Fans of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow were left stunned after a seemingly ordinary item was valued as being worth thousands.
The hit show, which runs every Sunday evening on BBC One, often amazes people watching at home as expert antique dealers add huge price tags to their family heirlooms.
And the episode on Sunday, September 19 filmed at Dyffryn Gardens, Cardiff, was no different, with viewers struggling to believe the valuations on the recently-returned series.
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One of the most shocking items on the series was a seemingly-normal penknife, introduced by expert Marc Allum.
The expert joked how as a boy Scout he would never leave home without his trusty multi-tool but speculated that this one was hiding something special.
He said: “It is the most exceptional multitool I’ve seen for a long time. Please tell me where does it come from.”
The guest went on to explain his father had acquired the unusual tool but he knew very little about its history or where it had come from.
The owner said: “I theorised it is some salesman’s tool when you went around the local dignitaries asking if they wanted pen knives made, and this would be the options that they could have.”
Marc explained his guess wasn’t too far off the mark. He explained: “This is not something that’s been made to be used in the sense my multi-tool is.
“This is really a tour de force of the cutler’s art. It’s an exhibition piece, it was primarily made just to show how good a company was.
“This is a 48 ‘blade’ multi-tool. They made these up to 100 blades, and sometimes even 200 blades.”
Marc dated the ‘Dodson’ Sheffield made multi-tool to the late 19th century - and explained there is a ‘very strong’ market for these items, especially in America.
Describing it as a ‘wonderous item’, at auction he expects the tool to make at least £2,000-£3,000.
Responding the owner said: “Gracious me. That’s amazing.
“It’s absolutely shocked me… to the ground. It really has shocked me to the ground.”
While thanking the man for bringing the item along, Marc flicked the tool - stabbing his finder on the blade as he did it.
As the crowd erupted into laughed Marc explained: “Sugar! I just cut myself! Look!”
Viewers quickly took to Twitter to share their shock over the evaluation.
One person said: “Incredible scenes where a beautiful table carved by a “penknife” is worth £3k. Earlier an actual penknife was valued at that”
A second said: “2-3K? get out of town”
“Good job he said “Sugar!” Otherwise it would have needed a retake” added a third.
Another person likened the open multi-tool to that of a ‘Hoopoe’ bird.
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