I bought a collector’s belt buckle for $5,700 – one expert said ‘it was shiny before the word existed’, worth $40,000

A BELT buckle made from Alaskan gold and studded with diamonds was valued at a staggering $40,000, despite the buyer purchasing it for just $5,700.

Antique’s Roadshow appraiser Kevin Zavian said the buckle was so big it nearly broke his scale when he was trying to get an accurate weight.

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The buckle appeared to be covered in gold nuggets, with a mammoth ivory inlay and the outline of Alaska set with approximately 5 carats of diamonds.

Zavian was shocked to see mammoth ivory and first mistook it for wood.

“Those [gold] nuggets are soldered to a gold base. So even though it looks like they’re all there, it’s a lot of work and work,” he said.

He added that the embellishment of a golden thread twisted around the edge of the buckle shows the care that went into making it.

“All the materials here except the diamonds are truly Alaskan,” he said.

“Everywhere you look there is a beautiful sign of quality that someone took care of while they were making it.”

The seller wasn’t sure when the buckle was made, but assumed it was from the 1970s.

“It’s so over the top, I loved it,” Zavian said.

“This is a glow before the word existed… It’s so beautiful I want to wear it!”

The seller joked that he was “too fat” to use it, so he was willing to sell it.

Based on the materials and the buckle being “so Alaskan,” Zavian said it could sell for anywhere from $20,000 to $40,000.

“That’s a little more than I was thinking!” laughed the seller, excited about the value.

“You have that sparkle in your eyes and that’s what gold does to people!” Zavian said.

PIN IT

Zavian also appraised a brooch that had been passed down through a family for generations and was worth $28,000.

The century-old diamond and pearl brooch was originally part of a set that accompanied the opera glasses.

The pin would hold the glasses securely until the wearer needed them.

“They were members of the Metropolitan Opera in New York,” the collector told Zavian.

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He explained that the badge was likely made between 1905 and 1915 in the United States, as it did not have markings from a specific designer.

Each of the 12 diamonds weighed about half a carat and was in excellent condition.

Zavian concluded that the brooch could be sold at auction for between $12,000 and $18,000, but recommended that the seller insure it for at least $28,000.

Another family heirloom, a spider brooch, was passed down from generation to generation before selling for $15,000.

The US Sun also covered a family’s 1920s artifact valued at $70,000.