'Antiques Roadshow' turns a simple process of valuation for old artifacts and collectors' items into something dramatic by focusing on the guests that bring them, their emotional connection to the items, and their reactions after knowing the value. For some such as Ted, the response to the valuation of their prized possessions can be on another level. The man brought a unique John Lenon poster on the show and while he knew it could be valuable, his knees buckled when expert, Laura Woolley revealed how much it was really worth.
In a special episode of the PBS series, Woolley recalled one of her favorite moments, where she came across a poster that was once placed on the wall of the famous bed-in of musician and The Beatles legend, John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono.
The guest had shared that he acquired the poster at Sotheby's auction house in 1987 for a mere $400. The expert noted that apart from signing the poster, Lenon also drew a small doodle of his and Ono's faces, which was quite remarkable.
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Furthermore, the poster was accompanied by a picture of the two in their famous bed-in as well. “The more important thing about this piece is not just the signatures, it’s the fact that we have this photo of it sitting at their Bed-in in 1969," Woolley added.
The expert further shared that at the time, the two were protesting the Vietnam War and wanted peace. They were going to have the Bed-in in New York, but because of a cannabis cannabis conviction, Lenon wasn't allowed back in the U.S., so they ultimately went to Montreal.
“And during these days there, they had a number of guests come. They had Timothy Leary and Murray the K one of the people who came to visit. So this is the sign hanging on the wall over here saying that ‘Murray K Comes On Monday’," she said.
She further explained that the cool thing about Lenon and Ono's bed-in was the wonderful things they put up on the walls behind them for the press. "But when they took them all down, he signed them all and they would put the little doodles on them and of course," she said.
After admiring the poster, Woolley delivered the eye-watering estimate saying, "I would say at auction, conservatively, given the context on this, they would probably put anywhere between $50,000 and $75,000."
Hearing this, the guest nearly lost his balance and had to hold on to the table for balance. "Oh my God! I'm in a state of shock, that's great news. Thank you so much," the owner said while recovering.
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"He had absolutely no idea what's happened to the market for this stuff, so it was really fun for me to be able to drop a giant bomb on Ted", the expert said. Woolley noted that she saw the guest's knees buckle for a second. She shared that at the time, she even thought he was going to hit the ground. "They did, they did Laura", he said admiringly. "I'm glad you held on!" Woolley quipped.
Later in the special episode, the expert shared that Ted decided to sell his poster a year after the appraisal. Taking it to Heritage Auctions, he let go of the prized possession for an impressive $75,000. "I couldn't be happier for someone like Ted," Woolley said at the end.
