The appraisers at Antiques Roadshow have seen some pretty rare treasures over the years – but it’s not often that one’s so spectacular it leaves them all choked up.
When a woman brought a marble lion statue to the show’s location, she knew a little bit of history about the piece. However, the truth that was revealed was nothing she ever expected.
If you’re someone who enjoys seeking treasures at yard sales, second-hand stores, or even in your own garage, then Antiques Roadshow is the perfect TV program for you.
Since 1997, the show’s appraisers have been helping people from all over the country discover the value of their family heirlooms and garage sale finds. It’s considered PBS’s “most-watched ongoing series” with up to eight million viewers weekly.
One unforgettable segment took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A woman arrived at the show with a statue of a lion, which she was curious to learn more about.
Her appraiser that day was Lark E. Mason, who’s an expert in antiques and Chinese art. She began by giving him some background on her lion.
It’s very common to have special items be passed from one generation to the next – and this was what had happened for the woman. Her grandparents had purchased the statue on a trip to China in “the early part of the century.” It was then passed down to her mom, then finally she inherited it.
The only information she knew about her heirloom was that it came from the “Ming Dynasty” and that it was “priceless.”
But it was so much more than that…
Lark has appraised many antiques on the show over the years. However, when it was time to provide the woman his feedback – he couldn’t help but get teary.
“I’ll start out by saying when this came up I could barely…”
It was apparent that Lark was so overcome with emotion it was difficult to get his words out. He finally said:
“It’s fantastic… This is among the finest examples of Chinese art that we have seen on the Roadshow.”
There’s no doubt the woman’s heart skipped a beat by his comment. Lark then continued,
“The carving is beautiful – the workmanship is stunning. The carver who did this was truly a master. You can see the muscles rippling under the surface. It’s the finest quality marble you can get. It’s truly magnificent.”
He revealed to the woman that what she knew about its history was in fact not entirely correct. Instead of the Ming Dynasty, the lion was actually from the Tang Dynasty, “the golden period of Chinese art” (between the 6th-9th century).
Lark explained that pieces of art like the lion could only be seen in museums or occasionally at auctions. What she had was truly a rare and breathtaking treasure.
A favorite part of Antiques Roadshow is learning the valuation of the items. There are times when the person’s “antique” ends up being worth much less than expected, then other times when the valuation skyrockets passed everyone’s guess.
The Albuquerque resident was in for a huge surprise when it came to her marble lion statue.
Lark informed her that she could get between $120,000-$180,000 at an auction, with an insurance value of $150,000-$250,000… Can you imagine receiving news like that? It makes you want to go antique hunting, that’s for sure!
Watch the clip below to see the emotional appraisal for yourself. It’s so memorable it’s been viewed more than 800,000 times.
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