Antiques Roadshow guest given brutally honest response after Banksy artwork he ripped off wall was valued
It's the stuff of dreams - coming across a hidden gem in your nan's attic that you thought was tat but is in fact worth a small fortune.
But the situation isn't always as clean cut as that, with one piece by legendary graffiti artist Banksy given an honest valuation that didn't go down too well.
Experts from the BBC's Antiques Roadshow were behind the valuation.
And they're a truthful bunch, unveiling the real value of incredible items held by people and their families - including heirlooms that are worth thousands of pounds.
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Another valuation saw a classic painting from the 1950s increase in value by almost 100 times the amount it was bought for.
We could go on and on, but we'll leave you with this mind-blowing Rolex valuation that left its owner almost 'passing out'.
All are amazing situations where somewhat ordinary items change the lives of those who own them.
The same couldn't be said for one lad, however, who appeared on the BBC programme back in October 2020 as a guest on the show when it filmed in Halifax's Piece Hall in Yorkshire.
The man spoke about the piece before him; something he believed to be a genuine Banksy.
Explaining to antique expert Ruper Maas what it was, he said that he lived in Brighton in the late 1990s to early 2000s where he had come across the piece while out and about, with it pinned to the side of Saltdean Lido.
The man said the piece of art, which was a rat holding a drill stencilled on to a metal panel, came 'loose' in his hands so he took it with him.
He was convinced that it was a real Banksy, saying Brighton was 'hit quite a bit' by Banksy's artwork.
Speaking to Maas, he said: "It looked loose. I went over pulled it off basically."
When asked by Maas if he 'gave it a little bit of persuasion', he laughed replying: "Yeah, just a little bit of a tug, yeah."
He continued to say: "I know it's real because Brighton was hit quite a bit by Banksy when he was down there around that time."
Banksy art can of course sell for millions. But for Maas, it all comes down to proof.
He asked the man what proof he had to show that it was a Banksy original.
"I know what it is, I know what year it was, it was around 2004." the man replied. "I'm basically just trying to get a valuation of it."
He added that he'd previously tried to get a certificate of authenticity but had been unsuccessful.
Maas then explained that the history of the artwork was slightly problematic, warning the guest that Banksy is very 'careful about his brand'.
He said: "I think the message here is if you do see a bit of graffiti art out there, leave it. Leave it for the public.
"I'm not lecturing you, I'm just saying, but without that certificate, it's just very difficult to sell.
"With it, it might be worth £20,000. Without it, you're nowhere. I'm sorry."
And some viewers were a little bit critical of the man's situation, as one said it 'serves him right'.
While a second said: "Really enjoyed the Antiques Roadshow expert telling the man who yanked a Banksy off a lido that he should have left it there and that it's consequently not worth anything now."
The strangest items that have appeared on Antiques Roadshow
Some items on the show have just been downright bizarre...
Human hair from famous poets
Ever dreamed of owning the locks of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge?
Well, it'll cost you, as when this item was brought on Antiques Roadshow last year it was valued at upwards of £40,000.
The clippings were a family heirloom, and according to expert Justin Croft, one was taken on a person's deathbed.
Yikes.
Nightmare fuel Teletubbies concept art
Turns out Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po originally looked pretty scary.
Jonathan Hills drew the concept art for the future children's TV icons. He sadly died in 2020 and his wife brought some of his original sketches on the show in 2022.
Expert Mark Hill admitted some of the drawings were 'creepy', but went on to value the individual pieces between £500 and £2,000, and the entire collection of 80 drawings at up to £80,000.
A bottle of pee
Who could forget the time expert Andy McConnell inadvertently drank urine back in 2016?
A bloke called John found the bottle in his garden, and McConnell used the taste test to figure out what was inside, thinking it was port.
Fast forward to 2019, and Fiona Bruce revealed to McConnell: "Inside were these brass pins, all of these dating from the late 1840s, and the liquid - urine, a tiny bit of alcohol and one human hair."
It turned out it was a 'witches bottle', buried on the threshold of a house as a protection against curses and bad luck.
Topics: Antiques Roadshow, BBC, Money, TV, TV and Film, Viral, Banksy, Art
Tom Earnshaw