Antiques Roadshow guest gobsmacked at value of ‘creepy’ tribal mask picked up in junk shop
AN Antiques Roadshow guest has been left gobsmacked at the value of a 'creepy' tribal mask picked up in a junk shop.
Sunday's episode of the BBC show saw expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan examine a tribal mask to establish its value.
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He said: "This is a great looking thing, I mean, it’s real sculpture, it’s very decorative.
“To some people, it would be spooky. Do you know where it’s from?”
The guest had a feeling it was from Nigeria and Ronnie confirmed it was.
He said: "Yes it is. It’s from the ‘Ebo’ or Igbo in southeastern Nigeria. How does it come to be with you?”
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The guest revealed he had grown up in Kenya but actually ended up buying this particular mask from a shop in Swansea, Wales in 1996.
He said: "I was in my 20s and I walked past a junk shop in Swansea and I saw it in the front and it was apparently from a house clearance form somebody who used to live in Africa.
“I went in and it was quite a lot of money for me. I paid £100."
After discussing what the mask would have been used for, Ronnie finally got down to the value, revealing: "They have sales especially for this quality, this type of thing.”
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“A mask like this would have a pre-auction estimate, I think, of £3,000 to £5,000.”
The guest was stunned, replying: “Wow, I didn’t think it was anything like that. That’s a lot of money."
Ronnie told him: “It’s a great looking thing. And I’d have this on my shelf any day of the week."
Antiques Roadshow continues on Sunday, February 28 on BBC One.
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