Chapter 10 - The vase appraisal
Vanessa brought the vase documents to Dad after reading Caleb’s letter.
That was how we learned the real value.
She had kept the fragments.
Of course.
A restoration specialist looked at photographs and markings.
The vase was twentieth-century European porcelain, likely mid-century, decorative rather than rare antique museum work.
Pre-break retail replacement estimate:
Approximately $1,200 to $1,600.
Auction value could be lower.
Restoration possible?
Yes.
Cost:
Roughly $700.
Would restored value equal original?
No.
Vanessa paid for restoration.
Not because she needed the object.
Because she had spent months telling herself the broken vase represented disrespect.
Then she discovered she did not even know what it was worth.
She later told me:
“I think I loved the price more than the vase.”
At least she eventually learned the number had been a costume.
What mattered more:
Caleb offered her forty-three dollars.
May you like
She could have accepted every cent and still not restored the thing he had actually lost that day.
Trust around her.
