Antiques Roadshow: Rare Winnie the Pooh book appraised
A guest on Antiques Roadshow was left stunned when her mother's Winnie the Pooh book given a four-figure valuation - despite being bought for just 30p.
The popular BBC series visited Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey to value residents' treasured belongings and heirlooms and see if they are worth a substantial amount of money.
One guest brought her Winnie the Pooh to be valued by expert Clive Farahar, which was the first book in the popular children's book series by A.A Milne.
The book, which had a dust cover, was originally purchased from a charity shop for around 20p to 30p by the guest's mother.
Inspecting the book, Clive discovered the precious book was a first edition released in 1926. Asking how she acquired the rare book, the guest said: "I'd asked my mother, you know, with the grandchildren, as she was going around to charity shops.
"She got me a few books, and then they've been in the house, but I didn't really take much notice of it, until I got my daughter a Winnie the Pooh teddy.
"And then I thought, 'Oh, I'm sure I've got one (book) somewhere'. So I was searching in the cupboards and then I came across this one."
Clive said: "This is amazing, absolutely and a wonderful find from a charity shop. The dust wrapper is a little torn there, but it is mostly all there."
Commenting on the book's condition, he said: "Beautiful green (colour). The only thing about it, I suppose, I have to say, there's a small nick on the top there, but it is the most gorgeous copy.
"It's got an inscription here and this one is dated Christmas 1944 - 'To the lady of uncertain age from the same admirer'.
"Now, that is romantic. But we don't want it."
Clive asked the guest how much her mother purchased the book for and she estimated it was around 20p to 30p. The expert looked at the collector and said: "20 or 30p? I can value it at £1,400".
The crowd gasped and looked at each other in shock, with the Antiques Roadshow guest exclaiming: "Seriously? £1,400?
"My mother would be over the moon, because she loved this program. £1,400?"
Clive replied: "That's what I said. Well, thank you for bringing it in."
The guest, still shocked about the book's worth, joked "it was lucky I didn't sell it".
Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
