Youngest guest on 'Antiques Roadshow' says 'I'm gonna be rich' after expert revealed value of his item
"Antiques Roadshow" is all about revealing the monetary as well as emotional value of family heirlooms and memorabilia passed down through generations. Since most people who come to the show are equally unaware of the true value of items such as vases and playing cards, one can conclude that their age doesn't really make a difference. In an old episode, a child surprised everyone by earning a significant amount on a $2 barn sale find. He brought a painting that also left the expert astonished and prompted him to predict a bright future for the kid as a collector.
"You must be the youngest collector that I've seen," the expert David Weiss remarked at the beginning of the preview shared by the show on YouTube. Before proceeding to check the painting's value, the expert asked the young boy about his interests and collection. "I like glass, sterling silver, and art," the boy told the expert. He further shared that the coolest thing he ever found was a large, sterling silver tray in a junk auction held in his town.
When the expert asked if he had made a lot of money by selling silver, the boy replied that he would like to sell his stuff in September, a time when the price of silver would go up, according to him, showing how seasoned he was as a collector, even at a young age. The expert then moved on to the painting that the young boy had brought.
"This piece was found at an auction down in South Jersey," the boy explained. "It was so hot there my dad didn't want to stay to get it, but I wanted it. So we waited an hour and got it for two bucks," he added. He further mentioned that he knew it was a watercolor painting and it was from an artist whose first name was Albert, as seen in the signature. The expert then took over to enlighten the viewers about the artist. "Albert is the first part of the name, and this part is Albert Neuhuys," the expert noted. He explained that he was a Dutch artist, born in 1844 and died in 1914. The expert added that, according to his estimation, the painting was made in the last quarter of the 19th century. He further noted that a lot of artists from Holland also covered family life as a subject, as seen in the painting.
"You paid two dollars yes what do you think it might be worth today?" the expert asked the young prodigy. The boy responded by saying that he thought it would be about $150 at the time, but he was off by a mile. "I think it's more than $150. Today, if your Albert Neuhuys watercolor came to an auction, it would probably sell for between one thousand and one thousand five hundred dollars," the expert said.
The boy's eyes lit up as he heard the appraisal, and he indicated that it was mind-blowing. "Yeah, that's a lot of money. Not bad for two bucks. I think you've got a great career going as an art dealer; you should keep at it," the expert suggested.
The boy confirmed that he intended to keep collecting such items and artifacts since he wanted to get rich in the future.
