BBC Antiques Roadshow expert struggles to value item as he makes surprise admission about mystery artefact
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Ronnie Archer-Morgan was dumbfounded by one guest's item
BBC
On Sunday evening, Antiques Roadshow fans will get another chance to see the array of heirlooms and artefacts that were on show when Fiona Bruce and her team of experts headed to Forty Hall.
The Enfield location welcomed the team back in 2021 and saw the likes of an original Punch and Judy set, a sought-after necklace, and hugely valuable rock memorabilia all cross the experts' paths.
However, it was a rather unique-looking wooden stick that caught the eye of Ronnie Archer-Morgan in the episode, which prompted him to admit he had no idea what it even was.
Speaking to the guests in the episode, which will air on BBC One again on Sunday night, Archer-Morgan said: "This is exactly the kind of thing that I love to find. What do you know about this?"
The guest explained: "Well, it's been in my family for as long as I know. My mother was born in India and got married in India and it's been in the family ever since.
"My mother at one point did try to explain to me what it was for... there's metal holes as you can see at the top," the guest continued.
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Ronnie Archer-Morgan examined the stick
BBC
Archer-Morgan examined the item as the guest went on: "You'd put sticks in and she implied you'd sort of hold it in the sun and the stick would cause a shadow..."
"Like a sundial?" Archer-Morgan asked which prompted the guest to reply: "Well, yes but you can't really move sundials. Anyway, I never knew quite how it worked."
Despite the mystery, Archer-Morgan admitted: "You might be pleased to know that I love it, you might not be pleased to know why...
"I love it because I don't know what it is," Archer-Morgan said, prompting his guests to let out a laugh.
BBC Antiques Roadshow: Ronnie Archer-Morgan's guests similarly didn't know what the stick was
BBC
Explaining further, Archer-Morgan commented: "I like to discover what they are, I love that journey of discovery. It's beautifully made, all these numbers, it's octagonal with all these numbers running down each face...
"It's clearly Indian script here and here," he added as he pointed to a specific section of the stick.
As he continued his analysis, Archer-Morgan was fascinated with the "intriguing little clues" on the stick that may lead to explaining exactly what it was for.
Archer-Morgan ruled out the possibility of the stick being used as a walking aid as he mulled over its potential purpose before he attempted to slap a monetary value on the item.
"It's definitely old, 100 to 120 or 130 years old, late 19th to 20th century. I'm appealing to people watching the programme for someone to tell us (what it is)," Archer-Morgan continued. "And it would have a price!"
Despite not knowing the function of the stick, Archer-Morgan decided to value it with a price he would be willing to pay just to try and find out what it was used for.
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BBC Antiques Roadshow: Ronnie Archer-Morgan was intrigued by the item
BBC
"I would be happy to pay up to 200 for that," Archer-Morgan mused. "Probably no more...
"But I would pay 200 just to have it and find out... what a cheap lesson that would be!" the expert joked.
His guests let out a laugh before the BBC show moved to examine more hidden gems.
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