'Antiques Roadshow' guest says not even $1 million appraisal for his bracelet would matter to him
Not every item that guests bring to "Antiques Roadshow" is up for sale, and some people are just trying to determine the monetary value of artifacts and jewels that are priceless to them. Certain items, such as family heirlooms, have sentiments attached to them that can't be matched by any amount of money. The owner of a beautiful 'English Woven Gold Snake Bracelet' told the show's expert, Peter Schaffer, that even a million-dollar appraisal won't matter to him, as the item was precious to his family. Schaffer did his duty and went on to appraise the item at about $27,000, which is a significant amount in itself.
On the PBS show, the guest mentioned, "The story from my aunt says that my father won it during World War II in a poker game. And she swears that that's the truth, so I believe her." He further shared that his father was stationed in France and was involved in the Normandy invasion and the Battle of the Bulge, so he must have won it during that time. When the appraiser asked the guest if he knew anything more about the item, he simply denied it.
Schaffer then took over to shed some light on the significance of the beautiful piece. "It's an interesting design, because the first snake jewelry was the Egyptian asp. And it's not the time of the poker game. It's probably 1870, 1880. It's English," he told the guest. He further estimated that it was made of 18-karat gold and encrusted with diamonds of very good quality. "But what gives this very good value is that big sapphire," he added. Schaffer told the guest that if he managed to get it tested and if it turned out to be a Kashmir sapphire, then the value of the item would skyrocket.
Schaffer asked how much the guest expects the item's value to be. "Well, I'll put it this way: it doesn't matter to me if it's a dollar. It's a family heirloom. It's a keepsake from my mom, who passed away in October, so it has very high sentimental value. So, frankly, you could tell me it's worth a million dollars, and it wouldn't make a darn bit of difference to me," the guest said in response. Nevertheless, the expert went on to share a retail estimate of $25,000 to $27,000 on the item.
"Well, that's wonderful. That's nice to know, to be able to get an appraisal and have it appraised," the guest said in response. However, Schaffer added that while he was confident that the gem was a Kashmir sapphire, in case it turns out to be a lesser gem, then the value would drop to $20,000. However, it didn't matter to the guest as the item was already priceless to him.
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