GUEST: I bought this from a dealer, uh, years ago before the internet.

It had no mark on it, uh, so nobody knew exactly what it was.

I just thought it was beautiful, and so as time went on, I, uh, noticed an, uh, article in the Antique Trader.

They mentioned these monumental vases made for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase World Fair.

So I contacted the museum, sent them a picture, and they said it was one of the vases that had been, uh, lost or gone.

APPRAISER: Wow.

You know, the 1904 Louisiana Purchase exhibition was a major event in the history of American decorative arts and commercialization of American decorative art.

In Trenton, New Jersey, where this was made, there were a number of potteries, large and small, and most of them making, what we call, utilitarian wear.

They made sanitary wear, they made bathtubs and sinks and toilet bowls and such things, and some decorative wear.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: But most of the decorative wear that came into this country was made in Europe.

But Americans wanted to show the Europeans that they could do it, too.

I don't know if anything this big had been made in American ceramics, in a decorative sense, prior to the 1904 exhibition.

A group of companies got together in Trenton and called themselves the Trenton Potteries.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: And the artistic director was a gentleman called Wigley.

You can see his signature there.

He painted this, and together with other huge vases even bigger than this, five of them all together.

They sent them to the Louisiana Purchase exhibition to make a big splash.

They were really competing with the French and the Germans and the British, to a certain extent.

They couldn't quite match what, say, Minton was doing, but they painted this very much in the style of continental porcelain at the time.

It looks like French Limoges, or perhaps Bavarian porcelain, and they've done a spectacular job.

When you bought this thing, you say it was before the internet.

Are you talking 30,40 years ago or...?

GUEST: I don't think it's been that long, (stammering) but, uh, to my recollection, maybe 20 years ago or before, somethin' like that.

APPRAISER: Do you mind if I ask what you paid for it back then?

GUEST: Probably somewhere around $1,200 is, I'm guessing at that time, because it was unsigned.

APPRAISER: Well, you have found an American gem.

I don't think it's been seen publicly?

GUEST: No, no one's seen it publicly.

APPRAISER: Wow.

I'm going to turn it around because you can see that he didn't hang around.

He painted the whole thing.

It's beautifully gilded here with this border.

Incorporating these roses.

It was called, at the time, The Rose Vase.

What I like about it is the quality of the work, but particularly, the condition.

It looks like it was put in a crate, sent to the 1904 exhibition, and it was just uncrated this week.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: I don't know how big of an impact it had.

I don't know what the Europeans thought of it...

GUEST: Mm-hmm.... APPRAISER: but a lot of people must have been impressed.

Here's a bunch of guys from Trenton making sinks and bathtubs, and bang, they can do this.

This is American optimism at its strongest.

GUEST: Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER: I spoke to several colleagues about this, and we were all back and forth because it's unique and it's never been on the market.

And what do we think it's worth?

I think a fair retail price would be $25,000, today.

GUEST: Wow.

I'm very, very happy with that, uh, and I hope everyone will love it that sees it and everything's coming up roses.

BOTH: (laughing)