BBC Antiques Roadshow expert struggles to determine item’s value as he makes surprising admissions about mysterious artifact
On Sunday evening, Antiques Roadshow fans will have another opportunity to see the wide range of heirlooms and artefacts on display when Fiona Bruce and her team of experts came to Forty Hall.
The Enfield site welcomed the team back in 2021 and saw the experts come across an original Punch and Judy set, a coveted necklace and extremely valuable rock memorabilia, among other things.
However, it was a rather unique looking wooden stick that caught Ronnie Archer-Morgan’s eye in the episode and caused him to admit that he had no idea what it even was.
Speaking to guests on the episode, which airs again on BBC One on Sunday night, Archer-Morgan said: “This is exactly the kind of thing I like to find. What do you know about it?”
The guest explained: “As far as I know, it has always been in my family. My mother was born in India and married in India, and it has stayed in the family ever since.”
“My mother tried to explain to me at some point what it was for… there are metal holes as you can see above,” the guest continued.
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Ronnie Archer-Morgan examined the stock
BBC
Archer-Morgan examined the object while the guest continued: “You put sticks in it, and she said you held it up to the sun, so to speak, and the stick would cast a shadow…”
“Like a sundial?” asked Archer-Morgan, to which the guest replied, “Yes, but you can’t really move sundials. At least I never knew exactly how they worked.”
Despite the mystery, Archer-Morgan admitted: “You may be pleased to know that I love it, but you may not be pleased to know why…
“I love it because I don’t know what it is,” said Archer-Morgan, making his guests laugh.
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Ronnie Archer-Morgan’s guests also didn’t know what the stick was
BBC
Archer-Morgan explained further: “I love finding out what they are, I love that journey of discovery. It’s beautifully done, all these numbers, it’s octagonal with all these numbers running down each side…
“Here and here you can clearly see Indian writing,” he added, pointing to a particular part of the stick.
As his analysis continued, Archer-Morgan became intrigued by the “fascinating little clues” on the stick that could potentially lead to an explanation of exactly what it was intended for.
Archer-Morgan ruled out the possibility that the stick was used as a walking aid and considered its possible purpose before attempting to assign a monetary value to the item.
“It’s definitely old, 100 to 120 or 130 years old, late 19th to 20th century. I appeal to viewers of the show to tell us what it is,” Archer-Morgan continued. “And it would come at a price!”
Although Archer-Morgan did not know the function of the stick, he decided to value it at a price he was willing to pay just to find out what it was used for.
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Ronnie Archer-Morgan was fascinated by the article
BBC
“I would gladly pay up to 200 for that,” Archer-Morgan mused. “Probably not more than that…”
“But I would pay $200 just to have it and find out… what a cheap lesson it would be!” joked the expert.
His guests laughed loudly before the BBC programme moved on to investigating further hidden treasures.
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