'Antiques Roadshow' guest asks 'are you kidding me?' after expert revealed the value of her rings
Sports memorabilia and merchandise can be considered a collector's item, and it isn't entirely surprising that it makes its way to "Antiques Roadshow." But despite understanding the significance of Women's Basketball championship rings, a guest on the show was surprised at the appraisal they received. The rings were even more invaluable for the owner as she collected them over the course of her career in the UConn Women's Basketball Program. While she knew they might be worth a lot, the show's expert, Simeon Lipman, left her surprised as he appraised the collection at a whopping $100,000.
The guest shared her incredible journey with the Women's basketball program and how she collected the 11 rings over the years. "I started working for the best coach in the country in 1994. And because of that, I've been uh along for the ride with his success, and I have 11 national championship rings from the UConn women's basketball program," she told Lipman. The appraiser noted that the coach, Geno Auriemma, was one of the most impressive in the country.
The guest further shared that she worked behind the scenes with the team to make sure they went where they were supposed to. "Make sure the coach is where he needs to be, and set up the schedule, those types of housekeeping things," she explained.
"We have a whole history here. Some of the greatest players in basketball history, period are represented here," Lipman said as he took over. Coming to the rings, he noted that the first ring was from 1995, which was the Rebecca Lobo-Pam Webber era.
Lipman noted that it was one of the greatest dynasties in sports history and one of the most contemporary dynasties as well. He explained that the era had a great influence on people across the country and helped a lot with the popularity of women's basketball. "You have all 11 here, and there aren't too many people on the planet who have 11 championship rings," he told the guest. The guest shared that there were only three people including her who had the 11 rings. "Obviously Coach Auriemma and Coach Dailey built the program, they're responsible for all the success of the program. To my knowledge, I think it's only the three of us that have all 11," she said.
Coming to the appraisal, Lipman noted that the value of college championship rings varies in the market but a ring from the UConn Women's Basketball Championship is very popular and desirable. "Now, this is the complete set. The sum is much greater than the parts, and I've actually conferred with several colleagues of mine, and we are all in total agreement, that a collection like this is so special and so important, I'd insure it for $100,000," he said. The guest, who looked surprised seemed to have not grasped the reality as she acted cool at first.
Towards the end, the appraiser noted that the value of the collection could rise in the future and thanked her for bringing it in. This is the time when the reality got to the guest as she asked Lipman, "Are you kidding me?" The expert assured her that he was serious and it was a great collection.
