ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / ECONOMY & WORK

'Antiques Roadshow' guest gets a $30,000 appraisal for his family heirloom and then refused to sell it

The lamp originally belonged to the guest's godfather who cared deeply about him and his wife.
PUBLISHED JUN 10, 2025
Screenshot showing the guest (L) and the expert on "Antiques Roadshow." (Cover image source: YouTube | Antiques Roadshow PBS)
Screenshot showing the guest (L) and the expert on "Antiques Roadshow." (Cover image source: YouTube | Antiques Roadshow PBS)

Guests may be amazed by the value their items are able to fetch on “Antiques Roadshow,” but that doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be convinced to sell them. Sometimes, all they want is a figure at which they can insure their precious item, which may have immense sentimental value. On an earlier episode of the show, one guest brought a fantastic Japanese Cloisonné Bronze Floor Lamp. The item was given a five-figure appraisal value by the expert, but the guest said that he wasn’t willing to sell it.

He must have had an emotional connection with the lamp, as he claimed that it had been in his family for four decades. It originally belonged to his godfather, and after he passed away, his estate was split between him and his other godbrother. The lamp wasn’t quite to the godbrother’s taste, so the guest was able to keep it. The expert, Dessa Goddard, revealed that the item was made in Japan during the Meiji period, and it had a strong Chinese influence. The lamp had two phoenix birds, which were the symbols of the empress of China. When the time came for its appraisal, Goddard said that it would be worth $20,000 to $30,000 in a retail setting. However, she also claimed that 20 to 30 years ago, it would have been worth more.

Screenshot showing the phoenix on the lamp. (Image credit: YouTube | Antiques Roadshow PBS)
Screenshot showing the phoenix on the lamp. (Image credit: YouTube | Antiques Roadshow PBS)

The guest was impressed with the appraisal but had decided against selling the lamo anytime soon. “Great. Well, we love it, we’re gonna keep it. It’s in my house and we enjoy it, and it’s quite a conversation piece,” he explained. The guest then thanked Goddard for the appraisal and said that he was glad that he brought the item to the show.



 

Lamps can be worth a lot of money on “Antiques Roadshow,” and in an earlier episode of the show, one guest almost broke down after hearing the value of his Tiffany lamps. He had brought two to the show, one massive and one a lot smaller. He had received them both as gifts from a friend who wasn’t in the world anymore. The expert, Arlie Sulka, was impressed with both of them and gave her opinion about the craftsmanship.

"They are Tiffany Studios lamps, both of these are lamps, or what I would call geometric lamps, but they have a little bit of decoration, they're a combination. You have a geometric background on the larger lamp, and then you have the decoration through here. These are what we call the woodbine pattern.  And then on the floor lamp, for that pattern, we have a number of names. It's called swirling leaf, swirling lemon leaf, or lemon leaf," she said.



 

When the time came for them to be appraised, Sulka said that the bigger lamp was worth $85,000. This came as a big shock to the guest, who almost broke down. The expert then valued the smaller lamp at $45,000. Together, the two Tiffany lamps were valued at a whopping $130,000.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The card had a manufactuting defect but that is what made it so valuable.
17 hours ago
He didn't believe he'd make any money on them and offered a ridiculously low price.
19 hours ago
The contestant still managed to be in the lead after quickly learning from her mistake.
20 hours ago
The guest was surprised to learn that it was by one of the top artist's of the time.
21 hours ago
Despite the loss, the player called making it to the show a dream come true for her.
1 day ago
The host also poked fun at the contestant who answered for now knowing where the city was.
1 day ago
The guest ran a hard bargain, but the item was iconic enough to be worth that much money.
1 day ago
While the player, James, didn't get to play his dream game, he aced the one he got to play.
1 day ago
The best part was that a lot of those hilarious answers did appear on the board.
2 days ago
He got an expert to inspect the letter as it was too good to be true that it had landed in his shop.
2 days ago
The guest said that she often wore some of the jewels that were worth several thousands.
2 days ago
Mark Cuban described his business model as horrible, but still made an offer.
2 days ago
The expert had no idea whether the item was real without a test that could only be done in the US.
2 days ago
Harrison could have had a unique item in his store but his stubbornness cost him big time.
2 days ago
The shark had said that he was out earlier but came back in to swoop the deal away from the others.
3 days ago
The player was on a roll before she entered the bonus round and ran out of luck.
3 days ago
The item was gifted to the guest's grandfather by the Tsar of Russia towards the end of the empire.
3 days ago
Ozzy Osbourne recently passed away after delivering one of the most incredible farewell concerts.
3 days ago
It's rare to see contestants on the show refuse chances to win big, but the player was certain.
3 days ago
This contestant was on the verge of closing a multi-Shark deal when he thought he could use some extra support.
3 days ago