'Antiques Roadshow' seller almost in tears after expert reveals value of his grandma's old beer mug

When people think of antiques, things such as paintings or vintage furniture and a vase or an old lamp, come to mind. But once in a while, objects such as a rock used as a doorstop, which may seem unremarkable, turn out to be extremely valuable. A guest on “Antiques Roadshow” once brought a beer stein left to him by his grandmother to the show, and was reduced to tears when he learned about the true value of the object that was a heirloom of sorts.

Antique expert Noel Barrett was fascinated by the object, according to a Somerset Live report. “It has a reverse on-glass applied label. This is a curved piece of glass painted on reverse and then applied to the mug most commonly you would find liquor bottles with a beautiful label on it, but it's very rare to see a beer stein advertising beer with this reverse on-glass,” he explained.

It turns out that the stein, which was presumably used to advertise Gambrinus Lager, was made in the 1800s. However, the guest’s grandmother had a different purpose for it. “She had it over the kitchen sink on a shelf, and she'd always put her string in there. She'd go to the bakery and get a cake or something that was always wrapped in paper, and that was the jar she stuck the string in for future use," he explained.

There was also a sticker inside the glass with the number ‘50’ written on it. The guest said that he wanted to sell it off in a garage sale but it didn't find any takers there. Now, it was time for him to learn the true value of the stein. "I'll tell you... do you know what this is worth? Between $2,000 and $4,000,” the expert said. The guest’s voice was shaking and he had tears in his eyes, as he said, "I can't believe it, thank you.”

Objects to consume alcoholic beverages such as glasses or mugs, are not really thought to be of much value and that’s understandable. But one such item that stood out on BBC's “Antiques Roadshow,” was a Russian wine-tasting vessel. The guests, a husband and wife, at first had no idea how expensive it would be. It belonged to the woman’s grandfather who went to Russia with the British chess team and was gifted these miniature vessels. For the longest time, it was used as an ashtray and thrown around the house until her husband decided to polish it up. Little did they expect to find the silver underneath all that black tar and dirt that had accumulated over the years.

The late Faberge had designed the cup and it was revealed that the tiny wine-tasting chalice was worth a whopping $6,300. “I am a clever little husband,” the man said with a smile on his face after learning the true value of what he had polished.