HIDDEN GEM
I held onto an old cup from a flea market for 30 years – I was speechless when Antiques Roadshow said it’s worth $450k
The woman was lost for words when she was told the cup's value
A COUPLE who clung to a $1 cup from a flea market for 30 years were shocked to discover it was worth far more.
The cup was purchased in New Jersey around the year 1976, and the buyer had no idea it could be worth as much as $450,000.
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Speaking on an episode of the Antiques Roadshow, a woman said she and her husband had no idea whether the rhino horn cup was real or fake, according to the appraisal transcript from the episode.
Lark E. Mason appraised the 17th-Century Chinese Rhinoceros Horn Cup.
Mason asked the guest what she thought the cup's value could be.
She explained that when it had been valued around 10 years previously, the couple were told it could be worth up to $30,000.
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Much to the woman's surprise, Mason said he believed the cup was worth much more.
He confirmed that it was an authentic 17th-century cup and not a copy.
Mason estimated it at between $350,000 and $450,000.
"Wow, wow. I didn't expect it to be worth that much," she said.
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"That's amazing, I'm speechless.
"What was the value against? I think I zoned out there for a second."
I was handed down a necklace from my mom when she died but was dumbfounded when Antiques Roadshow said it's worth $12k
Mason explained that his valuation could even "be a bit on the conservative side."
The guest was left speechless by this discovery.
"I think my heart about fell... out of my seat," she said.
The cup is a golden-hue color with a dragon and pine branch carved on different sides.
Mason explained that the cup was in good condition apart from one visible chip on the edge.
Valuable Items
People have unkowingly stumbled upon valauble items, later shocked to realize their true value.
Here are several examples of items worth more than expected:
- A grandmother's baseball bat worth $30,000
- A hand-me-down ring worth $595,000
- An antique lighter worth $4,000
- A model bridge worth $25,000
"It's in pretty good shape," he said.
The episode was filmed in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in August 2011.
VALUABLE FINDS
This is just one of the many shocking Antiques Roadshow stories.
A daughter who inherited one of her mother's necklaces when she died was overwhelmed when she discovered it was worth $12,000.
Another guest on the show was amazed to discover that a painting given to her by her father was worth $50,000.
The 1956 Gustave Baumann "Rain in the Mountains" was reported to be in superb condition by the Antiques Roadshow host.
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The woman could not contain her shock at this discovery.
"Oh my God, that is so much more than I thought," she gasped.