Antiques Roadshow guest pulls face at whopping valuation of forgotten teapot in garage

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left visibly taken aback when she discovered the staggering worth of her grandmother's teapot, which she had forgotten about.

Expert Gordon Foster was evidently thrilled from the outset during an evaluation at Belfast's Botanic Gardens, explaining that the items before him were highly recognised by those in the know.

"Well you've brought along this teapot and milk jug today", he started.

"People at home will be shouting at their screens, people who know what it is.

"It's designed by Christopher Dresser, a pivotal designer at the end of the 19th Century.

"And I heard someone saying 'it looks art deco' and it does look art deco from the 1920s or 1930s but it's actually early 1880s."

When asked how she came to own these items, the owner responded: "Well I found it one day when I went to sort out the children's football boots in the garage.

"There was a bit of crumpled up newspaper so I took that out thinking it was going to be football boots and I came across this. I'd forgotten about it completely."

Foster enquired: "So it was amongst other things that you'd inherited? ", to which she confirmed: "Yes, it's actually from my grandmother's family."

The expert commenced his appraisal by noting that the piece was "so ahead of its time", with the designer crafting Art Deco pieces decades before the style became popular.

"At this same time, 1880s, Victorian era, tea services were much bigger, covered in floral decoration. So this was completely in contrast to all of that", he explained.

"Christopher Dresser went to Japan in 1876 as part of a trade delegation and he was inspired by Japanese shapes that he saw there.

"He saw early Japanese teapots, cooking vessels, and this is what he drew inspiration from.

"It was completely against the flow of fashion at the time so he was really, truly, avant-garde in what he was doing."

Upon closer inspection of the piece, Foster noted its silver-plated finish and handle bar design, which was influenced by Japanese bamboo handles.

He also pointed out the angle of the handle, describing it as "very decorative but also functional" because it "will pour perfectly".

"I love it, because it's so simple. So when would he have started getting the ability to make these sort of things? ", the guest enquired.

Foster responded: "He trained at a very young age. He went to design school in London in his teens. He had an eye for design and it culminates in something just like this. It's a work of art really rather than a teapot."

When it came to valuation, Foster said: "Well, we come to the valuation. If this were to turn up on the market, there would be many people interested in buying it."

"You are looking at, comfortably, £3,000 to £5,000."

The guest reacted with surprise, laughing and pulling a face as she said: "OK."

"It's an outstanding example", Foster added.

The guest continued, admitting with a chuckle: "No idea! If I'd known that, I wouldn't have put it in with the football boots!

"I don't know how they got into the football boots."

Upon being questioned by Foster about her future plans for the discovered treasure and whether she planned to care for the family heirloom, the guest quipped: "Take it to the bank maybe", eliciting laughter from the expert.

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.