Excited 'Antiques Roadshow' guest yells 'mom, did you hear that?' after getting a huge appraisal
Things as simple as soup cans can be worth thousands of dollars on the "Antiques Roadshow" as long as they have a great story behind them. Luckily for one guest, he had both: a great story and signatures from one of the greatest artists of all time, Andy Warhol, on his collection of soup cans and magazines. While the guest cherished his collection for years, he was flabbergasted to learn it was worth nearly $30,000.
In the episode, the guest shared that he knew Warhol personally in the 80s while living in New York. "I once asked him in a nightclub if he would sign some soup cans for me. And the guy's, like, 'Sure, you bet. Bring them by my studio tomorrow,'" the guest shared with the show's expert, Semeon Lipman.
Apart from the cans, the guest also brought a large print of the can that was designed by Warhol for "Campbell's Soup" and some magazines signed by the artist. "I loved it, and I got this from Andy for $125," he told the expert, referring to the soup can print. "I mean, this guy was so friendly that there was no 'No' coming out of his mouth. He loved people, and he was also very interested in your story, like where you were from, what you do," he added, talking about the artist.
While looking at the magazines, the guest shared that Warhol was publishing a magazine called "Interview" in the 80s and had a stack of them, which he signed for fans. "I got him to sign, you know, Robin Williams with a 'Meow,' with a cat. And I love Molly Ringwald. He called her Molly Ringworm. And then Richard Pryor," the guest explained.
He further noted that Warhol didn't just sign the magazines; he made a few funny doodles on the artists as well, which made them quite unique.
Examining the items, Lipman noted that the soup can print was numbered properly, rubber-stamped, and signed in pencil, making it an authentic piece. "You know, I asked him to sign the front, and he said he would never sign the front of his pieces," the guest said, explaining why the signature was at the back.
Coming to the cans, Lipman noted that Warhol regularly signed cans of Campbell's soup, as people often brought them to him. "What's great about your cans is that a number of them he signed twice," the expert noted. He explained that even though there are many such signed cans in the market, they are still very collectible. And with the great provenance of the item and the story behind it, Lipman estimated that they could be worth $1,500 to $2,000 apiece.
The guest was overjoyed with the very first appraisal as he let out a big gasp. "It's an expensive can of soup, very nice," the guest said, unaware of what more Lipman had to share.
While talking about the magazines, Lipman noted they were special because Warhol did a little extra work on them. "He signed a lot, but he didn't always do the extra touches," the expert said before appraising the items to $1,000 to $1,500 apiece. All the guests could say in response was: "Shut up!"
Lipman was saving the best for last. Coming to the soup can print, he noted that the spectacular color that pops out is the defining feature of the print. "This is actually from the late '60s, and of course, you have the wonderful dedication on the back," he said. Sharing a conservative estimate, Lipman told the guest it could bring about $15,000 to $20,000 at an auction. At this point, the guest was celebrated big by clapping his hands and throwing a punch in the air. "Mom, did you hear that? We're going to Acapulco for the weekend," he said, looking to the side.
In the end, the appraiser noted that it was a good $125 investment for the guest as he got incredible value for the items.
