'Antiques Roadshow' guest struggles to breathe after expert revealed the real value of his $250 cane

It's natural to be surprised and even be in disbelief when an expert on “Antiques Roadshow” reveals that a vintage item or collectible lying in the house could be worth a fortune. But some guests on the show go overboard, and the reaction could be a bit too dramatic. In one special episode of the show, an ordinary-looking cane brought in by a guest turned out to be an unexpected gem after the expert Allan Katz revealed its worth and origins. The guest was so astonished at this that he started breathing heavily.

The guest, an avid cane collector, had stumbled across the item online several years ago. "I'm not a serious collector," he confessed, "but once I saw this, I just had to have it," he added. The cane had caught his eye due to its unique and seemingly fantastic carvings. “I think there are 36 of them. They just jump right out at me,” he said, describing the carved figures on the cane’s shaft. The appraiser, upon closer inspection, immediately recognized the piece as something more than just a decorative object. It was very light, suggesting it might be white pine, a wood not native to North America, but likely basswood. The carvings themselves were what truly set the cane apart. “Starting with the tip here, you have the snout of an alligator, then horned toad, snakes, and more lizards," Katz explained.

Each figure was meticulously detailed and three-dimensional despite being very intricate. The appraiser pointed out that the animal forms grew more complex as one moved down the shaft. The art on the cane ended with a metal ferrule at the bottom. What captivated the expert even more was the artistry behind it. “It’s very complex. You see these snakes, it really looks and feels like the snake is wrapped around the vines,” Katz explained. The sense of motion and realism in the carvings hinted at the skill of the maker.

All the details pointed to a craftsman likely trained in the trades, possibly in a carving shop, dating back to the late 19th or early 20th century. Speculating on the origins, the guest mentioned that he thought the cane may have come from Louisiana. “Horned toads are arid desert. And the alligators are more Eastern, Gulf U.S., and they meet in Louisiana,” he reasoned. The appraiser nodded but explained that tracing the exact origins can be difficult. “It’s hard to pinpoint it that way. Some of these are the experience of the carver, where he grew up, where he is now," Katz said. Beyond the craftsmanship and complexity, what truly stunned the guest was the value the appraiser assigned to the piece.

“A fair retail valuation for this would be $6,000 to $8,000,” he revealed calmly. The guest could barely contain his surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, my God. I had absolutely no idea. Oh! Great. That's fantastic.” His astonishment and joy were palpable as he laughed in disbelief. This was a huge increase in value as the guest only paid $250 for the cane.

“Some of these carvers did not paint them intentionally, because this thick lead paint back in the 19th century, all of this detail would just disappear,” the appraiser noted. The choice to leave it unpainted preserved the remarkable intricacy of the cane, which likely played a key role in its high valuation.