Additional Coverage:
- ‘Antiques Roadshow’ expert valued her item at $50,000 — she ended up getting 10 times more at auction (marketrealist.com)
A Surprise Windfall on Antiques Roadshow: Expert’s Valuation Goes Up Tenfold!
Sometimes, even the experts get it wrong. In a recent episode of “Antiques Roadshow: Extraordinary Finds,” appraiser Lark Mason encountered a piece he initially believed to be a valuable, yet damaged, Chinese screen. The owner, Dee, brought the folded screen to the show, concerned about its condition and hoping for a modest valuation.
Mason, impressed by the artwork depicting the immortal Xiwangmu and other deities, estimated its worth at $30,000 to $50,000. Dee was stunned, admitting she’d considered discarding the piece.
The story, however, took an unexpected turn. Dee later contacted Mason to help sell the screen.
Confident it was Chinese, they marketed it to Chinese collectors. At auction, bidding quickly escalated past the initial estimate, ultimately reaching a staggering $540,000.
The surprising sale price revealed a surprising twist: the screen wasn’t Chinese at all. It was an 18th-century Korean screen intentionally designed to resemble Chinese art, a detail which significantly increased its value.
The revelation shocked Mason, the auction attendees, and even Dee, who still couldn’t believe her “moldy screen” fetched such a high price. This just goes to show, treasures can be found in the most unexpected places, and sometimes, it’s worth getting a second opinion – even from the experts.