'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'that's a lot of money' after hearing the value of his yard sale items
People who come across seemingly valuable things in unexpected places, such as a garage or attic, now bring them to "Antiques Roadshow" to try their luck and get a high appraisal. One such guest struck gold when he got a massive $90,000 appraisal for his 'mourning and hair jewelry' collection. The man who collected the items across 40 years from various yard sales and flea markets was left speechless for a brief moment when the show's expert, Katherine Van Dell, told him how incredible his collection was. To add to one of the best moments of the PBS show, the experts later revised the estimate to a whopping $120,000 in 2023.
In the episode, the guest shared the incredible story of how he collected the unique pieces of jewelry over four decades. "I've collected this about 40 years, picked them up at yard sales and flea markets and box lots in auctions, and it's mostly mourning jewelry," he told Van Dell. He further explained that his interest came from the fact that each of these items had a personal connection with someone which makes them special.
Van Dell then took over to explain the significance of some of the pieces that the guest wasn't aware of. "You have many examples of, in this group, which were really a part of not just Victorian and, earlier, Georgian vogue or style, but it was very much a part of society," explained.
She added that when people were mourning the loss of someone, either by distance or by death, they usually wore full black regalia, or purple for half-mourning, and they would need jewelry to wear in that time as well. Thus, the extensive collection had many pieces that she would characterize as Georgian. "This is a beautiful example of a late Georgian brooch. It has woven brunette hair under rock crystal, and garnets, as well. This ring in particular is an example of a very collectible Georgian mourning ring. It's dated 1782. And interesting, underneath this piece of what is likely topaz is actually the image of a skull. These rings are quite rare, and they're very collectible," Van Dell added.
However, there was one particular item that caught her eye. In the collection, Van Dell pointed to a "sort of a mourning scene" with an urn and a woman standing in the weeping willows. She explained that it was made out of real hair, probably by a woman at her home. "You could buy a kit to actually do these weavings, and then the pieces to put them all together. This is macerated hair that's turned into the paint, and there's an actual painted scene of mashed-up hair. And there's a better example of it here-- it's a woman in, in mourning with a little cherub figure. She's holding a wheat sheaf, which is symbolic of eternal life and renewal," she explained.
She then asked the guest how much he spent on the collection. The guest shared that he paid anywhere between $5 to $35 for individual items, and there was one item that he bought for $900. Altogether, he estimated that he spent about $6,000 on the collection. Van Dell then went on to blow his mind, saying, "At auction today, conservatively, I would say that you probably have a collection here that's worth something between $70,000 and $90,000." The guest briefly went speechless after hearing the amount before saying, "No! Really? Wow! That's a lot of money."
The appraiser assured the guest that she was confident about the value, as it was an impressive collection, and he had done an excellent job of curating the group.
