AN ANTIQUES Roadshow guest was left gobsmacked after discovering that a pair of trainers his mum had picked up from the rubbish was worth thousands of pounds.
With the help of antiques expert Jasmani Francis, the guest finally uncovered the actual value of his superstar trainers.
During an episode of PBS’ version of the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow, where nomadic antique experts headed through Chicago, a guest appeared on the show with a pair of scuffed basketball shoes signed by the legendary Larry Bird.
The iconic 67-year-old basketball player, who embellished his signature on the heel of each shoe, retired from the sport after reaching the ranks of the greatest basketball players ever and earning the nickname Larry the Legend in the NBA.
The man disclosed to Jasmani that in 1978, his mother had rescued the unwanted trainers from a rubbish bin, and after 40 years of owning them, he was eager to find out how much they would be worth.
He explained: “My mum was watching the ISU basketball team practice when Larry Bird busted the tongue out of one of these sneakers.
“He was getting ready to throw them away, and my mum kind of asked; ‘I’ll go ahead and take those if that’s okay with you,’ and he said, ‘Sure, I’ll go ahead and sign them. They might be worth something someday’.”
The guest went on and revealed more information about the shoe to the expert.
He added: “The issue a lot of people have with worn-out memorabilia is they think that it depreciates the value, that it’s not as desired.
“Not so, especially with shoes. You want them to show the kind of wear, the scuffing, he wore these!”
After the guest finished speaking, the impressed sneaker expert disclosed that the market is saturated with shoes signed by Larry Bird, especially the pairs he decided to wear during notable games and playoffs.
Jasmani then said: “We don’t very often come across college. So when you brought these over, I lit up a bit.”
The expert who had described the shoes as an “art for sports enthusiasts” revealed to the man that the signed trainers could be worth between $20,000 (£15,742.60) and $30,000 (£23,613.90).
As the guest stood speechless, Jasmani teased: “It does better in your house than it would’ve in the garbage at Indiana State University in 1978. Your mum did well.”
With his shaky voice, the surprised guest added: “Definitely proud of her.”
On a separate episode of the US version of Antiques Roadshow, a guest was over the moon after discovering that two pieces of jewellery, a diamond bracelet and a pearl ring mounted on small diamonds, were worth an eye-watering price.
The bracelet was valued at anything between $15,000 (£19,080.45) to $20,000(£15,742.60) while the ring was estimated to be worth between $20,000(£15,742.60) to £30,000(£38,160.90).
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
