BBC Antiques Roadshow guest asks expert to repeat value for 'doorstop' worth thousands

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left "emotional" when he discovered that his car boot sale find was actually worth thousands of pounds.

The BBC series, filmed at Beaumaris Castle in North Wales, showcased another exciting episode where experts met with visitors to discuss their unique items.

John Foster, an expert on the show, had the opportunity to meet a man who brought along an unusual sculpture he bought three years ago and wanted to learn more about it.

"I've always been perplexed, wondering what it is. It's been a doorstop for the past 12 months", the guest started.

"I picked it up in a car boot sale in Anglesey about three years ago and paid £50 for it, so I'm just interested to see where it came from. Somebody mentioned it could be African, I don't know."

Foster then revealed that the piece was created by Ben Enwonwu, "one of Nigeria's most celebrated sculptors".

"What was so brilliant about him was that he was the first pioneer in mixing Nigerian art with Western art. Known really as a sculptor in bronze and in stone and this being in carved stone.

"Style wise, I would have thought it dates from the 1970s, everything about it says the 1970s.

"He was picked up by a gallery in the 1940s, and it was a gallery called the Zwemmer Gallery, and that literally, from then, skyrocketed him to having shows in New York, London, and Milan. It literally went global."

The guest was astounded to learn from Antiques Roadshow expert Foster that the seemingly innocuous figure in his possession, bearing a faint Zwemmer Gallery stamp, could be of significant value.

With enthusiasm, Foster explained: "Having that name underneath, the very faintly Zwemmer Gallery, which they were the ones who basically put on the exhibition, it is really the key to this being absolutely genuine."

He then made the visitor's jaw drop with a cautious auction estimate: "As an auction estimate, conservatively, £10,000 to £15,000."

The owner was visibly taken aback, expressing his disbelief by saying: "Really? I'll have to speak Welsh" and then uttering a phrase in Welsh. Foster quipped in response: "As long as that's not a swear word."

Struggling to absorb the information, the sculpture's custodian asked for a repeat, leading Foster to restate the substantial valuation, to which the owner reacted: "You're joking. Oh my God."

Foster shed further light on the item, articulating its desirability: "It is one of the most sought after and some of his sculptures can make it into the hundreds of thousands."

Moved by the revelation, the man admitted "I could cry" prompting Foster to acknowledge: "I can see it's made you emotional."

The guest said: "I had no inclination at all that this was going to be worth so much money. It's shocked me to be honest and pleasantly shocked me."

"In an ideal world, I'd love to keep it, but probably not. I have to be pragmatic and think seriously about what I should do with it."

He then shared in a separate chat: "I can't believe it, to be honest. I came here just on the off chance of having a nice day out.

"I thought it might be worth £100, I paid £50, so I thought if I can double my money, I'd be laughing."

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.