Antiques Roadshow expert comforts guest as she discovers value of teddy bear
An Antiques Roadshow expert "screamed" after she was presented with an "incredibly rare" teddy bear which was kept in a bag in the back of a wardrobe.
WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gobsmacked when she discovered the eye-watering value of her late great aunt's teddy bear hot water bottle.
Expert Bunny Campione was at the ready during a BBC shoot at Buckfast Abbey in Buckfastleigh, surrounded by an intrigued crowd.
Bunny encountered a visitor who brought along an adorable bear and asked: "Everybody knows this is a teddy bear. Do you know what it is?"
The owner responded: "Well I believe it's a teddy bear water bottle.
"It belonged to my great aunt and when she passed away it went to my mum and now I'm the custodian of it at the moment."
Before the cameras rolled, Bunny recounted the startling incident: "I must admit, I hope I didn't give you too much of a shock when I saw you coming to my table, I screamed didn't I?"
With a chuckle, the expert recalled as the guest admitted: "I was a bit nervous. I was thinking 'Oh. Maybe it's not the bear I thought it was.'"
Bunny then explained her excitement: "Well it certainly is and for me, I can't tell you, that's why I screamed, because A, it's a Steiff, B, it is white which is incredibly rare.
"And it's a true white because it's got the brown nose and not the black nose.
"A lot of the white ones are faded and you look under the arms and you can see their real colour because the sun and all the rest of it has faded them.
"And then looking again, you're right, it's a hot water bottle bear for a child to take to bed with. It's just fantastic."
Bunny revealed that it was a "very early" Steiff bear sporting a blank button in its ear, indicating it predated those bearing the Steiff mark.
She noted that later versions of these hot water bottles came with zips down the front, whereas this one featured hooks and eyes.
"I've never actually opened it and I don't think my mum did either," the owner commented.
Bunny elucidated: "Well I'm surprised, because inside should be the size of a baked bean tin. A tin with a brass screw on the top to put the water in.
"And after that, a few years, they decided it was a little bit dangerous as it wasn't very safe, this screw top. So they didn't make them after that.
"And inside here is a bit of stuffing, because someone has taken that tin out."
Then came the moment of valuation: "We are talking about a Steiff teddy bear, circa 1904, incredibly rare colour, a rare size because most of them were smaller than this."
She paused before disclosing: "Value wise, £15,000."
The crowd audibly gasped as the owner stood there, mouth agape at the valuation.
"What? 15? Really?", she uttered in disbelief while Bunny was visibly elated.
The owner remarked: "And it's just been put in a bag in the wardrobe," to which the expert responded: "Thank God it was, because it's in such good condition."
Bunny consoled the emotional guest, giving her shoulder a reassuring rub, and tenderly questioned: "Are you alright? You're going to make me cry too."
Trying to hold back her own tears, the owner expressed her astonishment with: "Oh dear. £15,000. Really?"
The item's extreme rarity prompted an outpour of appreciation from the expert who concluded with: "It's incredibly rare. Oh he's lovely," and gratefully acknowledged the guest's presence.
Reflecting on the experience later in a separate interview, the guest hared: "Absolutely in shock. Cannot believe how much he's worth and to find out so much information about him and to find out he's quite rare as well, it's just brilliant. Absolutely brilliant."
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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