A DRESSER has been passed down in a family for over 300 years.
Even after falling out of a car, the family’s heirloom was still valued at more than $15,000.
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A couple brought an antique dresser to be appraised in 1999 episode from the Antiques Roadshow in Westonbirt, England.
John Bly, an expert in antique furniture and collectibles, evaluated several aspects of the antique chest of drawers to determine its authenticity and see if it was truly from the 18th century.
He first opened the top drawer and noticed the beautiful oak lining.
“The rules are that it must always be made of pine with a small strip of oak on top. This was common practice and how most cabinet furniture was made,” he said.
Read more about valuable items
Bly shared that if the dresser had oak behind the drawer, it could be a piece of oak that was later veneered for accent, or it could be from the Netherlands or another part of continental Europe.
He noted that the front of the dresser was made from a variety of wood types, including elm flash, walnut flash, and laburnum, or oyster wood.
Bly also inspected the dresser handles, pointing out scars in the wood on one old handle and a hole on another.
He concluded that the chest of drawers had three or four previous sets of handles and was authentic, made around 1710.
“Now everything is wonderful until we get to these legs,” he said.
He pointed out that the legs were probably placed 50 to 60 years after the chest of drawers was made.
HISTORY AND VALUE
The woman said that the dresser was a family heirloom, inherited from her grandparents and parents.
Bly pointed out a small piece of wood missing from the side of the dresser, which the couple noticed had fallen off when the dresser was transported in a car.
They laughed and said they had seen the piece of wood disappear down the road.
During the move, the blouse on the dresser also flew off.
“Despite having fallen out of the car, the condition is extremely good,” Bly said.
“You have to think about what it was worth before you fell out of the car. It’s actually not much different than now. I don’t think it caused any serious commercial damage.”
Valuable Items
People unknowingly stumbled upon valuable items, later shocked to realize their true value.
Here are several examples of items that are worth more than expected:
The furniture expert determined the dresser was worth £6,500, or about $10,465.
However, taking inflation into account, the dresser would be worth about £11,549 or $16,169 today.
Many others inherited items that proved valuable.
A woman’s grandfather saved an entire family during the war and won jewels – but a piece of paper makes them worth $24,000.
Additionally, a man received an old hunting gun from his family – an expert said it was worth $12,000 because it passed a specific test.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
