BBC Antiques Roadshow guest gutted as they 'lose thousands' on item in seconds

Two guests were left bitterly disappointed after learning the value of an item they hoped would rake in a hefty sum. In an episode of the BBC programme that first aired last year, Fiona Bruce and her field of experts arrived in Glasgow's Pollok Park to look at the public's collected antiques. One duo arrived with a bronze sculpture of a man which immediately caught the eye of expert Will Farmer. He asked: "The gentleman here before us looks very studious, very thoughtful and very considered. But I want to know, what's the connection with him to your life?"

"Well, this is of Jeremiah," the guest explained. "And it is actually by a guy called Boris Schatz, who was..." The owner's husband continued: "Founder of the Bezalel Art Institute in Jerusalem and he is related to my great-grandparents. And they gave this as a wedding present to my grandparents." Will was then presented with an image of the guest's grandparents alongside her great-grandparents taken on a wedding day.

The expert then shared more about the historical figure, saying: "So Boris Schatz is one of those great names, certainly within the art world within the Jewish community and was actually considered the father of Israeli art.

"I mean, he's held in such great esteem, and through his work, he sort of very much wanted to define work that was relevant to him, to the Jewish community, to Scripture. When you look at a lot of his work - as you say, this is a depiction of Jeremiah - there are all those connections through."

Looking at the item, Will continued: "Now, in terms of this specific piece, the original work of Jeremiah was created in 1911, and the original work is actually an upscale bronze.

"And we're looking at a piece that's roughly 59-60 centimetres by 73. So a considerably larger work than yours here. So what do you have? Well, you actually have a later interpretation using a process which is a process called an electrotype.

"So it's a scaled-down copper example, but that in itself means that it made the larger work accessible within the community."

Will then turned to putting a price on the distinctive item, telling the couple: "The large-scale early bronze, they turn up occasionally and they do tend to be somewhere in the region of £4,000 maybe even £5,000."

The pair were brimming with excitement as the woman raised her eyebrows in shock at the heft sum, however, their hopes were quickly shattered. Will explained: "These electrotypes, of course, were made to be more accessible to everybody, and as such, there are more of them around."

Issuing a blow to the couple, he revealed: "Yours, I'm afraid, we're looking a little more modest, in the low hundreds. It may be sort of £200-£300."

The guests simply nodded as the expert asked: "Will it go down and continue its journey through your family?" They admitted that rather than pocketing the "modest" sum through selling the item, they would keep it in the family.