BBC Antiques Roadshow guest's eyes widen in amazement at true value of dad's gift from 'spinsters'
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gobsmacked when she discovered the staggering value of her father's tribal weapon.
BBC expert Ronnie Archer Morgan was at Scarborough Grand Spa Hall to evaluate a range of intriguing objects but little did he know that he was about to encounter an item that would personally excite him.
He quizzed the owner: "What's a feminine person like you doing with a big, heavy, aggressive thing like this?"
The woman responded: "Well it belongs to my dad actually, it's not mine, and it was passed down to him by his dad who acquired it through some elderly spinster ladies who gave it to him.
"He was a solicitor in Scarborough town so that's how but I don't know anything more."
Morgan couldn't hide his astonishment, exclaiming: "Amazing. I can't actually believe what I'm looking at. This is absolutely superb.
"It's a Fijian Bulibuli and this is a thing of rare beauty. It is really what us collectors look for. This is the best I've ever seen", leading the guest to react, "Really? Wow."
The expert elaborated, "It is for caving in skulls, of course, and it would do that with some ferocity.
(Image: BBC)
"And actually, they've often found people's skulls on these islands in Fiji and Tonga and places like that, and the skulls are caved in and it's not surprising, is it?"
The "absolutely superb" tribal artefact featured a domed head adorned with raised carved studs and a chip-carved shaft crafted from ironwood, which Morgan believed dated from the 18th or early 19th Century.
"The chip carving extends all the way down the shaft. I've only ever seen them with plain shafts so this one is as good as it gets", Morgan said.
"The colour is superb and the colour would have been as important to the owner as say, the colour of someone's tie today. It said who the tribesman was. It's a prestige object as well as a weapon.
"The man who owned this would have carried it with a swagger. It said who he was and I've never seen one this long either.
"Normally they are a good six, seven, eight inches shorter than this."
Morgan enthusiastically revealed: "It just takes my breath away. I'm really beside myself with excitement.
"I just want to throw my collection away, that's the truth of the matter.
"I know some dealers that had one and they thought it was the best thing they ever had and it was half as good as this and I'm not joking.
"Did you have any idea what a rare thing this - how did it find its way from the middle of the Pacific to Scarborough? It's just unbelievable."
(Image: BBC)
The moment arrived for the crucial valuation: "And with an unbelievable object comes an unbelievable price.
"I'm thinking about this. The market for this sort of thing is more in Paris or in Brussels and in New York.
"But they get very excited and they've got galleries that deal in this sort of stuff and a nice one of these would probably be £8,000 to £10,000."
The guest was visibly shocked upon learning the potential value of the weapon, with their eyes widening in surprise.
Morgan continued to astonish with his valuation: "This, I would stick my neck out and say if you had to buy this from the Sablon in Brussels, I think it would cost you between £30,000 and maybe £35,000. I really think it could make that."
The guest couldn't help but laugh in disbelief, responding: "Wow! That's amazing!"
"It is the best I've ever seen and I really mean that. I can only dream", Morgan confessed.
Overjoyed, the owner said: "Oh I'm so happy. My dad's going to be absolutely thrilled. That's fantastic. Thank you so much."
Antiques Roadshow is available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
an hour ago
- Times
I'm an opinion writer who isn't sure of their opinions
R ecently my dad's friend saw me on the BBC's Debate Night. 'Your daughter was on TV,' he told him. 'What now?' my dad asked, probably wincing. 'She was complaining about something again,' came the reply. It goes with the territory. The role of a columnist is to grasp an idea, shake it and see what comes loose, then catch the pieces and arrange them in a new order. You could call them complaints, but I prefer opinions — little thought babies escaped from their mother. Sometimes I'm asked if it's tiring coming up with so many new opinions. It would be if I was a different kind of commentator. My more combative colleagues will argue the opposite line just to be contrarian, a skill I admire and fear equally. It sounds terribly earnest, but I can only write it if I believe it. The truth is I haven't made up my mind about most things.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Brendan O'Carroll says Mrs Brown's Boys storylines are ‘based on true events'
Irish actor and comedian, Brendan O'Carroll, has said the storylines for Mrs Brown's Boys are 'based on true events'. O'Carroll, 69, who is best known for playing the menacing matriarch, Agnes Brown, in the hit BBC comedy series, will reprise the role in a new miniseries. The fifth series, which is due to air on August 1 on BBC One, follows Mrs Brown as her meddling – into the lives of her family and friends, takes her on a number of misadventures. Speaking about the new series, O'Carroll said: 'Believe it or not most of the storylines are based on true events that either happened to my family or have been told to me by people about their families. 'Everybody has a story, and it's quite common for someone in a family to say in the middle of a family disaster, 'This is like an episode of Mrs Brown's Boys'. 'In every episode there is something that stands out for me. I love being Agnes Brown and I love her family, and her neighbours like Winnie and Birdy.' The new series will see Mrs Brown as she becomes the subject of a podcast, helps Winnie pass her driving test and becomes the unexpected new member of a book club where she discovers a 'passion' for steamy fiction. Mrs Brown's Boys was first broadcast on BBC One in 2011 and has since transmitted more than 50 episodes, including Christmas specials. The Bafta-winning series is filmed in front of a studio audience which O'Carroll described as 'essential'. He said: 'So many times, at the end of rehearsals for a particular episode, our director, Ben Kellett will say 'all this needs now is the audience' and he is so right. 'They follow every move, every line and add so much to our performances. We would be lost without them.'
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
Brendan O'Carroll says Mrs Brown's Boys storylines are ‘based on true events'
O'Carroll, 69, who is best known for playing the menacing matriarch, Agnes Brown, in the hit BBC comedy series, will reprise the role in a new miniseries. The fifth series, which is due to air on August 1 on BBC One, follows Mrs Brown as her meddling – into the lives of her family and friends, takes her on a number of misadventures. Speaking about the new series, O'Carroll said: 'Believe it or not most of the storylines are based on true events that either happened to my family or have been told to me by people about their families. 'Everybody has a story, and it's quite common for someone in a family to say in the middle of a family disaster, 'This is like an episode of Mrs Brown's Boys'. 'In every episode there is something that stands out for me. I love being Agnes Brown and I love her family, and her neighbours like Winnie and Birdy.' The new series will see Mrs Brown as she becomes the subject of a podcast, helps Winnie pass her driving test and becomes the unexpected new member of a book club where she discovers a 'passion' for steamy fiction. Mrs Brown's Boys was first broadcast on BBC One in 2011 and has since transmitted more than 50 episodes, including Christmas specials. The Bafta-winning series is filmed in front of a studio audience which O'Carroll described as 'essential'. He said: 'So many times, at the end of rehearsals for a particular episode, our director, Ben Kellett will say 'all this needs now is the audience' and he is so right. 'They follow every move, every line and add so much to our performances. We would be lost without them.' The miniseries will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday August 1.
