22 August 2023 , 07:13
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Antiques Roadshow expert Lee Young left one couple stunned as he revealed how much their beloved ornament was worth however, BBC viewers were horrified by the valuation branding the item "ugly".
The yellow three-legged toad had been in the owner's family for six decades but, the guest admitted he and his wife were divided over the unusual piece.
The owner said: "He has been known as ugly toad to me for about 60 years. My mother collected unusual items," before explained his mother received the item from an elderly lady who was decluttering and was later gifted the piece as a birthday present.
"I love him but not so much so my wife," he joked as Lee went on to explain the provenance of the unusual toad. The Antiques Roadshow expert dated the ornament as an 18th century Scottish pottery piece by Dunmore, describing it as a "monochrome glaze masterpiece."
He went on to reveal the ornament was based on a mythical three-legged Chinese toad, which brings good fortune or wealth to its owners. Lee shared: "I think he is such a wonderful thing and for all the things we have just discussed about him, I think he would easily carry an auction estimate of £600-£900, and if two people got excited about him, maybe a little bit more."
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The Chinese toad ornament left viewers baffled (BBC)"Wow, I am delighted about that!" The owner remarked but viewers couldn't believe the value of the "ugly" Chinese ornament.
"Each to their own," one baffled viewer simply tweeted alongside a picture of the toad while another said: "My initial reaction to seeing the frog is 'what the heck is that?"
"Smash it up and use it for drainage in your plant pots," remarked a third and a fourth said: "Take the frog and f*** off."
Elsewhere on Antiques Roadshow, the owner of a "stunning" diamond brooch was left holding back tears after being told how much her beloved piece of jewellery was worth.
Expert Susan Rumfitt told the guest that the Art Deco brooch, which originated in the 1930s, was 14 caret with "modern brilliant cut" diamonds before evaluating the brooch at £20,000.
"Oh my goodness," the guest repeated. "That's taken my breath away. Oh crumbs, brings tears to my eyes." The owner then confirmed she would still wear the item.
"A really big surprise, I'm still quaking at the moment," she later added before the expert remarked: "It's been wonderful. Fantastic to find it and to make somebody's day as well when they have no idea that it was going to be worth as much as it was just stunning, fantastic."