When old things bring riches

I've always enjoyed the Antiques Roadshow series of shows, both the English and US versions. For those who don't know them, a team of experts in antiques travels to a city, and they hold an 'open house' where anyone can bring in anything to be valued. Most of the stuff, of course, isn't particularly valuable: but now and again a real undiscovered gem explodes on the scene, to universal delight (and not a little envy, I'm sure!).

Two recent examples caught my eye. The first, in England, involved an extremely rare porcelain plate.

Never before in the TV show's three-decade history has a plate been awarded a six-figure valuation.

But that's exactly what happened when Wendy Jones took an old piece of crockery to the Antiques Roadshow.

. . .

She only attended the roadshow event near her home in Aberglasney, Wales, because her husband wanted some books valued.

Seeking something to take long, Mrs Jones grabbed the 22-inch plate on her way out of the door and casually transported it in a Tesco carrier bag.

But it turned out to be the most valuable plate to have appeared on the BBC programme in its 31-year history.

Expert valuer John Axford told Mrs Jones that the 18th century oval-shaped plate was commissioned by the Prussian East India company for Frederick II.

Made between 1750 and 1755, it is constructed out of hard paste porcelain and is decorated with the arms of the Hohenzollern family, the order of the black eagle and the Maltese Cross.

There are pieces of the service in the best museums around the world but only two items have been sold in the last decade, Mr Axford said.

He then delivered his valuation of £100,000 [about US $156,000] to a 'speechless' Mrs Jones.

. . .

Mr Axford, an expert from Woolley and Wallis auction house in Salisbury, Wiltshire, based his estimate on a much smaller soup plate from the service recently selling for £31,000 [about US $48,000].

He said: 'It is the most valuable thing by far that I have seen on the roadshow.

'It is a fantastic piece of a very rare Royal service and is very unusual.'

There's more at the link.

The second, here in America, surprised me, as I'd never realized how valuable early Native American weaving had become. Here's a video clip.

I bet he was pleased! That's enough to make his retirement a lot more comfortable!

Peter