Antiques Roadshow guest chokes up in disbelief after huge medal valuation

02 April 2023 , 20:00

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The guest brought in his father's medal collection to be valued (Image: BBC)

An Antarctic explorer was left gobsmacked on Antiques Roadshow on Sunday when expert Mark Smith told him how much his medal was worth after originally hoping to receive a valuation for his father's medal collection.

Speaking from Powis Castle, Wales Mark began: "You don't see medals like this who was this man."

"He was my dad, I'm choking up now. He passed away 13 years remarkable man," the guest replied.

He brought along his father, Kevin Walton's medal collection that included an Albert Medal for Lifesaving, which has since been replaced by the George Cross.

The medals belonged to the guest's father (BBC)

The collection also included a Distinguished Service Medal, an Antarctic exploration medal, with the Queen's commendation for brave conduct, and the medal for the island of Malta, given to those who were involved in the liberation of Malta, amongst others.

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The BBC expert turned his attention to a medal that belonged to the guest himself who explained he was followed in his father's footsteps.

"When I got presented with that in May 1986 we were the only father and son, as far as I know, to hold the polar medal and I worked for the Antarctic studying ice, studying climate change for a number of years and someone along the line somebody must have thought I'd done a good job," the guest revealed.

Mark said: "I know they are his wearing set and what that means is I know they're not the originals that he was given because they would be too expensive to wear, he wouldn't want to lose them but sometimes the wearing sets are much more personal to the man because they are the ones he actually, genuinely wore on his coat and was proud to wear."

The researcher couldn't believe how much his medal was worth (BBC)

The expert asked where the original medals were being kept to which the explorer explained they were on display at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge.

Mark revealed the original collection of medals were worth £40,000 leaving the guest stunned before adding that the explorer's own medal was worth £10,000.

"You're joking," he commented before the expert reassured him he wasn't and the guest added: "Okay, that's shaken me."

Later, the guest said: "He didn't talk about himself a lot, he was very modest but my golly he was a man of action."

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Charlotte McIntyre