"Antiques Roadshow" isn't simply about putting a price tag on family heirlooms and old artifacts, but the show generates drama and emotion from the history and sentiments of guests attached to the items. Experts on the PBS series often leave guests in tears as they share the true value of their prized possessions or family heirlooms. This is what happened to the woman who saved her 'bakelite purses and bracelets' for years admiring their beauty. While having the items with her was special enough, learning their monetary value added to her joy.
In an old episode of the show, the guest brought a unique set of purses and bracelets made of bakelite, an early form of plastic, that was the first of its kind. The thermosetting resin that's resistant to heat, electricity, and chemicals was invented by LH Baekeland in 1908, who made several products out of it.
The guest shared that she is a collector and has many such purses at home. However, she said that the bakelite items were one of the best looking, which is why she brought them to the show.
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Looking at the items, expert Kathleen Guzman told the guest that they had a "quintessential Art Deco look", which was unique. She praised the items as "terrific purses" and noted that they are increasingly getting popular in the collector's market.
She shared that items made of bakelite have increased in value over the past couple of years and purses like the ones in front of her are worth between $500, $700, and $1,500, delighting the guest. "So you've really done just a great job!" the expert told the guest.
The owner then went on to share the story of how she acquired the bakelite bracelets. She said it was given to her by her parents who got it from a neighbor named Mrs Bart. She revealed that they took good care of the old lady before she passed away, and they became good friends. After her death, her family cleaned out her home and told the guest's mother to take the bracelet that was left behind.
"It's a very classic bakelite design, it's called the Philadelphia bracelet," the expert told the guest.
After admiring the items, Guzman finally got down to the numbers. "I'm going to say conservatively, it's worth between $6,000 and $8,000," she told the guest referring to the bracelet alone. Thus, along with the three purses that could go between $500 and $1,500, the grand valuation of the bracelet took the total to potentially over $10,000. The guest was visibly stunned as she exclaimed in disbelief, "No way!"
However, the expert went on to add that she had been conservative with the number and the other experts on the show believed the piece might be "a little more than that" in value. This overwhelmed the guest with joy and she nearly broke down into tears.
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The owner asked Guzman, "Am I allowed to hug you or is that not OK?" and in heartfelt embrace the guest cried, saying, "Oh my God, this is so cool! Oh, thank you so much."
She kept thanking Guzman who couldn't help but was also overjoyed by the guest's reaction.
