Additional Coverage:
- ‘Antiques Roadshow’ guest left speechless after expert revealed the whopping value of her $100 statue (marketrealist.com)
Garage Sale Find Turns into Million-Dollar Masterpiece on Antiques Roadshow
An “Antiques Roadshow” guest received the shock of a lifetime when a statue she purchased at a garage sale for around $100 was appraised for a six-figure sum, only to later sell for millions at auction.
The guest, who acquired the Early 15th-century Chinese Gilt Bronze Bodhisattva statue two decades ago, admitted to being drawn to its beauty despite its visible damage, including a missing arm and worn gilding. She recounted rushing to a local garage sale, expecting the best items to be long gone. To her surprise, the statue remained, and she purchased it without a second thought.
Expert Robert Waterhouse was equally astonished by the piece. He highlighted its exquisite details, describing the “beautiful drapery,” “reticulated hands,” and “chubby quality to the face” indicative of the early Ming Dynasty period. Waterhouse identified the statue as a Wenshu, bodhisattva of insight, and speculated that the missing base might have contained an imperial inscription, potentially elevating its value due to its possible imperial connection.
When asked for an appraisal, the guest modestly stated that the original $100 price tag made any current value irrelevant. Waterhouse, however, delivered a stunning estimate of $100,000 to $125,000, leaving the guest speechless.
The story doesn’t end there. The statue was later listed at a Sotheby’s auction, where a fierce bidding war erupted, driving the final price to an astounding $2.1 million – over 20,000 times its original garage sale price. The final sale price dramatically exceeded the pre-sale estimate of $60,000 to $80,000, proving that even experts can be surprised by the hidden treasures lurking in the most unexpected places.