Antiques Roadshow crowd gasp as woman learns truth behind 'tiny but very precious' note from national treasure gifted to her by husband

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The Antiques Roadshow crowd gasped as they watched a woman learn the truth behind her ‘tiny but very precious’ note on Sunday’s episode.

The woman had brought her valuable item in for the experts, who were based at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in the latest episode of the hit BBC show. 

Valuer Matthew Haley was left almost as speechless as the crowd after being presented with a small framed letter from a national treasure. 

The guest read the note aloud, dictating: ‘Tomorrow, 7.45, no dress. OW.’

Intrigued even further, Matthew asked the woman for the item’s backstory.

The Antiques Roadshow crowd gasped as they watched a woman learn the truth behind her 'tiny but very precious' note in an episode on Sunday

The Antiques Roadshow crowd gasped as they watched a woman learn the truth behind her ‘tiny but very precious’ note in an episode on Sunday

The woman had brought her valuable item in for the experts who were based at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in the latest episode of the hit BBC show

The woman had brought her valuable item in for the experts who were based at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in the latest episode of the hit BBC show

The guest explained: 'Well, this is a little note that was written by Oscar Wilde, inviting one of his chum's round for supper.'

The guest explained: ‘Well, this is a little note that was written by Oscar Wilde, inviting one of his chum’s round for supper.’

She explained: ‘Well, this is a little note that was written by Oscar Wilde, inviting one of his chum’s round for supper.’

She added that the note had come into her possession because she used to live on Tite Street, where the famous playwright had lived, and her husband had given her the note.

The expert responded: ‘Absolutely lovely. I mean, Oscar Wilde is one of the greatest playwrights, as well as a poet and an author and a great letter writer and he lived in Tite Street in Chelsea in London between 18885 and 1895.’

The guest agreed and the pair discussed the importance of the writer’s work including his famous quotes like ‘nothing succeeds like excess’ as well as a hilarious handbag scene in The Importance of Being Earnest. 

Matthew explained to the crowds: ‘He wrote The Picture Of Dorian Gray, A Woman Of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, these are super important works and Oscar Wilde’s letters are really quite valuable.’

He then went on to reveal that because the letters are so rare and worth so much, the guest’s little slither of paper could be worth a small fortune. 

‘So even though it’s a tiny note, I would expect this at auction to make between £2,000 and £4,000.’

The crowd were shocked by the valuation and audibly gasped as Matthew revealed the true worth of his guest’s tiny note.

The expert revealed that because the letters are so rare, the guest's note could be worth a small fortune: 'So even though it's a tiny note, I would expect this at auction to make between £2,000 and £4,000.'

The expert revealed that because the letters are so rare, the guest’s note could be worth a small fortune: ‘So even though it’s a tiny note, I would expect this at auction to make between £2,000 and £4,000.’

And it wasn’t just the crowd who were surprised by how much the letter might fetch at auction. 

The owner was pleased as well and heaped thanks on Matthew.

She said: ‘Great, I’m delighted. Thank you. Delighted.’

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But the guest seemed unsure whether she would part with it and in a follow-up interview explained that the note was very special to her. 

She said: ‘Two ways it means a lot to me – first of all, because it’s Oscar Wilde and Tite Street.

‘And secondly, because it was a gift from my husband, it’s a very precious piece of paper, and I’m glad I was able to bring it here today.’

The surprising value of the ‘tiny but very precious’ note comes after another guest was left floored by the five-figure value for her ‘piece of tat’ jewellery.

During an episode of the BBC show, a couple asked expert Susan for her opinion about a necklace and a bangle.

The pieces brought in by the pair were clearly divisive, as the husband branded the collection ‘tat,’ while for the wife, the were beloved pieces.

But little did the husband know that his wife’s trinkets were worth up to £15,000.

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left floored by a five-figure valuation price for her 'piece of tat' jewellery

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left floored by a five-figure valuation price for her ‘piece of tat’ jewellery

The pieces brought in by the pair ware clearly divisive between them as the husband branded it as 'tat' while for the wife, the were beloved pieces to her collection. But little did the husband know that his wife's pieces of tat was worth up to £15,000

The pieces brought in by the pair ware clearly divisive between them as the husband branded it as ‘tat’ while for the wife, the were beloved pieces to her collection. But little did the husband know that his wife’s pieces of tat was worth up to £15,000

But little did the husband know that his wife's pieces of tat was worth up to £15,000

But little did the husband know that his wife’s pieces of tat was worth up to £15,000

The wife said: ‘They were from my husband’s side – from his mother – and when she died, my husband said his mum had a lovely opal bracelet that I might like. So we dug it out and that was that.

‘Amongst a heap of things in this big box, we reached the bottom and there it was. My husband scoffed, “you don’t want that – it’s a load of tat.” It’s just a piece of glass. But I insisted, “well I like it.”‘

Her partner quipped: ‘We’d like to know what it is! It’s very big for a precious stone, I would have thought.’

Susan then revealed the shocking truth about the piece of jewellery.

‘This comes from the Edwardian period and has diamonds which are set at the top here. They are set in platinum to the front. You need strength to support this jewel here. It’s actually aquamarine. The colour’s even all the way through the stone as well.’ 

‘All in all, it’s moved a long way from tat! The aquamarine pendant, if it went up to auction, would be around three to £5,000.

‘The opal bangle, of course, is a magnificent piece and if that came up to auction, we would be looking at an estimate of eight to £10,000.’

The shocked couple added: ‘I wasn’t expecting that! I think we better have another look in that jewellery box.’

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