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While some people end up celebrating as they come into an absolute shed load of cash, Antiques Roadshow also has its fair share of awkward moments.
Like the time an expert refused to value the ‘most disturbing’ item, or the time someone drank from a 180-year-old bottle to find out it had wee in it. Or there’s even just the cringier moments of people pretending to ‘pass out’ in shock over a valuation.
But it was a little more mortifying for this guest when he received the truth about the ‘rare’ Nazi memorabilia he paid a ‘small fortune for’.
When Antiques Roadshow visited Lincoln Cathedral, this bloke was pretty proud to bring in what looked like a Leica camera.
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These rare, collectible cameras were used by the Nazis and nowadays are considered pretty valuable. And expert Marc Allum seemed quite excited by the prospect of seeing one.
“Do you know, I remember many, many years ago I had the pleasure of discovering a Leica Luxus camera on the Roadshow,” he said. “I cannot describe how I felt about it at the time, it was very rare.
"The first sight of this camera made my heart really, really flutter because this is, of course, a very beautiful Leica camera.”
The guest explained he had picked up the piece from an antique centre not far away and as soon as he spotted it, ‘knew it was very rare’ and splashed out £480 on it.
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“I’d never seen one before. Having the Olympic rings on, I knew it was from the 1936 Berlin Olympics,” he explained.
The front lens cap also features the Olympic rings as well as the eagle, the Swastika and 1936.
However, things weren’t all up to scratch.
“Quite often, which is unfortunately the case, is that things that look really good sometimes turn out to be a bit too good to be true,” Allum explained.
He said he found that in places like the Czech Republic, he often came across ‘some very rare Leicas’. “And what I discovered was, these were being faked. Now what we have here is, what I feel is, a fake. Let me explain why it has some problems.”
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The guest obviously seemed disheartened by this as Allum went on to point out issues with the serial numbers. He continued: “Obviously what I really don’t want to do is disappoint you about this camera which is inevitably what I’ve done -”
With the guest interrupting in agreement: “- done. Yeah.”
Although, Allum said his £80 spent isn’t too bad.
“Considering the work that’s gone into this, I think £480 isn’t unreasonable but of course, for something that could have been worth thousands and thousands of pounds, it goes to illustrate the high stakes risk in an area that is essentially for the very, very serious collectors and high spenders.
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“Just take it for what it is. Put it on the shelf but don’t feel bad about it. Don’t feel bad about it.”
Topics: Antiques Roadshow, History
Jess Battison