Why Antiques Roadshow expert refused to value ‘most disturbing’ item with chilling past
An Antiques Roadshow expert was dead-set against the idea of valuing what he called the ‘most disturbing’ item with a truly horrifying past.
Though the premise of the BBC show is to essentially turn household trash into treasure, expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan faced 'one of the most difficult things' he's ever had to value.
During a 31 March episode of Antiques Roadshow, Morgan was tasked with valuing a mysterious object with a particularly dark history.
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Since he joined the TV show in 2011, refusing to value an item has only happened a few times.
Host Fiona Bruce went and visited Alexandra Gardens in Cardiff to try and find some exciting artefacts, only to stumble across an antique with a chilling past.
In the voiceover, she explained that a woman had brought along a disc which 'acted as an endorsement of the professional reputation of an African slave trader in the West African port of Bonny in the 18th century'.
Ronnie was visibly taken aback by the antique and made it crystal clear that both he and the entire Antiques Roadshow crew 'wholly and unequivocally disapprove of the trade in ivory'.
He told the guest: "But this ivory bangle here is not about trading in ivory, it’s about trading in human life, and it’s probably one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever had to talk about. But, talk about it we must."
Ronnie described the 'amazing' object as a 'testament to the callous trade' which eclipsed the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, before taking a closer look at the inscription on the disc which described the original owner as a 'good trader' and 'honest fellow'.
The collector scoffed and instead described him as a 'despicable human being', before adding: "I'd like to meet him and teach him how honest I think he is."
Ronnie continued: "This is a document, the living proof, the surviving proof, that this awful trade went on.
"Look how beautiful the calligraphy is, the beauty of the calligraphy it just belies the awfulness of the message."
Explaining how she had acquired the chilling object, the guest said she had snapped it up for just £3 around 36 years ago at a house sale organised by a family who she used to care for.
The woman said she 'had no idea what it was' but picked it up as she thought it 'looked interesting'.
"Now I’m researching, it said traders - I thought it meant trading in coffee or spices, but I realised they were trading in people," the woman told Ronnie.
The emotional TV star then opened up about his own family history, explaining that his great-grandmother was a 'returned slave' from Nova Scotia in Canada who came back to Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
He continued: "I think it's my cultural duty, our cultural duty, to talk about things like this.
"I just don't want to value it. I do not want to put a price on something which signifies such an awful business.
"But the value is in the lessons that this can tell people. The value is in researching this and what we can find out.
"And I just love you for bringing it in and thank you so much for making me so sad."
Topics: BBC, Antiques Roadshow
Anish Vij