Antiques Roadshow guest needs to sit down as ‘very rare’ mystery object gets top price tag

An Antiques Roadshow was clutching astatine her thorax arsenic she was told the existent worth of an point that near an assemblage stumped.

WARNING: This nonfiction contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An Antiques Roadshow impermanent asked if she could beryllium down arsenic her “mystery” possession turned retired to beryllium worthy thousands.

The BBC bid ventured to Polesden Lacey successful Great Bookham with adept John Axford connected manus to conscionable with a pensioner who brought successful a ample decorative shot to beryllium appraised.

Surrounded by onlookers, Axford began speaking to them: “Well I’m delighted, this is simply a due enigma object. I deliberation you mightiness cognize what it mightiness beryllium for but immoderate ideas?”

Puzzled visitors guessed it could beryllium a bowling shot oregon an point from the House of Faberge but nary 1 was capable to correctly outcry retired its purpose.

So successful the end, the adept shared: “This is simply a rat deterrent. This is made successful Turkey, it does person a due name, it’s called a Yumurta.

"It hangs connected a concatenation successful a Mosque and stops the rats eating the candles.”

Axford continued: “The signifier is based on, funnily enough, it’s based connected an ostrich ovum and that symbolised the travel to Mecca and backmost and they would bring backmost ostrich eggs.

“And the connection Yumarta is the Turkish connection for eggs," helium added, which the impermanent seemed to find interesting.

When she was questioned connected however it came to beryllium hers, she replied: “When I cleared retired my aunt’s house, she was utilizing it arsenic a doorstop.”

The adept smiled, saying: “Bowling ball. Doorstop. Rat deterrent. It’s amazing! It is old, it dates from astir 1600." The pensioner past stated that it was “very old”.

He continued: “It’s a uncommon item. It is simply a uncommon item. It’s somewhat precocious successful its period, if it was conscionable 15 years earlier, it would beryllium rarer and much desirable.

“It’s made successful Turkey, either successful Iznik oregon Kütahya…it’s worth, I don’t know, £4,000 to £6,000.”

Upon proceeding this figure, the assemblage gasped arsenic the impermanent covered her rima successful daze astatine the news.

“It’s not. Oh my goodness," she softly exclaimed.

As an assemblage subordinate joked that it was a “good doorstop”, the impermanent was soundless for a moment, taking successful the quality of its worth earlier asking: “Have you got a chair?”

Antiques Roadshow is disposable to ticker connected BBC One and BBC iPlayer.