Antiques Roadshow guest's 'breath taken away' at saved Hurricane Katrina vase's price tag

An Antiques Roadshow guest was given the “prettiest” vase that had been saved from Hurricane Katrina’s destruction but little did she know just how much it was worth. 

The PBS series welcomed a guest with an unusual vase with a unique backstory, for expert David Rago to appraise. 

“It belonged to a gentleman named Jack Sawyer from New Orleans who collected antique glass and he does have an exhibit in the New Orleans Museum,” the guest explained. 

“But we had gone to see him in Waveland [Mississippi] years before [Hurricane] Katrina and I admired this. 

“I had admired the vase and told Jack that’s one of the prettiest things I’ve ever seen. 

“Well [Hurricane] Katrina hit, a lot of his pieces were lost but this and a bunch of others were saved and he washed them and cleaned them up. 

“When Jack found out that he was terminally ill, he sent this to me, so that’s all I really know about it.”

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It was then Rago’s turn to shed some light on the beautiful item, stating that it was a piece of Zsolnay pottery from Budapest with an eosin glaze that “changes as you turn it to the light”. 

“But what’s really special about this - because the vase itself is OK as far as Zolnay goes - but the metalwork is rather exceptional. 

“So we have two full peacocks on the piece, encircling it. Their tails end in the base that covers the entire bottom and then there are glass tiles inset to look like the eyes of the peacock feathers.”

He went on to point out that on the bottom of the gilded pewter metal base, it is marked with “Orion” and 272 which is its shape number.

“So I did a little bit of research and it turns out this is a collaboration between a Hungarian Art Nouveau company and a German Art Nouveau company. 

“Orion was located in Nuremberg, Germany. 

“They were only in business for three years, 1903 to 1906, and bought out by a competing company in 1906. 

“George Schmidt was the artist who worked this piece so you have an Art Nouveau design in the German style which is called Jugendstil.

“It means the children’s style and that’s a German interpretation of Art Nouveau.”

Ready to give the valuation, Rago continued: “So this is a very special thing. On today’s market at auction, I would value it between $7,000 (£5,540) and $10,000 (£7,912).”

“One, almost identical to this, sold at auction within the last two years for $12,000 (£9,491). 

“So my $7,000 to $10,000 is a bit on the conservative side but I’d rather be that way but easily worth $7,000 to $10,000.” 

Upon hearing the extortionate figure, the guest’s hand automatically went to her mouth with her eyes bulging. 

“Well, I loved Jack but I didn’t know he loved me that much”, she laughed. 

“Oh my gosh. Well, I can’t even think now. Oh gosh. Well, David you have taken my breath away.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on PBS.