'Antiques Roadshow' guest breaks down in tears after expert reveals the value of her $35 item
Statues lying around at home or gifted by a relative are revealed to be creations of legends such as Auguste Rodin, Erna Rosenstein, and Frederic Remington, on 'Antiques Roadshow.' But items that come without any artist's name on them, and are discovered in an attic or garage sale, can also carry significant value. One such item was a 'Child's Swan Sled' that was brought to expert Allan Katz's attention by a guest who bought it for a measly $35. The owner was left in tears after Katz revealed that it could be worth over $20,000 to $30,000.
In a special "Extraordinary Finds" episode of the PBS show, Katz shared that he was shocked to see the item on the show, as he happened to have the 'mate' of the wooden swan at home. The expert started by saying, "This story about the swan sled is really a story of what are the odds?" He shared that he acquired a similar-looking swan sled back in the 80s, which came from an unknown folk artist for a whopping $40,000.
Upon examining the defining features, structure, and carving of the sled brought by the guest, Katz was sure that both sleds came from the same artist. Thus, he asked the guest where she got her sled from, and the answer was even more astonishing. "I got it at a rummage sale about seven years ago, and I paid about $35 for it," she told Katz. The expert, who was yet to tell the guest about his own collection, explained the significance of the item. "What we have here is the child's sled. Thirty years ago we would have said it's unique. But about twenty years ago, another sled, the same form surfaced," he told her. In an interview that he gave later, Katz further noted the details of the two sleds that were similar, telling a story of their own. "We don't know who the maker is but we know it's by the same maker," he added.
Coming back to the appraisal, Katz told the guest that in 2006, he valued the item somewhere around $20,000 to $30,000. This absolutely shook up the guest, who wasn't expecting her $35 rummage sale find to be worth so much. "Oh my gosh, just. I could just cry. I had no idea," she said before breaking into tears. Katz told the guest that it was a wonderful piece of folk art. "I just thank you today for bringing it into the Antiques Roadshow and sharing it with us," he said. Hearing this, the guest told Katz that she had no intentions of selling it as the item would be something to pass on to her grandchildren.
However, Katz shared that the guest later contacted him asking for an insurance letter, which he supplied to her. Once the episode aired, the guest reached out to the appraiser again, this time with the intention of selling the sled. "She said 'Are you really serious about that price my grandchildren are going to college and we could use some money for the college fund, so would it be possible for you to represent the sled and sell it?'" he recalled her saying. Katz said he obliged the request, and the item was sold to a private collector for more than $50,000.
In the end, Katz referred to the appraisal as just another "great story for what folk art can do," and what "Antiques Roadshow" has done for people around the world.
