'Antiques Roadshow' guest was left in tears after expert revealed the value of her 19th-century coat

Guests do get history lessons along with surprisingly high appraisals or disappointing revelations about their artifacts on "Antiques Roadshow." But emotions that run high and are seen in the reactions of guests are what set the show apart. Things often get emotional on the show as guests break down after learning the true value of their family heirlooms. However, sometimes, it isn't just the monetary value but the emotional importance of the items that makes people tear up, as was seen in the case of a guest who showcased her grandmother's prized possession on air.

In the episode filmed at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, the guest brought an ancient silk surcoat, which she thought of as Japanese since her family got it from an acquaintance who had worked in the Japanese embassy. She shared that it belonged to her grandmother and that she had taken over the responsibility of handling it. "My grandmother has been a prolific collector for the last 60 years but we realized as she's getting older, the rest of the family doesn't know about her collections. So I've taken it on myself to help catalog all of her collection," the guest told the expert, Lark Mason III. 

Taking over from the guest, Mason corrected her assumption and told her that the item wasn't Japanese. "Ok, I had no idea," the guest replied. The expert noted that the purple color of the robe was indicative of Chinese origins. Looking at the silk garment and the satin embroidery, he estimated that it was from the Guangxu period of the 1880s. "This was a woman's surcoat for formal and semi-formal occasions," he explained. This surprised the guest as she found the coat to be a little too fine for being casual.

The expert further explained that the wide sleeves of the surcoat were designed to accommodate another article of clothing underneath. "This has some couched, gilt metal-wrapped thread. The cranes up here, have multiple meanings. They are, primarily, a symbol of imperial authority. Cranes were a symbol of good luck and heavenly acceptance of whatever you had going on. "They also are symbols of longevity," the expert added.

Mason estimated that the surcoat was made for an important person's birthday or perhaps the "wife of a prince." He pointed out the "wonderful roundels" that featured the eight Daoist symbols and figures of bats that signify wealth. "Looking at the collar, you can see that there's some wear, well, that's good. It means that this was actually used, but not as much that it would damage its value," he observed.

Coming down to the numbers, the expert asked the guest if she had any idea of the item's value. "Could we say...$5,000?" the guest estimated, and Mason confirmed that she was right on the money. He estimated the surcoat to be worth $4,000 to $6,000 at an auction. "Oh wow! OK. So I guess I have my grandmother's eye for things. But that's wonderful," the guest replied. Mason further added that for insurance purposes, the value of the item would be between  $12,000 and $18,000.

The guest was overcome with emotion as she felt immensely proud for preserving her grandmother's prized possession. "Wow. Growing up, we would just play around with beautiful pieces of artwork, carefully, but yeah it was always displayed in her home very beautifully," she said. "It's an honor to be able to do this for her," she added as she teared up.