Antiques Roadshow viewers can’t hide their disappointment after a rare Shakespeare book receives a VERY low valuation
Antiques Roadshow viewers struggled to hide their disappointment after a rare book received a far lower price estimation then they’d hoped.
A guest brought on a 368-year-old edition of one of William Shakespeare’s most iconic plays in the hope it would be worth of serious money.
Fans had high hopes for the copy of King Lear, especially as it was one of only 17 known copies to exist.
But sadly, expert Devon Eastland offered an estimation that was far lower than expected, even surprising the book’s owner, after it was passed down through family generations.
The episode, which aired on US Channel PBS, sae expert Devon confirm that the book was an authentic copy.
How much? Antiques Roadshow viewers struggled to hide their disappointment after a rare book received a far lower price estimation then they’d hoped
Pricey! A guest brought on a 368-year-old edition of one of William Shakespeare’s most iconic plays in the hope it would be worth of serious money
However, she had reservations about the printer, Jane Bell, who was a widow of Moses Bell and questioned if she had the right to print the book.
Flipping through the pages, she said: ‘This book doesn’t look that great, right? Looks a bit brown.
‘We had some trouble setting it up because the front board is detached and this has a piece of tape on it. So you think ”that looks like a junky book”.’
Devon went onto note that the numbers marked in the book suggested prio ownders were trying to work out how old the book actually was.
She went onto reveal that the last copy of the same book was sold at auction in 1946, adding: ‘Nothing since and there are only 10 copies in the US and seven in England, which is really rare.
‘If you have a book that hasn’t been sold since 1946, we often rely on auction records to look for comparable copies.
‘At auction, I would conservatively say $10,000 (£7,912) to $15,000 (£11,870).’
Raising his eyebrows, the guest said: ‘Really?’ while Devon responded: ‘Yeah, for this dirty little book.’
That little? But sadly, expert Devon Eastland offered an estimation that was far lower than expected, even surprising the book’s owner
Given the book’s age, many fans were disappointed to see its price had been estimated so low.
One tweeted: ‘I thought it would be higher, being one of 17 known copies to exist,’ while another tweeted: ‘I thought she was going to say millions.’
A third said: ‘I feel like it should be worth so much more.’
In a later update, it was revealed that the appraiser was contacted by the guest to restore the book and put it at auction, where it sold for $46,000 (£36,400).
