Antiques Roadshow Appraises Most Valuable Item; Bellevue to be Converted to Luxury Condo

A Clyfford Still painting was appraised at $500,000, which makes it the most valuable item appraised in Antiques Roadshow history.

""Clearly, the woman who brought this to us knew she had something special," executive producer Marcia Bemko told the New York Post. "She just didn't know how special it was."

And it may sell for much higher. A Clyfford Still recently sold at auction for $21 million, the appraiser Alasdair Nichol tells the woman on the 'Antiques' episode, "so, in fact, it may turn out that I'm being rather conservative when I say half a million.""

The new season of Antique's Roadshow premieres January 5th.

Painting Most Valuable Object Ever on Show
Antiques Roadshow Greatest Hits

New York Magazine has an interesting article on Bellevue hospital, and it's place in New York's history. The hospital is selling the original building (the hospital has moved to modern facilities) for development.

The articles mentions how turn-of-the-century newspapers loved to cover the personal sagas of Bellvue's inmates.

"There was the story of former world chess champion William Steinitz, who in 1900 succumbed to the delusion that he was immensely wealthy and could become more so by inventing a wireless telephone (good idea) that would be operated entirely by willpower (time to call Bellevue). "

But how far are we really from a willpower-powered phone? I think the man was a visionary.