Antiques Roadshow fans gobsmacked after £1 vase's real value revealed

17 August 2020, 14:25

By Mared Parry

@maredparry

A woman brought in her grandfather's old vase for evaluation and couldn't believe how much it was actually worth.

An episode of Antiques Roadshow left many in shock at the real value of a vase which cost its original buyer only a quid!

On the show, a stunning blue and green hand painted vase covered in birds was brought in by a woman to be valued by the experts.

Antiques Roadshow shock as vase bought for just £1 has real value revealed

The woman who owned the antique brought it in to Wrest Park in Bedfordshire and explained that the vase was originally bought by her grandfather many years ago.

He bought the vase on a whim for only a pound, and it turns out the colourful item was actually made by English potter William De Morgan, who is famed for his craft.

This particular creation was believed to have been made just before he decided to quit pottery in 1907, making it pretty valuable.

The guest explained on Sunday’s show: "The story is that my grandfather was a ceramic potter and he was in Shaftesbury, and passed by a junk shop.

"And he went in there and obviously didn’t show great enthusiasm because the price was about £1 and he bought it."

The antiques expert was impressed with the vase, saying it "has everything" and praised its "arts and crafts design".

She continued to explain: "William De Morgan studied Persian design, he stopped potting in 1907 and I think this vase comes from a period just before that.

"He is one of the really hot names in ceramic designs and just looking at it I’m not surprised."

So how much did she value it at? A whopping £3,000-£3,500!

"I would happily estimate this vase at quite a bit more than £1, I would value it between £3,000 and £3,500", she explained.

The owner couldn't believe the value of it, saying: "I didn’t expect that."

However, it doesn't look like she will be selling it anytime soon as she added that it: "stays in the family anyway".