'Antiques Roadshow' guest in disbelief after hearing the real value of artwork she bought for $150

Even items picked up for a small sum at a garage sale could turn out to be worth a fortune on "Antiques Roadshow." Often, guests are in disbelief or shock once the value of such items is revealed by an expert, and one of them was a woman who walked into the store with a cowboy-inspired piece of art. The guest revealed that her mother purchased the folk art from Dodge City, Kansas, for merely $150, and she was keen on decorating her Southern Colorado ranch with the eccentric work. "My mom, who was fantastic at finding just the right treasure, you know, when you were doing something in your life, found it for me," she told Keno. But what she discovers next from expert Leigh Keno about 'The Cowboy and the Lady' blew her mind.  

"And this was just the perfect piece for the cabin renovation because the cabin had actually been a bunkhouse for cowboys," she revealed. "Sometimes I would think maybe it was hanging upstairs, you know, where the, where the real fun might have been going on," she joked, oblivious to the history behind the piece. Keno then went on to narrate the strange connection between a classic film and the folk art. "Do you know why the lady is quite so dressed up and the cowboy is just a cowboy? And why is there this whole thing about the cowboy and the lady?" he began. Keno goes on to reveal that the folk art is actually inspired by the 1938 classic romantic comedy "The Cowboy and the Lady" starring Gary Cooper and Merle Oberon.

The popular art also spurred a hit 1981 song by John Denver. The appraiser continued by discussing the plot of the movie. He described the storyline about a bored socialite who poses as a maid and meets a straightforward, unassuming cowboy. The socialite masquerades as a maid when she finds out that the cowboy despises the idle affluent, and when they fall in love and are married, she needs to quickly explain this to her father. "It was such a huge film, it was, like, hugely popular," Keno added. He then went on to point out the flaws in the folk art, mostly the wear and tear that occurred over time. 

"This is all cut out on a table saw.  And here you can see the horizontal lines just right here. But it's entirely cut on a table saw, probably in someone's basement, all out of plywood. The jeans are great because some of the varnishes come off and they expose the earlier blue," the appraiser pointed out. They also shared a light-hearted moment when Keno tried to copy the cowboy leg curve for the guest. I tried to do this thing. I'm bone-legged anyway, so it wasn't that hard. I can really, I can do. It's just a great example; it's all real. It's authentic," he joked. 

And then came the moment of truth, which made the guest gasp in amazement. "It has a great look, and it has appeal as folk art and kind of kitsch. You could put an insurance value on this of about $1,800," the appraiser revealed. "Oh my goodness. That's crazy!" was all the guest could react after learning the real value. "Well, is a great story, and it's just a great piece to you know to hang on to," she concluded.

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