'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'oh, you're kidding' after expert revealed the value of her old book
"Antiques Roadshow" guests naturally come to the show expecting a significant valuation for old art, heirlooms, and books in their possession. But that doesn't stop them from reacting in an over-the-top manner after massive appraisals. One guest got the biggest shock of her life after she found out that an old beauty book that she got from a friend was worth thousands of dollars. The owner of one of the first African American beauty books by Madam C.J. was beyond delighted when the show's expert, Ken Sanders, told her that it was much more significant than she thought and worth about $10,000.
In the episode, the guest brought the book to the show, having knowledge of it only in a general sense. "I don't really know a whole lot about the book. I believe it's the first African American beauty book," she told Sanders. She shared that she worked as a hairdresser, and one of her friends gifted her the book as she is a licensed beautician. Sanders then took over to explain how significant the textbook was. "The cover title says it's the 'Text Book of Madam C.J. Walker Schools of Beauty Culture'. So, at first, it just seems to be a textbook. And in the antiquarian book trade, we don't think a whole lot of most textbooks," he explained.
However, he assured the guest that it wasn't just another book, as it was indeed an early hair product, hair care, and styling book for African American women. The guest then shared that it was an incredible book, as she had tried out a few things, but many of the products from it were no longer available in the market. Sanders added that it wasn't surprising, as the book was probably over a hundred years old.
"Let's open the book up here. On the title page, there, we have the 'Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Manual', the first edition. And it, indeed, is the very first book published for hair styling and fashion for African American women. There's one more page I'd like to turn to that shows some of the hair care products. Quite a big, healthy line of different products. Pretty nostalgic," Sanders noted as he flipped through the pages. The guest shared that while some techniques were good, some were not valid in modern times.
"Madam Walker was actually Sarah Breedlove. She was born on a Louisiana plantation in 1867. Her family was a slave family on a plantation. She was the first child in her family born into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation. And the company that bears her name is still in business to this day, making hair and facial products for African American women," Sanders shared, leaving the guest astonished. "She also, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is the first American self-made millionaire female," Sanders added.
After the guest expressed that she found all the information fascinating, she told Sanders that, according to her, the book may be worth $3,000 now. Sanders then went on to deliver the shock of her life, saying, "The book's in very good condition. It's not a fine-condition copy. But in today's market, with the interest in early and important African American material, the first edition of this book is scarce enough that at retail, this book would sell for $10,000-plus." This sent the guest into denial as she asked, "Are you serious?" When the appraiser assured her that he was serious, the guest couldn't hold her excitement. "Oh, you're kidding! $10,000?" she exclaimed.
In the end, the guest thanked Sanders for the appraisal, adding that she still couldn't believe the book was worth so much money.
