Antiques Roadshow expert shares disappointing truth behind JFK signed photo

Antiques Roadshow adept Hilary Kay saw a impermanent who brought successful a signed photograph of erstwhile US president John F Kennedy, and rapidly delivered immoderate crushing news

On BBC One's Antiques Roadshow, adept Hilary Kay was taken aback by a impermanent who presented a signed photograph of John F Kennedy. She confessed she "didn't expect to see" specified an point featuring the iconic US president.

The proprietor of the photograph shared its history, revealing it had been successful the household for implicit six decades: "It was sent to my great-grandfather, William Ewart Pitt, who astatine the clip successful the '60s was Chief Constable of Derbyshire Police."

Detailing JFK's visit, the impermanent recounted however the president had visited Ireland for authoritative authorities concern and past made an unscheduled halt astatine RAF Waddington.

The communicative continued with the impermanent explaining: "From RAF Waddington successful Lincolnshire helium took a chopper to Chatsworth, wherever his sister is buried successful Edensor. And arsenic my great-grandad was Chief Constable of Derbyshire Police, helium met him astatine the helicopter, took him to his sister's graveside, spent a fewer hours with him past took him backmost to the helicopter, and the chopper past flew down to conscionable Harold Macmillan for the remainder of his enactment successful the UK."

Despite the fascinating backstory, Hilary had to interruption the quality that the signature connected the photograph was apt not genuine, pointing retired that "Eighty per cent of the signatures that we spot purporting to beryllium by Kennedy are either secretarial oregon by the celebrated Autopen 50."

The photograph had been accompanied by a necktie pin, which was considered an exceedingly benignant motion careless of the authenticity of the signature.

"Autopen signatures, I mean, if you got that instrumentality fired up and it worked an eight-hour day, it could motion 3,000 pieces of insubstantial successful a day."

Delivering the unfortunate revelation, she continued: "My feelings looking astatine this, it seems that the dedication, obviously, to your great-grandfather is successful a due hand. But I deliberation the 'with champion wishes' and the signature is astir apt printed."

The impermanent seemed somewhat deflated by the news.

Hilary comforted him by saying that the necktie pin, which depicted the PT-109 that Kennedy commanded during the war, successful the South Pacific, was a "little gem".

She further stated: "He evidently rated the clip that helium spent with your great-grandfather due to the fact that different her wouldn't person retired that pin in."

The photo's worthy would beryllium astir £150, with an archetypal signature being worthy importantly more.

The impermanent confirmed that the point was ne'er going to beryllium sold, and the information it was not archetypal did not matter.