Antiques Roadshow guest sways as 'life made' by 'extraordinary' five-figure chair
An Antiques Roadshow guest had to hold onto her "wonderful" chair after discovering just how much it is really worth.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left feeling breathless as her grandparents’ chair was given a hefty and surprising price tag.
Not one but two experts in John A Hays and Leslie Keno met with a pensioner when the PBS series visited Boston to take a closer look at her chair.
Hays stated: “We were absolutely startled when we looked across the room and saw you arrive with your wonderful Windsor. It’s a family piece, yes?”
“Yes, it came down from my grandparents. I grew up in their home and it was always in the house so I don’t know where it was before”, the guest replied.
Keno went on to comment: “We were excited about the chair obviously, as John said, but also some other people came into your home who were trying to buy the chair, right?”
Read more: Antiques Roadshow guest refuses to sell beloved item despite 'priceless' value
Answering his question, the guest said that a travelling antique dealer had made an offer of $5,000 to purchase the New England Windsor armchair but she turned them down.
Giving a bit of background information on the item, Hays said: “Regionally, the form is very much in line with what we find made in south eastern Rhode Island in Connecticut.
“This wonderful little comb back, small little ears, wonderful surface here.”
“The condition is absolutely extraordinary. It’s an amazing edition, it’s only got two coats of paint and then this apple green we see here at the back of the seat”, Keno continued.
“Just this wonderful, brilliant green that makes collectors’ adrenalin levels go up.”
Don't miss...
Antiques Roadshow guest speechless as expert shares 'bad news' on beloved items [EXPERT]
Antiques Roadshow expert floored as guest's 'hated' antique is 'rare find' [REACTION]
Antiques Roadshow guest hides behind painting after staggering valuation [EXPLAINER]
Keno stated there was an under layer of a darker green paint to the top but it was just two layers.
“What’s great are the wear patterns and the surface here where it was touched by people and using it and next the proportions are what really, really sing.
“Most chairs are a little wider, this is vertical, it really shoots up like a rocketship.”
When Hays said the chair was high “in the feet”, the guest commented: “It’s high, that’s why I sat in it as a child, because it got me up with the other adults.”
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Top 7 biggest valuations will leave you staggered
Antiques Roadshow has made some lucky Brits a pretty penny over the years.
Often viewers are left stunned when something left sitting in an attic is worth millions of pounds.
From a Faberge flower, to art by Banksy - here are the seven most expensive antiques discovered on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow.
Keno then concluded: “John and I talked about this and we both feel that actually an auction estimate on this chair would be $30,000 to $50,000.”
The pensioner’s eyes rolled briefly with a big smile across her face, only being able to state: “Oh my word. Oh my word.”
She appeared to start swaying at the value with Hays asking: “Would you like to sit down?”
The guest replied: “Yeah! I need the chair!”, as she held onto the top of the valuable item.
Keno then asked: “Have we made you happy?”
“Very, very happy. Thank you so much, you’ve made my day, you’ve made my year, you’ve made my life”, she replied before shaking both of their hands.
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on PBS.
