09 February 2024 , 21:36
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The US version of Antiques Roadshow got off to a stellar start as fans praised a guest for her reaction to the valuation of her item.
Irene Ridgway appeared on the PBS show and brought in a violin for one of the experts to analyse to see what it could be worth. The bow of the violin was valued at $4,000 while the violin itself had a value of $12,000. And it was at this point Irene exclaimed, "Shut the front door!" Explaining how she received the item, it included a story how her grandfather suffered a tragic accident.
She said: "My grandfather was picking up coal with his brothers by the train track and he slipped and fell and the train cut his foot off." She continued: "His father was a bricklayer and a carpenter. His father made him go up and down the ladder with a peg leg from just right above the ankle. He decided he didn’t want to do that any more, so since he loved working with wood […] he left his father and went to learn how to make violins.”
Fans of Antiques Roadshow US praised guest for her reaction to valuable itemShe then added that her grandfather went up to the Adirondacks and opened a shop in Manhattan, New York. She said: “They would wait for the trees to grow out of the hills and then bow up. It gave him a natural bow to his foot. I understand he carved in his toes, nails, and the little hairs and the little wrinkles [into his prosthetic]. They’d go to Coney Island and they’d try and guess his weight but they couldn’t because they didn’t know he had a foot like that, so my mom always got a prize.”
Speaking to expert Claire Givens, Irene was told: "In the world of retail, I would value this bow at $4,000. It’s a beautiful bow. The violin, I would value at $12,000 – it’s a master quality instrument. All of the ephemera that you’ve brought, the tools and the pictures and the letters, I would say combined with the value, would add $3,000 to its value.”
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Irene was left shocked after learning the violin was worth $12,000 (@RoadshowPBS/youtube)In response, Irene screamed: "Holy Hannah! Wowzer. Shut the front door, girl! Are you serious?” And fans were left in hysterics at her response. Taking to social media, one fan wrote: "I think her reaction is classic!” Someone else penned: “Holy Hannah!” And another fan commented: “I agree with you ma’am, when you have something as beautiful as that and the history to go along with it, plus it being an heirloom, it’s nice to know its value but the money isn’t worth the family value that’s in your heart.”
A fourth person added: "The object’s history is priceless. Great lady and family." Another fan said: “This is one for the archives, to be sealed in a time capsule and sent into the future so others may know what humans were capable of.” Sadly, Irene never met her grandfather who passed away in 1945 but the violin was passed down through the generations until it reached her. She said the instrument was so “precious” that the money “wasn’t important."