An Antiques Roadshow expert was left stunned by a ‘mysterious’ object during Sunday night’s episode of the show – before revealing its true value to a very shocked guest.
BBC crews headed to Ebrington Square in Londonderry in the west of Northern Ireland for the latest episode of the appreciation show.
And in a very rare occurrence for the programme, expert Adam Schoon was left completely baffled by a ‘mysterious’ object, admitting: ‘I don’t really know!’ about its origin.
The guest brought with him a paddle-shaped object, which Adam soon discovered came from the Australian islands in the South Pacific Ocean.
The guest suggested it could have been a carpet beater or a paddle, while Adam hypothesized it could have been used in a ritual or dance.
Mystery: Expert Adam Schoon admitted he was ‘not sure’ what the object was used for
A bewildered Adam told the guest: “It’s interesting because I don’t really know!”
“But look: it’s completely carved out. The front of the paddle has these bands and wobble work and repeated triangular motifs. Can you imagine how much time this would have taken?’
He added that the difficulty was that it came from a society that did not record how they used objects, but suspected they were made sometime in the 19th century.
He continued, “I think it’s 19th century. Many were made in the 1820s and 1840s and were virtually commodity items.
‘The islanders would be visited by missionaries and traders and whalers, they wanted to exchange something for goods.’
Adam pointed out the intricate and ornate carvings in the item, focusing on two carvings of figures in the head – something the guest had never noticed before.
She said the item was given to her by her grandmother because she needed something to decorate with when she moved.
Mindblown: An Antiques Roadshow guest was shocked after the real value of the ‘mystery’ item was revealed
Special: Adam pointed out the very detailed carvings and concluded that they could have been used in some kind of ritual
Complicated: Adam analyzed the complicated paddle, which he thought was from the 19th century
Interesting: Adam believed it came from the Australian islands in the South Pacific Ocean
As Adam continued with the appraisal, the guest remained puzzled by the actual price of an item she thought was worthless.
Taking into account a small amount of the edge, Adam said the paddle could fetch between £700 and £1,000.
The delighted guest said: ‘Oh really! Wow! Well done Nana!
‘It’s a beautiful story – and I never even noticed the heads and figures in it! That’s brilliant – thank you!’
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC Two or on BBC iPlayer.
Delighted: The guest was surprised at the shock of the family heirloom and thanked Adam