Antiques Roadshow audience gasps as guest's ‘precious’ gift from husband gets tremendous valuation

An Antiques Roadshow guest was over the moon at the price tag given to her “absolutely lovely” present from her other half.

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An Antiques Roadshow audience collectively gasped in amazement at the real value of a “tiny” but significant note.

Expert Matthew Haley was on hand to meet with guests at the Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery, where he came across a woman and a small framed letter, which he was thrilled to see.

Reading it out, Haley said: “‘Tomorrow, 7.45, no dress. OW.’”, before turning to the visitor to ask: “What’s the story here?”

She explained: “Well, this is a little note that was written by Oscar Wilde, inviting one of his chum’s round for supper.

“He lives in Tite Street, which is where I used to live, so this was given to me by my husband.”

Haley remarked: “Absolutely lovely. I mean, Oscar Wilde is one of the greatest playwrights, as well as a poet and an author and a great letter writer and he lived in Tite Street in Chelsea in London between 18885 and 1895.”

The guest commented that she thought he had a “great life while he lived it”, thanking him for the “witty things he said” which he used throughout his work.

Haley shared a few, including “nothing succeeds like excess” and a reference to a “handbag” scene in The Importance of Being Earnest.

The expert continued: “He wrote The Picture Of Dorian Gray, A Woman Of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, these are super important works and Oscar Wilde’s letters are really quite valuable.

“So even though it’s a tiny note, I would expect this at auction to make between £2,000 and £4,000.”

The surrounding audience gasped in unison upon hearing the surprising figure, and the guest beamed as she said: “Great, I’m delighted. Thank you. Delighted.”

Then, in an interview following the appraisal, the visitor added: “Two ways it means a lot to me first of all, because it’s Oscar Wilde and Tite Street.

“And secondly, because it was a gift from my husband, it’s a very precious piece of paper, and I’m glad I was able to bring it here today.”

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.