I paid $350 for an antique floor lamp – Antiques Roadshow told me it was worth $15,000 thanks to a ‘telescoping’ feature

A COLLECTOR has been left baffled by the value of an antique floor lamp he purchased for only a few hundred dollars.

He bought the item, along with other homeware in an estate sale, from family members years ago for about $350.

PBS

PBS

It’s worth considerably more than that today, according to what Antiques Roadshow appraiser David McCarron told the collector during a recent episode of the series.

McCarron cited at least two defining qualities were responsible for the boost in the lamp’s worth.

First was the designers who crafted it — Duffner & Kimberly.

Duffner & Kimberly “saw Tiffany as their competitors” back in the early 1900s, per McCaron.

The New York -based company began making homeware items similar to the floor lamp around 1905 and 1906.

“They were only in business really because of some, sort of financial considerations for a short period of time,” the Antiques Roadshow appraiser explained.

“But, they always made great, high-quality lamps like this.”

The lamp could be seen standing almost as tall as both the collector and McCarron in the episode, with a textured “scalloped or fish scale” design on the shade and a long bronze stand that split into three pegs at the bottom.

ADJUSTMENT OPTION

Aside from it being designed by Duffner & Kimberly during its short stint making homeware, the lamp also had what McCarron refered to as a “telescoping” feature.

On the middle of the lamp stand was a small wheel, about the size of a golf ball, that could be turned to raise and lower the height of the item to an owner’s liking.

The only issue with the lamp was some of the panels on the shade.

McCarron noted that some were cracked from wear and tear, but it wouldn’t impact the value of the lamp much at all.

“To me, it still looks like a million bucks,” he told the collector.

While it wasn’t worth $1 million, it was tens of thousands more than the collector paid for it at a family member’s estate sale .

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WHAT’S IT WORTH?

“I think even now, in its somewhat compromised position…you’re looking at $15,000,” McCarron told him.

The collector was left speechless at the appraisal — a whopping $14,650 potential profit .

It wouldn’t be the first time Antiques Roadshow revealed an item a collector bought for a smaller amount was worth much more.

Similarly, a glass coffee table a thrifter bought for $20 back in the 1980s was valued by appraisers for about $1,600.

A man who was gifted a Rolex watch years ago also discovered that he’d been holding onto a timepiece worth $50,000.

Another collector was left in tears after Antiques Roadshow told him the piece of art he’d held onto was worth around $20,000.