'Antiques Roadshow' guest thought his pickle jar was worth $50 — then he found out its real value

It is not always the shiniest objects that are judged to be worth a lot of money on 'Antiques Roadshow.' Sometimes, simple items like a bottle can fetch a surprising price tag. That is exactly what happened in an earlier episode of the show, when one guest brought a glass bottle he believed would not be worth more than $40 or $50. After taking a look at the item, the expert concluded that at least one more zero could be added to that figure.

The guest was an elderly man who said that the bottle was used during the Civil War. He claimed that the Yankee soldiers used to have pickles from it. He also claimed that after the war was over, his great-great-grandmother, who was from the South, ended up marrying one of the Union soldiers. “How was the family feeling about that?” the expert asked, amused.

“I’m sure it all worked out for the best cause here I am,” the guest responded, as the expert burst into laughter. The latter then took a closer look at the bottle to inspect whether it had any signs of damage. He also noted that there was some wear at the bottom, which meant that it was welded in a factory. While it was impossible to know which factory made the product, one thing was clear.

“I’m 99% sure that it’s an American bottle,” he said. “This is the size of a bottle that would have sat on the countertop of a country store in the 1860s or 70s.” The expert also asked the guest how he was sure that this was used as a pickle jar, and it turns out that his great-great-grandmother documented everything that went on at the time in writing, making for some great provenance.

“There was a document in there that was written by my great-great-grandmother,” he said. “She detailed what took place in the Mint City, as it was known, as Dahlonega.” The pattern on the bottle was called Cathedral, as per the expert, who claimed that it was in line with the Gothic style of decorative arts that was popular in the country at the time. However, what impressed him most was the story, and that is what would have fetched a high value for the item.

“If we went out of here today, we could find one of these bottles for sale, retailing for $300 or $400. But I think with that story, to somebody who values that history, it’s probably more like a $1,000 bottle,” he said. The guest was surprised to hear this. “I would have thought, if I walked into an antique store, it’d be $40 or $50,” he said. “Well, we can add a zero, at least,” the expert responded.

You can watch the video here.

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