An Antiques Roadshow expert's heart skipped a beat when a guest unwrapped what he initially thought was a rare tribal African figure, only to discover it was a fine copy—but still worth 100 times the £1.50 purchase price.
Guest's £1.50 'junk' find at Cambridge antiques shop
On Sunday's episode, filmed at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan examined a tribal figure brought in by a visitor. The guest explained: 'Believe it or not, in an antiques shop in Cambridge 10 years ago. It was right among the junk and it cost me a grand total of £1.50.'
Archer-Morgan joked: 'Wow. You really took a risk, didn't you?' The visitor replied: 'Well I was intrigued by the fact that it looked as if somebody had put a lot of work into making it.'
Expert identifies Kota reliquary guardian figure
The expert identified the piece as a Kota reliquary guardian figure from the Kota tribe in Gabon, south of Nigeria. He explained: 'And this is a Kota reliquary guardian figure and they put these on the bones of their ancestors to protect them and they polished this metal. In the 19th Century, often their brass and copper - this is just copper - the brass and copper was like gold to them.'
He added: 'They're so highly revered in the art world that they have one of these in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. They're such iconic examples of African tribal art.'
Authentic versions can fetch £250,000
Archer-Morgan noted that an authentic example sold for a quarter of a million pounds a few years ago. However, he delivered the disappointing news: 'But unfortunately, this one is a very fine copy. It's slightly the wrong size. This was probably made in about 1980.' He valued the copy at around £150.
The guest responded: 'Well it's a lot more than I paid for it so I'm happy.' Archer-Morgan then pointed out: 'It's fantastic. I think it's 100 times more than you paid for it! There you go!'
Antiques Roadshow continues on BBC
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer. The episode from Wollaton Hall featured various guests, with Archer-Morgan's segment highlighting the enduring appeal of African tribal art, even in replica form.
