AN ANTIQUES Roadshow guest was floored after she learned the truth about a rare case she had been using as a bin.
The BBC series headed to Woodhorn Museum in Northumberland a beautiful pot caught the attention of expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan.
He spotted the Nigerian vase which he described as “a beautiful pot, a beautifully balanced and beautifully shaped pot.”
The guest explained she travelled to the African country with her husband for his work
“They had a pottery there that was established by Michael Cardew in the early 1950s, wasn’t it?” Ronnie started.
“A very famous potter started working there in about 1953 or 1954 called Ladi Kwali and that’s who made this pot.”
He added: “It was always a great balance, and it almost looks like the pot could float.
“Her pots are really widely acclaimed around the world, I don’t know if you know that?”
The guest replied: “No, we didn’t really know anything about her.
“My husband with his work went to Nigeria and he saw there was a Ladi Kwali street.”
“And you then realised she was somebody,” Ronnie asked.
The guest then confessed they had been using the valuable vase as paper rubbish bin.
She explained they travelled there in the 1970s and Ronnie added it was likely made around the same time or in the 1960s.
“Ladi Kwali pots are very popular, people like them for obvious reasons,” Ronnie explained.
“They’re very decorative, they give a room that gravitas and as such they have a value.”
He then told the guest how much she could sell it for: “That would easily be valued at £1,000 to £2,000.”
The shocked guest replied: “Oh. That is great. Well, I’ll have to take more care of it now then.”
