'Antiques Roadshow' guest 'flabbergasted' after hearing the value of posters he bought for 75 cents
The most ordinary-looking things could turn out to be worth more than anyone could imagine on "Antiques Roadshow." This was once again proven right when a guest got an astonishing appraisal of $10,000 for his collection of 'Danny Lyon SNCC Civil Rights Posters,' which he bought for just 75¢. The guest, who was intrigued by the three dorm posters at a garage sale, did notice that he had found a piece of history. But when the expert, Nicholas Lowry, revealed how much the posters were actually worth, the guest was "flabbergasted."
"I bought them a few years ago from a garage sale. They were with a number of dorm-type posters. And I knew I was buying a piece of history, and I knew it was an important piece of history. But I really haven't had a chance to, to really research them. I figured they were from the, probably the early to mid 1960s, based on their content," the guest shared to begin with. He further added that he paid 25¢ for each of the three posters, as they had some wear and tear.
Lowry confirmed that the posters had been used, and they were probably taped to the walls at some point. "You'll notice on each, there's a tear, and when they were all rolled together, at some point, they were torn in the same place, and some animals got to them. There were little nibbles taken out," the expert noted.
"More than just a piece of history, they're a piece of recent history. They're pieces of the civil rights movement in America. Now, these three photos were taken by a photographer named Danny Lyon. And Danny's name appears on each one of them in the lower corner," Lowry explained. He added that Lyon is a prominent photographer who made a name for himself by elevating social democratic photography to an art form. "And he did a lot of work with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the SNCC, or "snick," as they were known," the expert added.
"One of these posters to me stands out more than the other, and that's the one on the bottom. 'Come Let Us Build a New World Together.' What to me stands out about it are the people who are involved in the photograph," Lowry told the guest. He then noted that the poster included Congressman John Lewis, and it was called the John Lewis, "One Man, One Vote" poster.
Coming to the appraisal, Lowry said, "I would estimate these three posters between $7,000 and $10,000," leaving the guest stunned.
"I'm a little better at history than I am at math, but that's a very good return," Lowry said, noting that the guest only paid 75¢ for the collection. "Wow. I'm flabbergasted, I really am!" the guest said in the end, recovering from the shock.
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