'Antiques Roadshow' guest struggles to breathe after expert reveals the value of her 1958 basket

"Antiques Roadshow" experts aren't simply equipped with the knowledge to identify spectacular paintings and artifacts before figuring out their true value and the history behind them. But they also have an eye for intricacies in seemingly ordinary but special items, which may not seem too valuable at first glance. One of these items was a "Carie Bethel" basket that an expert identified and appraised, making the guest lose her breath and hold her chest to come to terms with its real value.

In the episode of the PBS show, appraiser Natalie Linn was amazed to come across a rare item that commanded a huge value. She was also surprised by the guest's lack of knowledge after she told Linn that her family got the item for free and they luckily managed to save it for decades. “My mum worked with a lovely little lady who became ill. My mum and dad helped her out a little bit and when she passed, she had left a note for her landlord to call my mum if anything happened to her," she shared. She further added that when the landlord called her parents, he told them that he wanted everything out of the house on the very same day.

So, the guest and her husband took the day off and went down to the woman's house with a big truck. "And one of the last places we looked was up in her bedroom closet.  And there was a big hat box sitting up there," she said. She explained that her mom knew that the woman was a big "fashionista" so she must have had designer hats in the box. " So we got all excited, and I brought it down and opened it up, and this basket was in there. And that was July of '88. So 30-odd years  I've had it. And I think she got it maybe from the Indian Days that they used to have at Yosemite," the guest explained.

The expert told the guest that it wasn't an ordinary basket as it was woven by "Carrie Bethel." The maker is considered a 'master weaver' who was associated with Yosemite National Park. She was considered a genius as she produced incredible designs using materials from the landscape, according to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Linn noted that the basket was beautifully woven and the design was reminiscent of a medallion. "No stitch is out of place. This is one basket that you always want to hold with two hands," she told the guest. The expert estimated that the basket was probably woven between  1955 and 1960. "This woman was an unbelievable weaver. She lived in a shack. She had no running water. And she just did her weaving when she could during the day, because she had to make money," Linn told the guest who was shocked to learn about Bethel's resilience.

The appraiser further added that while Bethel worked hard, she couldn't earn much. "The highest price that she got for a basket was probably in the '60s. It was $180. And that was maybe for two to four years of work," she said.  She then estimated that the basket in front would've taken at least two years to make as Bethel worked only during the day. 

Hinting at the possible value of the basket, Linn shared that back in 2006, one of Bethel's baskets was sold for more than $200,000. "Oh, no! You're kidding!" the astonished guest said in response. Linn then explained that each of the baskets that Bethel made were unique, and the one that the guest had was made from sedge and bracken fern. "And inside each one of those rows are three rods of willow. And the red is redbud," she further noted. The guest then shared that she felt horrible because her family didn't take great care of the basket. "Yes, it's a decoration. But you also put plants in it and stuff. Which is a no-no," the expert told the lady.

Finally coming to the appraisal, Linn estimated that the basket would be worth about $75,000 to $85,000 at an auction, and the guest exclaimed, "What!?" while nearly losing her breath. Recovering from the shock with her hand on the chest, she said, "Oh, now I do feel bad, ooh!" referring to the damage.

To add to her shock, Linn went on to say that if the guest spent $5,000 more to get the basket repaired, it could be worth over $100,000. Hearing this, the guest let out a scream saying, I'm freaking  out now!"

Linn still wasn't done taking the guest's breath away as she went on to share that the insurance value of the basket would be probably $150,000. To this, all the guest could say was,  "I just... I can't breathe."