An Antiques Roadshow guest was interrupted by an expert who urged him to assess the significant value of his rare item.
Expert Jon Baddeley was quick to advise the contestant how he could make a “small fortune” in the latest episode of the BBC show.
The fine art auctioneer headed to Clissold Park, north London, where he met a guest who owned an impressive collection of vibrant 1960s music posters.
Looking at the old items, Jon said, “So today you’ve kindly brought us a collection of psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll posters.” What I notice immediately is that they are all signed by the same artist, how is that?
“Because I am that artist,” the guest responded.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was interrupted by an expert who urged him to reconsider the significant value of his rare item.
Expert Jon Baddeley was quick to warn the participant that he could make a “small fortune”, although he was not aware of its value (pictured).
“I grew up just north of San Francisco and was about 19 when I started working for the Fillmore Auditorium, and some of these signs were for them.”
Jon seemed interested and asked: ‘What was the situation like out there? I mean, it must have been really exciting. That was the center of hippie flower power.
He replied: ‘Yes, it was. I remember and I’m afraid I went a little overboard.
But the collectibles expert did not finish scrutinizing and continued: ‘The two signs near you are similar but slightly different, why?’
The guest explained: ‘Well, it was a blues show. I made this complete artwork: blues musicians at the top, a street scene with people dancing (at the bottom).
“But Bill Graham, who ran the Fillmore Auditorium, had had a lot of trouble with the police and thought that would be provocative,” he added, pointing to a depiction of a police officer on the original poster.
He revealed that the poster was ultimately altered by the printer, meaning the item was unique.
Roadshow veteran Jon (pictured left on the show in 2019) has been with the show since 1993 and is managing director of international auctioneers Bonhams Knightsbridge.
“Then it moved on to production and the city?” Jon asked, to which the guest joked, “And it’s still on t-shirts to this day.”
“When you talk about value… individually, they are all in incredibly good condition, belong to the artist and are very rare,” the expert said.
“So they will be worth £200, £300, £400, £500, maybe even up to £1,000.” But the great value is at the end because it is one of one, it is the only one known in the world, so it could be worth £2,000 or £3,000.’
Stunned by the unexpected revelation, Jon urged him to “go home” and look for the original artwork.
“But the most interesting thing is that you also own the original artwork, so please go home and try to find them because they could be worth many thousands of dollars each.” he concluded.
Jon is a veteran of Antiques Roadshow and has appeared on the much-loved BBC show for two decades.
He is an authority on scientific instruments and collectibles, a broadcaster and author, as well as a fine art auctioneer.
Trained as an engineer, Jon is managing director of international auction house Bonhams Knightsbridge.
The TV star joined Antiques Roadshow in 1993 and one of her most memorable moments was when the show went to Australia, where she iconically got to hold a replica of the Wimbledon Championship Cup.
Another guest was left speechless on the show recently after discovering the enormous value of his “hugely important” memorabilia from iconic sci-fi film Blade Runner.
One man brought a huge collection of memorabilia from the 1982 Harris Ford (pictured) film, which had been collected by his father, including costumes and scripts.
He explained that his father began collecting posters, but as his “passion grew” he became “hardcore” in seeking out larger items of film equipment.
Other The guest was left speechless on the show recently after discovering the enormous value of his “hugely important” memorabilia from iconic sci-fi film Blade Runner.
One man brought a huge collection of items from the 1982 Harris Ford movie, which had been collected by his father, and included costumes and scripts.
He explained that his father started collecting posters, but as his “passion grew” he became “hardcore” in seeking out larger items of film equipment.
Expert Jon was stunned to see the extraordinary objects, including the production’s own director Ridley Scott’s work on paper, and concluded that “thousands of people” would see it in a museum.
