My family was left a golden handbag by a total stranger – we thought it was a hoax and were stunned at its value

A GUEST on Antiques Roadshow was completely stunned after learning the shocking value of a gold handbag that was left to their family by a total stranger.

The BBC Antiques series continued last night, with Fiona Bruce heading up the roadshow at Roundhay Park in Leeds. 

The episode saw several high-value items come and go, including a gold cigarette case which expert Alastair Dickenson gushed over, admitting it “one of the nicest” he’s “had the pleasure of handling on any roadshow.”

But it was the mysterious gold handbag which stole the show. 

A guest brought the dainty handbag to the roadshow after it was left to his family by a mysterious stranger. 

“My mother-in-law got a phone call out of the blue from London to say there was a safety deposit box and would we like to go down and collect it,” he explained. 

The guest continued: “We didn’t know anyone from London, so total mystery. We thought it was a hoax.

“We’ve not a clue where it’s come from [or] who’s left it.”

The safety deposit box contained “several” other items, but it was the handbag which caught the guest’s eye, and he decided to bring it along to the roadshow to see if it might be worth anything. 

Jewellery expert Susan Rumfitt was in awe of the bag and loved the idea of its mystery origin, calling it “the stuff of dreams.”

Gushing over the bag, she said: “Look how soft it is, it’s just so feminine and elegant for what is a really hard metal. It’s solid gold.”

Susan then explained to the guest that the nine karat gold bag is around 100 years old. 

It comes from “the 1920s, which was such a glamorous era,” she said. 

She continued: “Things like this are really very collectable at the moment.

“I think an auction estimate on a beautiful example like this would be between four and six thousand pounds.”

The guest was absolutely stunned by the value and took a moment before he told Susan that the estimate was “very good.”

After the appraisal, he explained that the origin of the bag still remains a mystery. 

“We’ve been in touch with the bank. The bank is still saying they can’t disclose information but hopefully if it’s on this programme, it might just jog a memory,” he said hopefully.

Antiques Roadshow continues on BBC One on Sunday at 8pm.