‘This movie put Spielberg on the map!’: Antique Roadshow guest was stunned by HUGE value of rare movie memorabilia
A guest on the US version of Antiques Roadshow was stunned to learn the value of a rare piece of movie memorabilia she owned this week.
When the show stopped at Wadsworth Mansion in Connecticut, lady expert James Supp presented a clapperboard from the iconic 1975 movie Jaws.
She explained that her father had worked on the film as a driver and the item had been used on set by world-renowned director Steven Spielberg.
Tell the expert'[My Dad] was friends with the camera crew and one of them relented [the clapperboard] to him,’
She also snapped photos of her father posing with the animatronic shark on set to prove the item’s legitimacy.
Shock! A guest on the US version of Antiques Roadshow was stunned to learn the value of a rare piece of movie memorabilia she owned this week
Iconic: When the Roadshow stopped at Wadsworth Mansion in Connecticut, lady expert James Supp handed a clapperboard from the iconic 1975 film Jaws
Expert James said: ‘Jaws ushered in the era of summer blockbusters – and it was the film that put Steven Spielberg on the map.’
The black wooden board, a device used to help synchronize video and audio, also featured white pointy teeth.
The Oscar-winning thriller told the story of a man-eating great white shark that attacks an American beach town, sparking an increase in sport fishing across America.
Expert James continued: “This type of clapperboard was known to have been made for Jaws, a few different versions, but they are exceedingly rare”
Admitting that the clapper’s “jaw-closing action” meant it “could be worth quite a bit to collectors.”
The antiques expert then appraised the item by saying: “If this came up for auction, I’d put an auction estimate on it of $25,000 to $35,000.”
Last year, filmmaker Steven said he “really regrets” the “decimation of the shark population” following the success of his 1975 film.
He joined Lauren Laverne BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island discs to discuss his successful directing career.
Inherited: She explained that her father had worked on the film as a driver and the item had been used on set by world-famous film director Steven Spielberg
wow: the antiques expert went on to appraise the item and said, ‘If this came up at auction, I’d put an auction estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 on it’
Shark bait: Last year, filmmaker Steven said he “really regrets” the “decimation of the shark population” following the success of his 1975 film
Spielberg, 76, is known for Hollywood blockbusters, including ET, Indiana Jones, and Jurassic Park.
Asked by Laverne how he felt about having real sharks circling his desert island, he said, “That’s one of the things I’m still afraid of.
“Not to get eaten by a shark, but those sharks are somehow mad at me for the crazy angler food frenzy that happened after 1975.”
He added, “I truly and to this day regret the decimation of the shark population because of the book and movie. I really regret that.’
A grudge: Spielberg admitted that he thinks the sharks are somehow mad at him because of the movie; a young Spielberg on the set of Jaws
Shark Hunt: The movie created a frenzy around shark hunting and resulted in the killing of many sharks; seen here (left to right) Robert Shaw, Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss