GUEST: I know it's a Trova.

And I got it from my father about 30 years ago.

And he got it from a friend who was a fishing buddy of his.

And the man said he had worked at the foundry where it was made, and he was using it as a boat anchor.

We had it in the house, just propped up in a corner for a while, but it kept falling over.

And so we welded a small angle iron onto the bottom and put it on this copper pipe, and we display it in the garden now.

APPRAISER: Well, Ernest Tino Trova was born in St.

Louis in 1927, and he lived here his whole life.

In his early career, he worked at Famous-Barr department store, designing windows.

And in exchange for his work, they offered him studio space and materials for him to make art for the 1964 Bicentennial Exhibition, which is when he created this theme that he visited over and over again in his career, "The Falling Man."

He said that "The Falling Man" represented the imperfection of man.

The sculptures of "The Falling Man" are certainly very representational of Trova and his career.

But he also made "Falling Man" in paintings, prints, collages, assemblages, many different media.

It was really the recurring theme of his artwork.

Sometimes Trova is associated with Pop Art, but in fact, he really doesn't fit into that kind of category or any other kind of art movement.

He really did his own thing.

He often said that Ezra Pound and Willem de Kooning were two of his greatest influences.

But on the flip side, he also loved Disney, and he collected Mickey Mouse figures.

GUEST: (laughs) APPRAISER: He was represented in New York by a major gallery.

His work was very popular, and he had a big reputation.

But then he focused more on being back in St.

Louis, he actually donated 40 sculptures to Laumeier Park.

So he helped create that park, which was a great thing for St.

Louis.

GUEST: Yes, I've been there.

APPRAISER: We're not really sure when it was made.

And you told me that the material he used here was...?

GUEST: We believe it's solid, stainless steel.

APPRAISER: And you said it weighs 60 or 70 pounds, but does that include the pipe or...?

GUEST: Uh, yes, and the pipe is filled with concrete, APPRAISER: Yeah.

GUEST: (chuckling): ...unfortunately, so it makes it even heavier.

APPRAISER: Well, often when you see these sculptures by Trova, they are polished to a very high degree, very shiny... APPRAISER: ...and you could certainly have that redone.

Since you have it outside, what you could do is a lot of times for sculptures that are outside, they cover them with a thin coating of wax and that helps protect them... GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: ...from the weather, so that might be something to consider.

GUEST: Okay.

APPRAISER: I think, in its present condition-- and luckily, when you explained how you had mounted it on this other piece, that sounds easily reversible... GUEST: Oh yeah.

APPRAISER:...which I think is the important thing to always remember.

But I think in the present condition, at auction, it might be around $5,000 to $7,000.

(laughs) And if it were in non-anchor condition... GUEST: (laughs) APPRAISER: ...it might be a few thousand dollars more.

GUEST: (laughing) Okay.

APPRAISER: So thanks so much for bringing in this icon of St.

Louis to the ROADSHOW.

GUEST: Thank you so much for your information.

I can almost hear the old man laughing now.

(laughs)