BBC Antiques Roadshow guest left hysterical following shock valuation

One guest on the Antiques Roadshow was left in stitches following the jaw-dropping valuation for his mirror. The item had been casually lying around his home above his dog's bowl.

The American version of the popular BBC show paid a visit to Desert Botanical Garden. The male guest took along the family heirloom to discover if it was worth anything and was left stunned, the Daily Star reports.

He explained the mirror was passed down from his grandparents' home furnishings business in Belgium. They had come across mirrors at a Parisian market and ordered a batch, when they came across a broken one.

"When they received the order, this one, it had a little piece that had been broken off so they didn't think they could sell it", he recounted. "So they just kept it at home, because they kind of liked the style."

He added that the mirrors were soon swept off the shelves, proving a huge hit. However they were let down after trying to re-order as the seller suddenly went off-grid.

They had one spare, which went to his parents, as the damaged one landed in his possession following his gran going into a care home.

Expert Sebastian Clarke left the guest speechless with his valuation, explaining the stunning mirror was credited to French history. Line Vautrin opened the doors to her own boutique following the Paris Exposition back in 1937.

Vautrin faced a challenging time of creation during the interwar period which brought a lack of precious metals. Sebastian revealed: "So what she did, and this is what's so fantastic about this, is that she turned to other different methods and experimentation of ways to make jewellery and her other real thing that she loved and her passion, was mirrors."

"This is an absolutely magnificent example. As we can see, it's made of a composite resin and you can only imagine how difficult it would be, especially with this size, to build up each layer of resin."

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He continued: "They're incredibly fragile and then to have all these wonderful little mirrored panels around the outside and then, obviously, this central convex mirror, which is mercury glass."

The guest was left stunned, recalling how his grandparents acquired the mirror long before Vautrin became a recognised name in the art world. Their work only became prominent in the 1980s.

"And Vogue magazine referred to her as the poetess of metalwork at one point, because she was so magnificent in her jewellery and metalwork."

The revelation of the item's value left everyone speechless as Sebastian announced: "In 2016, a similar example sold for $27,500. Since then, there's been considerable interest in her work."

"Another example, smaller, sold for $40,000. So, in getting together with my colleagues, we feel a reasonable auction estimate for this mirror, as a beautiful mirror, would be $40,000 to $60,000."

The guest burst into laughter, exclaiming: "Oh wow. That is crazy. I probably shouldn't keep it above the dog bowl anymore."

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