Antiques Roadshow expert Mark Hill left a guest in disbelief in a classic episode of the BBC favourite.
In a rare moment captured in the episode, which originally aired in 2022 but is set to be repeated on Sunday, the humble item ended up being worth far more than the guest had expected, and her shock was evident.
“So we’re looking at, dare I say, a sort of rather kitsch 1950s/1960s cigarette lighter,” Hill stated while introducing the item he’d been inspecting.
“My father worked for Dunhill as a salesman in the 1950s,” the guest elaborated, with Hill responding: “Magic word – Dunhill. And of course, there it is on the front.”
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The Antiques Roadshow item was extremely rare
“What we’re looking at is something called a Dunhill Aquarium Lighter,” Hill shared.
Alluding towards the design, which saw the item adorned with moths, he added: “The one thing you don’t find in aquarium are moths.”
“That’s always intrigued me a bit really,” the owner of the item shared. “Because, you know, I’ve heard it’s called an Aquarium Lighter, but it seemed bizarre that there are moths there.”
“So have you seen any other aquarium lighters?” the expert asked, to which the guest answered: “I have seen some, you know, I think maybe on the Antiques Roadshow in the past, but with fish.”
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Antiques Roadshow expert Mark Hill was stunned by the item
“And they’re bright colors and they’re jolly and they’re jazzy, aren’t they?” Hill noted.
“And that’s what this was all about. So they were effectively little artworks in their own right.
“They would take a panel of Lucite, and then they would carve from the back the pattern out.
“So they’d have had a watercolor to work from which had been approved by Dunhill, and then some of them would be sent elsewhere to be painted in bright colors.”
Noting the rarity of the item in front of him, he concluded: “So you end up with these almost sort of shimmering with the effect of the Lucite, sort of fish, and you get that very watery thing. But here… Moths on a black background.”
“Bizarre,” the guest commented before Hill made a significant revelation about the lighter, which featured two moths.
“I’ve only ever seen one other example – with one moth,” he recalled.
“Do you like it?” he inquired, with the guest replying: “I love it. I absolutely love it. It’s very, very precious to me, sentimentally.”
When asked by Hill, the guest confirmed her love of the piece was due to the associations of her father.
“Is it more precious when I say it’s worth £5,000 to £,7000?” He asked, immediately shocking the woman.
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The BBC Antiques Roadshow guest was in disbelief
Placing her hands to her mouth, she remarked: “Oh, stop it. Don’t be silly. Are you kidding?”
“I’m not kidding,” Hill assured her, explaining: “Rarity really counts. These have exploded amongst collectors in the past 10/15, years, and they will fight and fight and fight and fight and compete to get the rarest!”
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The Antiques Roadshow guest seemed emotional over the valuation
He went on: “As I said, I’ve only ever seen another one, with one moth, and I haven’t seen any with two moths.”
“Wow. What a clever father I had, to pick them the one with the moths!” the guest exclaimed.
“He was remarkably smart,” Hill agreed, with the guest appearing quite emotional as the news sunk in.
“Thank you,” she managed. “Thank you very much. I’m kind of a bit lost for words. Thank you.”
