
Appraisal: Bob Ross Alaskan Oil Paintings, ca. 1970
Clip: Season 28 Episode 3 | 3m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Bob Ross Alaskan Oil Paintings, ca. 1970
Check out Laura Woolley's appraisal of Bob Ross Alaskan oil paintings, ca. 1970, in Alaska Native Heritage Center, Hour 3.
Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.

Appraisal: Bob Ross Alaskan Oil Paintings, ca. 1970
Clip: Season 28 Episode 3 | 3m 4sVideo has Closed Captions
Check out Laura Woolley's appraisal of Bob Ross Alaskan oil paintings, ca. 1970, in Alaska Native Heritage Center, Hour 3.
How to Watch Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Buy Now

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW 2025 Tour!
Enter now for a chance to win free tickets to ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's 2025 Tour! Plus, see which cities we're headed to!Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipCREW: You're all looking at Laura.
We're not even here.
APPRAISER: We've put together a little Bob Ross appreciation society today.
So I, I'm a fan, and I actually didn't think that I'd ever possibly either see one in person or ever have a hope of perhaps finding one for sale somewhere.
They just never come up for auction.
And trust me, I keep my eyes out.
This is kind of a big deal for me, personally.
I watched when I was a kid, and he's the reason I picked up a paintbrush for the first time.
(voice breaking): So people have a very emotional connection.
Look, I'm tearing up.
GUEST: Oh... APPRAISER: People have such an emotional connection to Bob, and you can say whatever you want, whether you like the scenes or you don't or they're your style, but he's therapy for so many people, and people love him, so his paintings sell for a lot of money.
I'm holding one of your paintings.
GUEST: Yes.
APPRAISER: So you have two, and you each ha, have another Bob Ross.
How did you get 'em?
GUEST: Well, my parents got 'em in the '70s.
GUEST: A Quonset hut sale.
GUEST: Salvation Army!
GUSET: It was a Christmas gift to my parents in the n, in the 1970s.
APPRAISER: They were all acquired locally and they were all done by Bob Ross when he was at Eielson Air Force Base in the '70s.
And when he left the Air Force, he went back to the Lower 48, and he began his TV show.
Actually, in 1983 out of a small PBS station in Virginia was the first series, but it didn't have very wide distribution.
So it wasn't really until 1984 that most of the country was starting to see The Joy of Painting.
And ten years later, in 1994, they wrapped it up after doing 31 seasons and over 400 episodes.
We have two Northern Lights paintings.
Yours specifically was a commission of a cabin that your parents, uh, encountered.
And then we have some very similar mountain scenes.
You can see where he was building his, his style and his skill set back in the '70s, before he started the TV show.
What we're discovering, there is a bonanza of Bob Ross paintings in Alaska that I'm so excited to find out about.
(all laughing) APPRAISER: 'Cause I didn't know!
One of the things I wanted to point out is, he actually specifically says on the stretcher s, stamps that all of your paintings have, which is how we know these are his from the '70s, he calls them Alaskan oil paintings, 'cause that's what they were back in the day.
GUEST: Hm.
APPRAISER: So, it's a little tricky, because these were not on the show, and most of the prices we have are from paintings that were on the show.
In the current marketplace, Bob Ross paintings like this would sell in the $15,000 to $25,000 range.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: Oh, my gosh!
(all laughing) GUEST: Wow.
APPRAISER: How much did you guys pay?
GUEST: Really?!
(all laughing) APPRAISER: Do we have any prices here?
So you inherited...
GUEST: $12!
APPRAISER: 12, you win, I think.
GUEST: Mine was five!
APPRAISER: Five dollars?
GUEST: (laughing): At the Quonset hut.
APPRAISER: Quonset hut?
Paintings from the TV series sell in a certain range.
There was one that recently did $41,000, and the most expensive one that we've heard of was from the very first TV show, and that did six figures.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
GUEST: Oh, my gosh.
APPRAISER: From humble beginnings came The Joy of Painting.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Which was obviously a beloved franchise for PBS, so we're keeping it in the family today.
Appraisal: 1798 - 1804 Stephen Decatur Warrant & Commissions
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1798 - 1804 Stephen Decatur Warrant & Commissions (4m 28s)
Appraisal: 1943 Rolex Bubbleback Watch
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1943 Rolex Bubbleback Watch (2m 5s)
Appraisal: 1956 - 1970 Silver Age Comic Book Collection
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1956 - 1970 Silver Age Comic Book Collection (2m 4s)
Appraisal: 1986 Lino Tagliapietra Glass Vase
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: 1986 Lino Tagliapietra Glass Vase (3m 40s)
Appraisal: Alaska Belt Buckle, ca. 1975
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Alaska Belt Buckle, ca. 1975 (3m 22s)
Appraisal: Chinese Serpentine Vase & Cover, ca. 1900
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Chinese Serpentine Vase & Cover, ca. 1900 (1m 8s)
Appraisal: Edwardian Diamond & Platinum Ring, ca. 1920
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Edwardian Diamond & Platinum Ring, ca. 1920 (2m 53s)
Appraisal: Elvis Presley King Creole Movie Poster, ca. 1960
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Elvis Presley 'King Creole' Movie Poster, ca. 1960 (3m 4s)
Appraisal: Fiberglass Curling Stone Purse, ca. 1959
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Fiberglass Curling Stone Purse, ca. 1959 (1m 7s)
Appraisal: George C. Hyde Aluminum & Brass Rocking Chair
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: George C. Hyde Aluminum & Brass Rocking Chair, ca. 1928 (3m 46s)
Appraisal: Georges Briard Memphis Ice Bucket, ca. 1980
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Georges Briard Memphis Ice Bucket, ca. 1980 (1m 33s)
Appraisal: Lou Stovall Color Screenprint, ca. 1970
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Lou Stovall Color Screenprint, ca. 1970 (3m 16s)
Appraisal: W. Herbert Dunton Portrait Oil, ca. 1925
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: W. Herbert Dunton Portrait Oil, ca. 1925 (3m 23s)
Appraisal: Yakama Toy Cradle & Doll, ca. 1890
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Yakama Toy Cradle & Doll, ca. 1890 (1m 3s)
Appraisal: Zsolnay Vases, ca. 1895
Video has Closed Captions
Appraisal: Zsolnay Vases, ca. 1895 (3m 57s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipFunding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by Ancestry and American Cruise Lines. Additional funding is provided by public television viewers.