A woman was amazed to discover that a table she bought at a second-hand market was worth almost 100 times the price she paid for it.
The bargain hunter attended Antiques Roadshow to find out the real value of a table she found in a thrift store in the 1980s.
While browsing at a thrift store, the woman noticed a unique looking coffee table, which she purchased at a huge discount of $20 to $25.
“I found it in a thrift store in the ’80s, I think it cost $25 or $20,” the woman said.
Just a few years ago she had the table appraised and was told that her antique find could be worth thousands.
“A few years ago I had it appraised by a man who thought it was a Kagan and valued it at about $1,600,” she said.
The person who first looked at the table mistakenly said that the designer was the famous American furniture designer Vladimir Kagan
Kagan was known for his eccentric, curved designs, which are extremely rare.
“First the bad news: This is not by Vladimir Kagan. When I showed it to him, he said, ‘It’s not mine, but I wish it were,'” Will Rogers, host of the Antiques Roadshow, told her.
“This table was designed by Adrian Pearsall for a company called Craft Associates.
“There are probably 150 of them for every Kagan table. Adrian Pearsall was a great designer himself; he founded the company in 1952.”
Rogers went on to say that the table, with its glass top and carved hardwood base, represents the pinnacle of the mid-century modern look.
“More than anything else, this table and tables like it have become the epitome of mid-century modern,” he told the woman.
Although the table was a mass-produced item and stronger than the bargain hunter originally imagined, that didn’t mean it was worthless.
In fact, Rogers said the elegant coffee table is in high demand.
“When it was originally designed, it was such a big seller for the company that he put (a picture of it) on his letterhead.”
“Adrian Pearsall’s work is becoming increasingly popular and many collectors are just beginning to seek it out. It is on the rise and very valuable.”
“These tables typically sell for $900 to $1,200 at auction. They could easily retail for $1,600.”
The woman was shocked to learn the true value of the widely available table, even though she had initially believed it to be rare.
The lucky bargain hunter is not the only one who has discovered that his cheap find is worth more than he paid for it.
A shopper found a pair of shoes at Goodwill for $30, but then discovered that the Redwing boots were actually worth $300.
The TikToker offered the boots in his shop and sold them just a few days later for $249.
The best finds from the Antiques Roadshow
Antiques Roadshow has been helping people determine the price of their treasures since 1979. Here are some of the most interesting finds