An Antiques Roadshow guest was left in complete shock over the huge value of her ‘ugly’ lamp which she found while out on a walk.
Expert Arlie Sulka evaluated the unusual item when the hit show visited Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona.
On the American version of the BBC series, the guest explained: ‘I was taking a walk in the morning and I got about four houses down from where I live and there was a sign that said “Free”.
‘And so I walked by it the first day, and then the second day I thought about it again, and I thought “Well I’ll take this”. And it’s pretty ugly but I can give it to somebody, but it’s a lamp, so I’ll just take it.
‘So when I brought it home, I ran over to my neighbour and asked him if he could cut the cord off and fix it.
An Antiques Roadshow guest was left in complete shock over the huge value of her ‘ugly’ lamp which she found while out on a walk
![Expert Arlie Sulka evaluated the unusual item when the hit show visited Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/14/81775937-13131353-image-a-78_1709044893788.jpg)
Expert Arlie Sulka evaluated the unusual item when the hit show visited Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona
‘He said the plug alone is really old and that I should wait and find out about the lamp before I cut it off.’
The Antiques Roadshow expert revealed it was a Louis Comfort Tiffany lamp made by Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces Inc.
Arlie said: ‘You have a gilded bronze base with the enamel design around the foot and then what we call a damascene blown-glass shade with wonderful iridescence on the outside.’
The expert explained that each lamp has different colours and each colour differs the value of the lamp.
Arlie noted that the caramel colour, which the guest owned, was ‘very desirable’, she added: ‘because it’s intact and the shade is one of the better colours.’
There was also a mark on the inside which read, ‘LCT Favrile’ which the expert explained proved the light fixture was ‘homemade’.
Revealing the staggering value of the item, Arlie said: ‘In a retail venue, something like this could sell for between $10,000 and $15,000.’
Bursting into the tears, the guest was in shock and said: ‘Oh my god’.
![The Antiques Roadshow expert revealed it was a Louis Comfort Tiffany lamp made by Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces Inc](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/14/81775935-13131353-image-a-79_1709044909286.jpg)
The Antiques Roadshow expert revealed it was a Louis Comfort Tiffany lamp made by Louis C. Tiffany Furnaces Inc
![Revealing the staggering value of the item, Arlie said: 'In a retail venue, something like this could sell for between $10,000 and $15,000'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/14/81776665-13131353-image-a-80_1709045153550.jpg)
Revealing the staggering value of the item, Arlie said: ‘In a retail venue, something like this could sell for between $10,000 and $15,000’
![Bursting into the tears, the guest was in shock and said: 'Oh my god'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/02/27/14/81775941-13131353-image-a-81_1709045155723.jpg)
Bursting into the tears, the guest was in shock and said: ‘Oh my god’
The expert advised the guest to have the lamp rewired to maintain the item’s value and not to transport it in full again.
She added: ‘And please don’t ever transport it in one piece with the shade on like you did, because the bulk of the value is in this shade. And if you broke the shade, the base would be worth about $500 to $1,000. So the shade is very important.’
Antiques Roadshow US is available to watch on PBS.
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