'Antiques Roadshow' seller gasps in disbelief after expert reveals value of her 300-year-old plate

Guests who come to “Antiques Roadshow” are often unaware of how valuable the seemingly common items that they have in their possession are. Their priceless reactions, ranging from emotional outbursts to a failure to maintain their balance, make the show engaging. An elderly woman, who brought a large plate with origins in China, had a similar reaction after an expert revealed its true value. The artifact was left to her by her uncle, who brought it from Japan, where he was a civilian director of educational troops after World War II. The woman believed it to be around a century old, but she never imagined the history behind it.

Behind the plate was an inscription written in Chinese, and an inscription on the box, written in Japanese, said, “Large celadon porcelain dish, Yongzheng period.” The Yongzheng period was from 1722 to 1735. During this time in Chinese history, some of the finest ceramics of all time were made.

The artifact had been placed inside the box under the guest’s bed for the longest time. She believed that it must have been worth somewhere around $1,000. This is why the valuation from an expert completely blew her mind. “I have always felt that it was probably worth something. I mean maybe $1000, and that’s because I collect ceramics that are contemporary,” she said. The expert explained that the Chinese porcelain market was strong at the time of filming and revealed that the item would bring in an estimated $80,000 to $120,000. The guest was gobsmacked upon hearing this. “Oh my…really? And it’s been under my bed all the time?” she said. The expert said that keeping the plate under the bed was a good decision since the item was in great shape. It still had a shine about it and not a single crack.

Items holding a lot of historical significance usually draw a lot of attention and leave experts fascinated as well. One item that excited an expert on the BBC edition of the show was a small notebook. This was not just any ordinary notebook. It was from the 17th century and had phrases that appear in Shakespeare’s plays. "There is so much research that can be done on this item," he said. "It's amazing, it's almost completely illegible, but you can pick out the odd word, and you can pick out phrases that appear in Shakespeare."

The notebook belonged to the guest’s ancestor, an 18th-century antiquarian named John Loveday of Caversham. However, he was not the one who wrote its contents. The notebook was tiny, as were the writings inside it. Whoever wrote it must have been good with a quill. "It's amazing, it's almost completely illegible, but you can pick out the odd word, and you can pick out phrases that appear in Shakespeare,” the expert added.

“It's absolutely extraordinary. My hands are trembling now, just looking at it,” he added. When it was time to place a value on the notebook, the expert said that it would sell at an auction for more tha 30,000