'Antiques Roadshow' guest says 'oh my word' after hearing the value of her 130-year-old cookie jar

The guest who got the item as a gift from a neighbor had little to no idea about its significance.

PUBLISHED 8 HOURS AGO

Screenshot showing the guest, the cookie jar, and the expert on the show (C source: YouTube/Antiques Roadshow PBS)

Even simple everyday items lying around in the house can, at times, fetch big valuations on "Antiques Roadshow." After bowls and plates, an old glass cookie jar turned out to be worth a lot more than what its owner had thought. While she had her doubts, the guest was blown away by the show's expert, Arlie Sulka, who revealed that her simple-looking jar was worth about $6,000.

Screenshot showing the guest's reaction to the appraisal (Image source: YouTube/Antiques Roadshow PBS)

The guest first shared how she got the item as a gift and kept it in her home for years. "This was given to me by a dear friend and neighbor of mine some years ago. I don't really know a lot about it. It looks almost English to me, but I noticed there's a mark on the bottom that says 'Napoli,' and that sounds Italian," she told Sulka.

The expert then took over to point out that it did say Napoli at the bottom, and it also had a number underneath it, which indicated that it was made by a company called Mt. Washington. "They made all different types of glass, Crown Milano and Royal Flemish. But this particular glass was called Napoli," Sulka explained. She added that she was excited to see the item, and confused at the same time.

Screenshot showing the expert talking about the item (Image source: YouTube/Antiques Roadshow PBS)

"I lifted the cover, and inside, there's an 'MW' in there, which stands for Mt. Washington. They first opened in 1837 in South Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1870, they moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts. So this piece was clearly made in New Bedford. They actually merged with Pairpoint Glass in 1894, and Pairpoint would make some of the metalwork. So this was an opportune moment for them to make a biscuit jar like this one," Sulka shared. She went on to add that the Napoli glass was made for a very short period around 1896. "Oh, my word!" the guest said when she heard how old the item was.

Sulka further noted that while the figures appear to be painted on the outside, they were actually on the interior of the jar. "So you can only imagine how difficult it must have been. It's just terrific," she noted.

Screenshot showing the details of the cookie jar (Image source: YouTube/Antiques Roadshow PBS)

Coming to the handle of the jar, Sulka examined the gilt webbing with a tied twig design. "It's all in really remarkably good condition. The metal has tarnished somewhat, but if you saw the interior, that's probably what it looked like when it was brand-new. There is a trace of gold plating on it, very, very little, but, yes, it was originally gold-plated," Sulka further noted. Coming to the appraisal, Sulka told the guest that at auction, the item could easily bring between $4,000 and $6,000. Hearing the number, the guest was blown away as she said, "Oh, my word. I had no idea. That's great!"