BBC Antiques Roadshow viewers say 'kill it with fire' as 'haunted' bird head gets staggering valuation

Antiques Roadshow viewers were left stunned after an ‘ugly’ bird ornament was given a staggering valuation, despite many people saying it should be ‘killed with fire’.

The programme often throws up some interesting finds, from an old Rolex watch that could fetch up to $700,000 at auction to a Banksy piece that was ripped off the wall being worth... Nothing.

Oh, then there was that time a bunch of metal coathangers were worth a cool $1 million., as it turned out they were actually a piece of hanging art.

In the latest episode of the BBC version, which aired on Sunday, 25 June, a woman and her daughter came along to find out more about a wooden ornament that had been in their home for years.

BBC

The item was a wooden bird named Ernie, which the guest’s daughter used to be ‘terrified’ of when she was younger – so much so, in fact, that it would make her cry.

Expert Steven Moore admitted Ernie had ‘a face only a mother could love’, but what the piece lacked in looks, it more than made up for in value.

Ernie is a Martinware ‘Wally Bird’ made by the Martin Brothers at their pottery, which closed in 1914.

The grotesque anthropomorphic birds were known for a number of features, including large beaks and feet and human-like heads, creating a caricature-style ornament – often in the form of a tobacco jar or vase.

BBC

BBC

The Antiques Roadshow guest’s piece was actually incomplete, but Moore said even the head alone was worth a not-too-shabby £4,000.

However, he told the pair that it could fetch much, much more if they found the other body parts to make it intact.

"They are very collectible," he said.

"There is an intriguing possibility. If you could find the head for this body, or if you could find the body for this head, you would have a profit of £60,000 to £70,000.

“That's how much the two separate items would be if they were complete."

BBC

People watching at home were absolutely stunned by the valuation, with one writing: “£4K just for the head!"

Someone else said: "Generally speaking, I love Martin Bros’ Wally Birds, but gee... That’s ugly."

A third commented: "Haunted bird head - kill it with fire!"

While a fourth said Ernie was a ‘horrible looking ornament’, while another added: "Who, in their right mind, would spend £70k on a bit of pottery?"