'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'that's retirement' after hearing the value of her family heirloom

Guests on "Antiques Roadshow" often attach a lot of sentimental value to artifacts that are linked to their family's legacy, and refuse to sell them. But once in a while, someone practical comes along and decides to cash in on family heirlooms. One such guest brought a Harriet Frishmuth Hood Ornament Sculpture to the show, and had no idea that it could be worth more than $30,000. Once the good news was delivered by the show's expert, Eric Silver, the owner said that the money would help set her mother up for retirement.

The guest shared how the hood ornament was passed on to her in the family and why it was popular with her pets. "This came from my father's collection. He passed away a year ago this month, and he had a collection of bronzes, and he has three daughters. And he kind of divvied up the bronzes, and this is the one that I happened to get," she told Silver.

She further added that it was one of her favorites, and her cats liked it too. While she shared that she knew the artist of the sculpture was from Philadelphia, nothing more was known to her. "I know many people who look at the piece always say she looks like a hood ornament, and so we've always assumed that it might be a hood ornament. I use it as a paperweight or sitting on top of my books on my coffee table in my living room," she said.

Silver noted that the guest had brought in quite an exciting piece. "It's by an American artist named Harriet Frishmuth, who was very famous in her day," he explained. "She worked in the early part of the 20th century. She studied in Paris with Auguste Rodin. She also studied in New York with Gutzon Borglum. He was the sculptor of Mount Rushmore," he further added. The expert went on to note that the artist's works mostly appear in museums, but most of them are huge or life-sized.

Silver further examined that the piece was signed by the artist and dated 1923, which was a high point in her career. He also confirmed that it was a hood ornament for a car. "There was a very famous foundry here, The Gorham Foundry. It was here in Providence and was known primarily for its silver work, but it did a lot of bronze work of extraordinary quality. And this is a catalog from 1928, and here we have a picture of a hood ornament that Harriet Frishmuth also did," he explained. 

Silver further said that he had never come across an item like this in all his years of handling Harriet Frishmuth sculptures. "It's very, very rare," he exclaimed. He explained that the item was probably made for the big cars produced in 1911, specifically the car called "The Spirit of Ecstasy" designed by Charles Skyes. "This would be on a car that would have one of those long hoods, and the radiator would be out front. It's beautifully cast. The patina is in very good condition," Silver added.

Coming to the appraisal, he estimated that at auction, the piece could bring a sum somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000. This blew the guest away, and she rolled her eyes in shock. "Wow! That's awesome. That's retirement to help my mom out!" she exclaimed.

In the end, she shared that her family had decided that if the item turned out to be worth something, then they would sell it and give the money to their mother. "My sister is going to be, like, going, 'Yes!'" she exclaimed in the end.