“The rust here is suspicious,” explains Helaine Fendelman of Appraisers Association of America. “Wind blows irregularly, and the rusted sections seem to be in all the wrong places. Also, an authentic example would probably have been cut from one piece of iron, not from multiples.” If it were really a 19th-century antique, this item would be worth far more-between $5,000 and $7,000.
What it’s worth: $200
