Young Boy Speechless When He Realizes How Much His Painting Is Worth

An enthusiastic young collector had a hunch that a painting he bought might earn him a little extra cash, but when he brought it for appraisal, he would discover just how much more there was to the story.

As the cameras began rolling that day in 2013, one of the show's star appraisers, David Weiss was about to conduct one of the most unique interviews he'd ever had on the show. Weiss is the resident expert in drawings and paintings for the American edition of Antiques Roadshow, and has worked for a number of well regarded auction houses. The boy sitting across from him seemed relatively at ease, so with minor adjustments, Weiss was ready to proceed with business as usual.

Even at such a young age, this Antiques Roadshow guest had already become an avid trader in antiques, but he didn't realize just how significant of a find he'd made. The boy thought his painting might be special, but had low hopes for a high valuation...

All of the appraisers working on Antiques Roadshow, as well as those driving the newer shows in a similar vein that have been popping up in the last few years, know that one of the most important parts of doing their job for the camera is that the story of how objects came to be discovered is equally as important as the story of the objects themselves. Coaxing the story out as well as discovering the history helps make a show that people want to watch.

A large part of the show's appeal lies in the promise that the item could be worth an extraordinary amount of money. There have been a large number of guests in the past who have brought antiques for appraisal, only to discover that an item they thought was likely worthless, like many of the pieces were, could possibly be sold for hundreds of thousands, if not over a million dollars. The boy thought his painting might be special, but had low hopes for a high valuation.