Guest on BBC Antiques Roadshow amazed when ‘small part’ of his music collection achieves huge value: ‘Praise the Lord!’

July 7, 2024

Jon Baddeley was able to deliver fantastic news to an Antiques Roadshow guest who could barely contain his excitement during a classic episode of the popular BBC programme.

This happened when guest Jim appeared on the evaluation show and showed off a number of items he had collected during his time as a security guard.

“What a fantastic collection of posters, concert tickets, photographs – of some of the greatest stars in rock’n’roll history of all time,” exclaimed Baddeley, then asked, “How did you amass all this?”

“I got a job with them, I was in charge of security,” Jim explained, adding: “But I wasn’t a bouncer, that’s other people. I wouldn’t do something like that.”

“I would just say, ‘This is where I want you,’ and whatever.” He went on to say he would work with the Monkees, the Osmonds, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Who and David Bowie.

The guest he was traveling with added: “And at Live Aid, he also handled all the security for Live Aid.”

“I can’t see any gaps at all on this list of all-time greats,” beamed the antiques specialist.

He noted: “We have dedicated his fantastic Warhol painting of Mick Jagger to you.

Baddeley was impressed by the collection

BBC

“It says, ‘To Jim, thanks for all your help, especially on the lighting desk.’ What does that refer to?”

Jim subsequently described a memorable incident, explaining: “So what happened was we were in Japan and Mick surprised me by saying he wanted to get off the lighting desk and onto the stage. (He said), ‘So you’re going to have to get me out of there and back on the stage.’

“So we carried him on stage – the crowd went crazy, they just went crazy.

“He thought he was going to die. He said, ‘Jim, we’re going to die,’ and I said, ‘We’re not going to die here!'”

The guest brought a huge collection of items

BBC

He continued: “I have to take my hat off to him, he finished the show, the crowd went crazy – it was good

“And at the end – he had never done this before – he hugged me and said, ‘You saved my life.'”

“Fantastic,” enthused Baddeley, continuing: “What a great story. What I particularly like now are these four little postcards – all portraits of Mick Jagger by Andy Warhol, and he made large-scale prints of them.”

“But what makes them very, very special is that they are actually signed by Warhol and Jagger.

“The postcards are not that rare, but to be signed by both of them is something very, very special.”

The antiques expert added: “You must have an incredible memory.”

“I’m writing everything down,” Jim replied, and Baddeley agreed: “It has to go in a book. They’ve only told us a few stories, but rock memorabilia is becoming more and more valuable.”

The music collection was worth a staggering amount

BBC

“This set of postcards alone, because they are dedicated and signed, is probably worth in the region of £3,500 to £5,000.”

“The posters cost a few hundred pounds without a dedication, and 1,000 to 1,500 pounds with a dedication.”

The presenter finally revealed the full value, explaining: “So this is just part of your collection that you brought with you today, but you told me about the others and showed me the photos. Not everything is on display now, but we are talking about an amount between £15,000 and £20,000.”

Astonished, Jim replied, “Praise the Lord!” Although he did not reveal what he planned to do with the collection, Baddeley continued, “It’s a lifetime of collecting, but it’s something you can treasure or sell as you wish.”

“It’s for the grandchildren, Jim,” joked the guest’s friend, before Jim admitted, “Well, you know, I don’t want to leave them too much!”