'Antiques Roadshow' guest surprised at $30,000 appraisal for heirloom — still refuses to sell it

"Antiques  Roadshow" often features items that are heirlooms, which means that not only are they worth a significant amount of money, but they also carry a lot of sentimental value for the guest. In most cases, the guests are surprised by what items passed down in their family are worth, but they still can't get themselves to sell the heirlooms because of the emotions and memories linked to them. This was the case for a guest who brought in a 'Meiji Period Cloisonné Bronze Floor Lamp' that had been in his family for over 40 years. As he didn't know much about the item's provenance, the show's expert, Dessa Goddard, explained the significance of the Japanese artifact. While Goddard's $30,000 estimate on the item shocked the guest, he was sure that the floor lamp wasn't for sale. 

The artifact had been in his family for four decades, travelling from Queens to California. "It was in my godfather's estate in Forest Hills Gardens, Queens. The house was completely furnished with Art Deco types of objects, and my godfather had no children. And I was very blessed that he cared for my wife and me, and my other godbrother and I, we split the estate, and this wasn't exactly to his taste, so I was very happy to take it and bring it out here to California, so we have it in our home, and we love it," he shared.

Goddard then took over to explain the construction and the provenance of the lamp.  "What we have here are two phoenix birds perched by this marvelous tree with trailing vines done in cloisonné enamel, it's actually Japanese," she noted. She added that the item was perhaps made for an exhibition of a world's fair. While she couldn't tell if the lamp shade was original, she found it complementary.

"Oftentimes, pieces like this come with a shade that is executed in the same manner. And so this may be a later edition, probably done in the same period, but perhaps not original to the piece," she explained.

She went on to explain that the lamp was made of bronze with gilt overlays, and the cloisonné enamel on the leaves was variegated and multicolored. "The tail feathers are inlaid with semiprecious stones. They look to be carnelian. Phoenix birds were a sign of imperial authority in China, and were used in motifs in that

period. The phoenix was actually the symbol of the empress of China," Goddard explained.

Coming to the appraisal, the expert told the guest that the item may have travelled to Japan before the founding of the Edo period, and then it eventually landed on American soil. "The market is such that you're looking now at a value of about $20,000 to $30,000 at auction," she went on to say. The number shocked the guest as he could only say, "Wow!" 

Goddard went on to add that about 20 to 30 years ago, the value of the lamp would have been much more. However, the monetary value didn't matter to the guest anyway. "Great, well, we love it, we're gonna keep it. It's in my house and we enjoy it, and it's quite a conversation piece. Thanks very much, I really appreciate it, I'm glad we brought it down here," he said in the end.

More on Market Realist: 

‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest nearly falls down after expert revealed the value of her 1915 painting

'Antiques Roadshow' guest's family heirloom from the 19th century gets an incredible appraisal

'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'you're kidding' after expert revealed the value of his vintage watch