A Granny Brought Her Brooches To An Appraiser And Learned Her Life Wouldn't Be The Same Again

Imagine you’re going on Antiques Roadshow. You’ve got a few items with you that have a great story behind them and a lot of sentimental value, but you’re curious if they’re worth any real money. You don't want to get your hopes up, but when you show the appraiser your "antique" belongings, you can't help but smile excitedly. What if these sentimental items really are worth an astronomical sum, and what if your life is about to change forever?

Rose and her brooches

When fun grandmother Rose arrived with a pair of brooches, she had no idea what was about to happen. After all, the brooches had been collecting dust in a drawer for years. Rose had a feeling the pins would be important pieces, as she knew they were made by famed Italian artist Harry Bertoia. But that still couldn’t prepare her for what the appraiser would tell her.

Antiques Roadshow success stories

Indeed, many turn up to Antiques Roadshow events hoping against hope that the family heirloom they’ve had lying around is actually worth big money. It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes, people luck out. For instance, there was the antique French porcelain doll brought by someone whose parents had kept it in a glass case for 50 years. It wound up being worth $16,000 to $18,000!

An initial underappraisal

Then there's the student who inherited a picture from her grandma before setting off for college. It had hung over her bed for years, but when the granddaughter noticed a mosquito under the glass, she opened it up and found it was actually a painting. Two initial appraisals valued it at a paltry $200 to $300...

The antiquer’s dream

So, the student went to Antiques Roadshow to find out the painting's worth once and for all. She was stunned to find out it was a very sought-after 1892 piece by artist Henry Francois Farny and would likely fetch over $200,000 at auction! This is obviously the dream result for any antiquer, and Rose herself hoped that she'd have a similar story.