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An Antiques Roadshow guest planted a kiss on a £10 junk shop find he dumped in a garage for 20 years after discovering that it was worth more than a car.
Wednesday’s episode of the BBC programme, first broadcast in 2015, featured a pensioner who had brought a racing car sign to Walmer Castle in Dover.
Expert Lisa Lloyd was on hand to give him an accurate estimation of the value of the British Petroleum poster, which quickly caught her eye.
Lisa said: ‘Well, what a fantastic image. What have we got here? It really epitomises everything of the age of speed.’
Referring to the driver in the image, Lisa continued: ‘Here he is, belting as fast as he can to get past the finishing line. It really does convey the age of speed.
An Antiques Roadshow guest planted a kiss on a £10 junk shop find dumped in a garage for 20 years after he discovered it was worth more than a car
Wednesday’s episode of the BBC programme, first broadcast in 2015, featured a pensioner who had brought a racing car sign to Walmer Castle in Dover
Expert Lisa Lloyd was on hand to give him an accurate estimation of the value of the BP poster which had quickly caught her eye
‘You see the driver here, he’s got a little racing helmet on, there he is changing gear and he’s just desperately trying to get past the finish line.
She continued: ‘This sign is actually known as “The Winner” sign, and, if you are a collector or an automobilia in enamel signs, then this is the crème de la crème of signs. This is the one that you want.
‘Tell me, how did you come to have this?’
The guest answered: ‘I went to a junk shop to buy some militaria as I was interested in that… I couldn’t buy nothing I wanted and as I turned around and walked out, I noticed this on the wall and I just said “that’s for me” and that’s what I did.
‘I bought it on the spot and I’ve loved it ever since…. It’s my epitome of what speed and those ages were. I bought that just over 20 years ago.’
Lisa explained that the sign, which had been made in the mid 1920s, was an enamel sign used to advertise various products outside places like garages and petrol stations.
She said: ‘You can see very often that they have the screw holes in the corners where they were attached to the wall and we see a lot of them that are terribly badly rusted.
‘This one is actually not too bad at all… So many people would love to have this, not only your enamel sign collectors but also classic car enthusiasts.’
When asked if he had his sign displayed at home, the guest said: ‘No, it’s been in the garage for 20 odd years.
‘I know it’s there, I look at it when I go into the garage and that’s where it stays.
Lisa said: ‘This sign is actually known as “The Winner” sign, and, if you are a collector or an automobilia in enamel signs, then this is the crème de la crème of signs’
The guest said: ‘I bought it on the spot and I’ve loved it ever since…. It’s my epitome of what speed and those ages were. I bought that just over 20 years ago’
Though he bought the poster for £10, when asked how much he thought it was worth, the pensioner said ‘200, 250’. Upon Lisa’s insistence, the crowd gave guesses ‘£400’ and ‘£500’
Lisa shocked all when she revealed: ‘I think if this was to come up for sale in a really good motoring or classic car auction, I think it would make £10,000 to £15,000’
Rendered speechless for several moments, the pensioner finally spoke to address the poster and say: ‘Darling, I love you,’ and kiss it, causing Lisa and the audience to erupt into laughter
‘I’m afraid the wife really wouldn’t appreciate it on the wall with some of the other bits I’ve got so the garage it stayed.’
After he told her he bought it for £10, Lisa asked the guest how much he thought it was worth. He answered: ‘£200, £250.’
When she turned the question over to the crowd, their guesses reached £400 and £500.
Lisa said: ‘OK, we’re going up, we’re going in the right direction.’
She then revealed: ‘I think if this was to come up for sale in a really good motoring or classic car auction, I think it would make £10,000 to £15,000.’
The audience gasped and the guest stood speechless with his mouth agape for a several moments: ‘No. That’s been in my garage.’
Addressing the poster, he said: ‘Darling, I love you,’ and kissed it causing Lisa and the audience to erupt into laughter.
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
