Antiques Roadshow guest left stunned at value of Lewis Hamilton's old racing gear
A person who brought along some pieces of sporting memorabilia to Antiques Roadshow was left almost speechless after finding out how much the items could be worth.
In the pantheon of British sport, names don’t come much bigger than Lewis Hamilton.
Whether you like motor racing or not, you have to admit that the 38-year-old has had a remarkable career and established himself as one of the greatest ever in his field.
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That means that memorabilia connected to the seven-times Formula One world champion is worth quite a bit, and that’s what got brought in front of the Antiques Roadshow cameras this week.
The guest - who was not named - turned up with a racing helmet and Mercedes branded overalls that were worn during a meet-and-greet session back in 2008.
For non-F1 fans, 2008 was the year that Lewis won his first ever world title, so it’s a big deal.
As well as Lewis' gear, the guest brought along a lanyard and VIP pass from the big day, as he wasn’t old enough to go along himself.
Luckily though, his dad managed to bag the special souvenirs, and now he has them in his possession.
He was told on the programme that the whole lot could go for as much as £10,000 at auction, if he decided to sell.
Obviously, he was pretty taken aback at that amount.
“Wow, that’s a lot more than I expected,” he eventually said.
The story behind the items is equally as interesting.
The guest told AR expert Hilary Kay that his dad was flown by helicopter to the Top Gear test track for the event, where he then met Lewis.
Hilary said: “Even though this isn’t a race overall, it is the real thing.
“Lewis did wear it while he was driving.”
Kay continued: “Obviously the value isn’t going to be as high as if it was a race overall.
“But I still think the two together and the VIP pass, all signed, will be around £10,000.”
Wow, if this went for 10 grand - imagine having a real race overall.
Kay added: “The great thing is, your dad has passed his enthusiasm on to you.
“You are going to look after this collection and hopefully you are going to add to it.”
The guest then confirmed: “I would hope so. It would be nice to get the opportunity to.
“I’ll definitely keep a hold of this for the foreseeable future.”
Antiques Roadshow airs on BBC One at 8:00pm on Sunday evenings.
Topics: Lewis Hamilton, Sport, Formula 1, Cars, TV and Film, Money, BBC
Tom Wood