Antiques Roadshow kid finds 'genie bottle' on side of road worth staggering amount
One aspiring antiques star got the surprise of a lifetime when the youngster brought his "Genie's lamp" onto Antiques Roadshow, explaining how it had already granted one of his wishes.
Antiques Roadshow: Silver Demitasse Pot valued at $250-350
On PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, one pint-sized guest made a delightful discovery about the value of an item he'd found on his way home from school.
The young boy brought what he believed to be a “sterling silver teapot” but revealed he calls it a “Genie’s lamp” because it had already granted one of his wishes.
He explained: “When I was five I wished to be on TV” and the antique item, which the appraiser revealed as a Demitasse Pot for coffee, had made his dream come true.
Adding to his surprise for the day, the young guest was truly taken aback when appraiser LaGina Austin revealed the pot would likely be worth $250 (£196) to $350 (£275) if he were to take it to auction.
As he gushed over the “amazing” value for “something I found on the side of the road”, LaGina highlighted one important legal dilemma the youngster might have to face if he does plan on selling it.
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LaGina explained that to avoid the handle overheating and burning its users’ hands, the manufacturers created a heat stop by embedding chunks of ivory.
She added: “There are laws against selling ivory so you can take those off if you were to ever sell it.”
The appraiser admitted the guest had been right about the sterling silver description as he revealed it hadn’t been much of a guess as the bottom of the pot was engraved with the word ‘sterling’.
LaGina pointed out a number of other engravings on the pot, including a sword and laurel wreath symbol which indicated the pot's manufacturer.
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She enlightened its young owner: “That’s the mark for Wilcox and Wagner, a company out of New York City and they made silver objects, trinkets, vanity items but in the 1900, another company Watson was commissioned to make holloware, which is what this is called, for Wilcox and Wagner.
“In 1905, Wilcox and Wagner went out of business but Watson continued and they used the same mark until 1929. So your demitasse pot dates between 1900 and 1929.”
The young star revealed that he had found the pot on the side of the road in New Haven while he walking home from school one day with his father, adding: “What appealed to me about this item is that it had a G on it which is the first letter of my name and it looked interesting like it had history.”