'Antiques Roadshow' guest struggled to speak after hearing the value of her father-in-law's guitar
The owner of a decades old Martin D-18 guitar couldn't believe it was worth five figures.
Sept. 21 2025, Published 1:45 p.m. ET
Items that "Antiques Roadshow" guests bring in a lot of times are heirlooms that they treasure, irrespective of the monetary value attached. But no matter how precious these objects are to them, the owners are still shocked by the appraisal. One such guest got the shock of their life after finding out that a valuable artifact was hiding in plain sight in the house. The owner of a 1938 Martin D-18 Guitar had no idea how popular the item was in the market until the show's expert, David Bonsey, explained it to her. In the end, she was left nearly shell-shocked because the guitar was worth $30,000.
Explaining the history behind the guitar, the guest said, "This was my father-in-law's guitar. And he purchased it from his brother, who was a professional musician. I just know it's a 1938 Martin, and he played it all the time. He really enjoyed it. He didn't really play much professionally. He tried to do that. I think in the '30s, there's a picture somewhere of him with George Gobel."
She further added that the original owner of the guitar did make it to the radio once in his life with Gobel. Bonsey then took over to explain that it wasn't just any ordinary guitar that the musician played. "The D-18 model is probably the most sought-after model by bluegrass and folk players. They like the D-18 because it's a relatively simple guitar. It doesn't have a whole lot of needless ornamentation. And what they love about it is that the back and sides are made of mahogany, which is, acoustically, a very, very fine wood, even though it's not very showy," he explained.
He went on to add that the front of the guitar is made from spruce that came from the Adirondack Mountains. Furthermore, the expert noted that inside there was a stamp on the center strip that said, "C.F. Martin, Nazareth, Pennsylvania," and the model number, D-18, was printed up on the neck of the guitar with the serial number, which dated the guitar to 1938. "And 1938 was a pivotal year for Martin, where they actually changed the bracing, the internal bracing on the guitar," he said. "It is very near the sound hole. So we call that 'advanced bracing,' which makes it a more valuable guitar," Bonsey added.
Before coming to the appraisal, the expert asked the guest if she had any idea about the guitar's value. When she denied, he told her that such guitars made in the 60s were worth $5,000. This was enough to shock the guest as she said, "What? I need to ensure it properly," while stammering.
"In today's market, the replacement value of this guitar, with the advanced bracing, would be about $28,000 to $30,000," Bonsey added further. This left the guest gobsmacked as she gasped loudly. She was at a complete loss for words, and could only say, "Okay, uh."
In the end, the guest recovered from the shock and shared that her father-in-law would have been overjoyed to hear the news. "He would be so proud. It's such an honor for him, it really is. He was such a great guy," she said in the end.
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