Oh, okay, my goodness.

So I wondered if there was a connection, any connection, because of where his picture was in this book.

You would think.

You would think.

I've never shown any, I mean had it appraised or anything, but I just would wondered about it.

Has one of the appraisers looked at it yet?

No.

Okay, well that'll be interesting to see.

And I would ask them if I were you about, I don't know whether it would detract from the value, but some restoration.

I bet you could.

Yeah.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Carol.

Have you enjoyed the show so far?

Very much.

Good.

I think you brought in two more interesting or historically significant items, especially to Mississippi history today.

So thank you for bringing these in.

Let's start with the portrait.

Why don't you tell the audience a little bit about what it is, what you know it to be, and how you acquired it.

Okay, I inherited this from my grandmother's estate, my grandmother and grandfather's estate in Port Gibson, Mississippi, probably 20 years ago now, maybe 15.

And this is, as far as I know, a portrait.

And I think it's done in charcoal of his name was Abram Keller Schaefer Jr.

And he was born in Port Gibson, Mississippi, in 1833.

And he died in 1921.

For the audience, we both have a lot of paper on the table because you brought in so much history associated with this portrait and even the ring we're going to talk about.

So I do, I think it is a strong history.

It's in several noted books as well.

And so you got this from the Sheffield home, which is >>Shaifer outside of Port Gibson, correct?

So this is who you claim it to be, and you have the appropriate documentation.

It is a portrait of a Confederate soldier identified as Abram Keller, or Kel Shaifer, Jr.

What interests me about this particular portrait is that it has a lot of originality to meaning historically period appropriate for the time in which it was done.

So a couple of things I want to talk about.

One is the original wavy glass, and I don't know if the audience at home can see it because sometimes you've got to kind of angle a little bit, but it does seem to have original glass, Age is very rare for the age of this type of drawing.

We'll talk about it's really a photograph enhanced with drawing, but it does have that.

It does have what appears to be its original frame in this Victorian gilded frame, and there's some intricate carving on both the gild and the exterior or outside of the frame.

So here's what I wanted to go to next because you've called it kind of, you think it's done in charcoal, and there are some charcoal elements and probably some graphite elements, but looking closely at this portrait, it's actually a photograph, period photograph, that's been enhanced by charcoal and graphite.

And so it's very common in the Civil War era to take photographs, but what they couldn't really capture are some of the defining features.

So when they took a photograph, you had the lightness pretty well encapsulated, but then they would go over and do some of the, whether it's a uniform sharpness in the eyes, especially in the beard, and they would layer over.

And you, really, if you could get really close, a lot of the reason why I can see it's more of a photograph is because of the actual linear defining of some of the eyes, the nose, and so you see that you have an early photograph.

But to me, everything about this, plus your family history, is just very fascinating.

And to be, you know, toning on the paper is correct.

There's no really major losses on the photograph and/or charcoal overlay.

You see some scratches throughout that are not on the glass, but those are not anything major.

So I think this is an excellent condition to be in the 1860s, and I think your family has cared for it well.

So let's get to maybe some value aspects to this.

Do you have any idea what it would be worth?

I have no idea, I've never asked anybody and it's priceless to me because I'm not going to sell it.

Oh absolutely.

It doesn't matter.

Keep it in your family.

Well, just for the folks at home, because I know they'd like to know and maybe you would like to know even though you're going to keep it.

If you know, there's no documented photographer on this work, so I mean there's probably someone local or regional, which that's fine.

I think taking everything together with your provenance that you have with it, the aspects, the condition work, I think you're looking at an auction estimate somewhere of around $1,200 to $2,500.

I mean, and you know, I think that's an auction estimate when you have the right bidders who are interested.

We have a lot here in the South, so that's a conservative value of the peak of $2,500.

So I think that's this is a great Civil War piece of history and then I encourage our viewers to go and read about the Shaifer home and this gentleman here as well.

Because there it's mentioned in several books as we noted so it's interesting historical value.

All right now I think we're just going to go right into our next item so we'll let you talk about it.

So when I was 16, my dad's mother, my grandmother, Dorothy Davidson Shaifer, gave me this ring.

And I have the piece of paper that she gave me on her stationery from her lake house.

And it says, "My dearest Jody, happy birthday.

This belonged to your great-great-grandmother, Virginia Brown Baker, Jenny, and I want you to have it on your 16th birthday.

all my love, Mamaw.

We called her Mamaw.

And I think, you think it may have been given to her on her 16th birthday.

I do, but I'm not positive.

Right, okay.

So I don't know why I think that.

Either she told me that, or I just assumed that.

But I don't know for sure.

Because she's been dead a while, so.

Right, and so you've traced it back on this side of your family.

Now tell the audience about that significance.

So my great great grandmother, Virginia Brown Baker, they called her Jenny and her father was James Brown.

I'm sure he had a middle name but I didn't write it down.

He was the first owner and the builder of Orange Grove, which is down on the coast.

But Orange Grove is now known as Beauvoir, Jefferson Davis' home.

So my family, after the Civil War, sold Orange Grove.

It was their summer home.

They were from Madison, Mississippi, is what I read.

I'm not sure if any of that's right.

But they sold Orange Grove after the war and the next owner named it Beauvoir.

I think it means beautiful view, but I'm not positive about that either.

That's pretty accurate and we'll get to kind of the, you know, historical significance of Orange Grove and Beauvoir just a minute.

Let's quickly delve into the ring.

I think what you have here is a Victorian 19th century ring.

It's diamond set with old mine cut stones in a cross form cluster is what we call this type of arrangement.

Because my mother just said to me, it looks like it's in a cross and I never thought about And that's what we call it.

It's really associated with sentimental or inherited jewelry of the time, so I'm not surprised that your family has passed it down because that was very common.

I think what really makes this ring stand out is the family documentation that accompanies So the note traces it back to Virginia Baker and even further to James Brown and who really built Orange Grove, which is Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, his post-war Right.

And so I think all that history is just so fascinating for Mississippi and the historical Mississippi buffs out there who would want to know.

So even though this is a ring, we can tie one specific piece to a family in origination, another historical home on the coast.

I think, you know, taking everything to account with this ring, I think because it's connected to the family who built Beauvoir, it was This is such an important historical site, taking everything into account, the age, about 1880s, the craftsmanship, especially your documented family provenance.

I would place the value somewhere between $1200 and $1800.

So you're not just talking about the value of the diamond cut and gold, we're talking about that historical aspect that adds to this piece.

So I think it's a great ring and an even greater story.

And as we've said on this show a lot of times, the story sometimes is just as exceptional as the object itself.

In the auction business we say sometimes the story sells the piece.

You know, this would be an auction estimate.

That was what I gave you.

Essentially $1200 to $1800.

I'm not selling either.

I think you've got two great family pieces.

That's really rare.

You know, some people barely have one that they can trust, but you've got two great pieces.

And so we really appreciate you bringing them in today.

I had fun.

Join us next time on Mississippi Antique Showcase and find out if you've got a Hidden treasure tucked away in your closet.

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