Antiques Roadshow guest's rare charity find gets huge £400,000 valuation

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left in shock after a charity shop purchase turned out to be worth an astonishing £400,000.

The unexpected windfall came when an unassuming guest brought a £400 painting to the valuation table, only to be told it was an original Van Dyck masterpiece.

An extraordinary find

The remarkable discovery was discussed by former Pointless host Richard Osman on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment, where he revealed the staggering valuation was one of the show's biggest surprises.

Richard explained that, unlike some of the most high-profile finds on Antiques Roadshow, this particular item had not been pre-arranged with producers or researched before filming. Instead, it was a completely genuine, off-the-cuff valuation.

"The most expensive item I could find that was actually somebody who had just bought something in a shop and turned up with it was a painting they bought for £400 in a thrift shop," Richard said.

"And it turned out to be a £400,000 Van Dyck," the former Pointless host revealed.

How valuable finds are sometimes pre-arranged

Richard also revealed that while most guests bring items without prior knowledge of their value, some of the biggest finds in the show's history have been arranged in advance.

He claimed that Antiques Roadshow researchers occasionally work with institutions that suspect they own valuable artefacts but have never had them formally appraised.

One such case was a six-foot model of the Angel of the North, owned by Gateshead Council, which was valued at over £1 million—more than the real-life Angel of the North cost to create.

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Similarly, an Army regiment brought a Fabergé flower, which was later revealed to be worth over £1 million.

Richard clarified that these high-value items are not staged, but rather flagged before filming so that producers can ensure they make it onto the show.

"You're not just going to turn up with it in a bag," he joked.

The magic of unexpected discoveries

Despite these pre-arranged valuations, Richard insisted that the majority of Antiques Roadshow finds come from the public spotting the show is in town and bringing their own treasures along.

He described the Van Dyck discovery as one of the show's most remarkable moments, proving that hidden gems can still be found in the most unlikely places.

For one guest, a simple charity shop purchase turned into a life-changing discovery, proving that bargain hunting can sometimes pay off in the most extraordinary way.

Antiques Roadshow airs on Sundays at 8pm on BBC One and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.