People don’t usually expect dusty and forgotten items in their homes to be hidden treasures worth thousands of dollars. But when these people found out that the Antiques Roadshow was filming near their town, they had an inkling that their old family heirloom could be worth some money. Imagine their surprise when the show’s valuer told them how much their seemingly worthless item was really worth. Could they have been more wrong?

The Experts

Without a doubt, one of the best parts of Antiques Roadshow is the experts. They’re always very knowledgeable, and their enthusiasm and love for antiques flow from the screen. So, seeing Lark Mason appraise one of the show’s most memorable treasures was a welcome sight. Mason is an expert in Chinses antiquities who’s authored multiple books and runs his own appraising company. Suffice it to say; he has plenty of experience in the business.

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However, just about anything can turn up on Antiques Roadshow, and one lady would end up bringing in a very special antique treasure that caught this veteran appraiser completely off guard.

The Show’s Magic Formula

When a show has been around as long as the Antiques Roadshow, you can bet that they’ve managed to figure out exactly what works and what doesn’t. The show has perfected its formula throughout the years, going on to inspire other shows that highlight the pawn, auction, or search for antiques. Antiques Roadshow usually starts with a guest explaining the history of a family heirloom before the expert steps in and fills in any holes.

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After everything is explained, the appraiser drops the estimated value of an item. This is all done out in the open with others in the background waiting to have their items appraised. It was in one of these lines that something caught appraiser Lark Mason’s eye on one unforgettable day.

A Very Special Antique Item

As a viewer, you could tell from the moment the camera cut to this Chinese statue’s owner that the expert was waiting in suspense to start his appraisal. And who wouldn’t be? If you work at an auction house or deal with antiques, then coming across something like this marble statue is a once-in-a-lifetime ordeal. Lark Mason’s excitement was visible throughout the entire segment as the owner explained how the statue came into her possession.

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It was obvious that the lion statue had been made in East Asia; however, Mason would go on to give viewers the full picture and history behind this surprising find.

The History of This Family Heirloom

While many items that come through the Antiques Roadshow have been passed down from one generation to another, there are often a lot of holes and mysteries associated with the antiques on the show. This is usually because this information is lost throughout the years, or an owner may have acquired an antique treasure from a dealer or pawn shop that didn’t have much information about the item. The owner of this statue actually remembered buying it when she was on a trip to China.

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She told the appraiser that this had been decades ago and that she couldn’t really remember exactly when she bought it or any other information about the statue.

Tracing the Statue’s Origin

Luckily, when it comes to art of any kind, there are usually a couple of defining features that art experts and antique appraisers can look for when determining an object’s age. The owner of this family heirloom luckily had a close friend that knew a thing or two about Chinese art, and the friend placed the statue as being made during the Ming Dynasty in China. That means it could’ve been between the 14th to the 17th centuries.

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However, vintage antiques from the Ming Dynasty aren’t exceedingly rare, so something else had to be making appraiser Lark Mason so giddy and ready to start his assessment during the segment.

Leaving an Expert Absolutely Speechless

As giddy and ready to get started as Lark Mason was while the owner was explaining her family heirloom’s story, you’d think he’d have plenty to say the first chance he got. However, that wasn’t the case on this day. In fact, as soon as it was his turn to talk about the statue’s history, he was speechless. He started out by saying, “Okay. Well, I’ll start out by saying when this came up, I could barely….”

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Mason then started to choke up a bit as he tried and struggled to get some words out. Despite having seen nearly everything throughout his long career and the many auctions he’d attended, this particular antique treasure had left the expert speechless.

A Case of Mistaken Identity

We’re sure that when the owner of this statue saw her expert struggle to find the words to describe her family heirloom, she knew she was in for a pretty special appraisal. However, she couldn’t have known just how special a treasure this truly was. Lark Mason started out by telling the owner that her statue actually wasn’t made during the Ming Dynasty in China, although it was of Chinese origin.

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While that might sound like bad news in many cases, this was different. The vintage antique wasn’t a replica or a forgery but something much more valuable.

What Made the Statue so Special

When it comes to vintage and antique treasures, the value is usually in the details, which Lark Mason started pointing out immediately. “It’s fantastic. This is truly… Sorry, I’m a little worked up,” Mason said. “This is among the finest examples of Chinese art that we have seen on the Roadshow. The carving is beautiful. The workmanship is stunning.” He then began pointing out the intricate detail and workmanship incorporated into the statue.

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The marble was of the highest quality, and whoever had carved it was exceedingly talented because they carved detailed muscles into the lion’s back and throughout the rest of the piece.

It Turned Out the Statue Was Way Older Than Originally Thought

When you’re having an antique item appraised, one of the worst things you can hear an appraiser or expert says is that the item isn’t from the period you think it is. That usually means that your treasure is actually a replica or fake. However, this phrase takes on a completely opposite meaning when your expert tells you that your antique is older than you thought it was.

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Lark Mason told the statue’s owner that her treasure was actually much older than she thought and that it came from a “golden” era of Chinese art. It turned out that it was made between the 6th and 9th centuries during the Tang Dynasty.

A Museum-Quality Piece

Lark Mason said that he’d seen a couple of similar treasures come up for auction during his long career as an expert in Chinese antiquities. However, he added that he’d never seen one as large or as in good shape as the one that was on the table in front of him at that moment. He cited the statue’s chisel marks, lack of signage, and the quality of marble when placing its age.

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He said that the piece was such an exquisite example that it would be perfectly at home in a museum, which is a pretty big declaration when it comes to antiques. It would also no doubt fetch a pretty large sum if it went up at auction.

The Astonishing Valuation

After explaining the history of the statue and why he thought it was from the Tang Dynasty, it was finally time for Lark Mason to put a value on this vintage treasure. Mason’s valuation, it turned out, was shockingly high, but he emphasized that it was still on the conservative end of the spectrum. He said that he thought the ancient statue was worth anywhere from $120,000 to $180,000.

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However, as we said, that estimate was on the conservative end, and Mason would put the valuation for insurance purposes much higher to be safe and make sure the item was properly insured.

Plus, a Massive Insurance Valuation

This lucky owner was pretty shocked when she heard Lark Mason’s initial valuation, but she was truly taken aback when she heard how much she should insure her statue for. Mason put the insurance valuation at around $150,000 to $250,000. The owner came to the Antiques Roadshow, probably not expecting too much, and learned that she possessed museum-quality antique worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

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It’s kind of crazy to think that this piece, which undoubtedly would be the crowning jewel of a lot of collections and auctions, was just sitting in this woman’s home, but that’s part of the allure of Antiques Roadshow. And it’s not the only time that a priceless treasure made its way onto the show…