Antiques Roadshow

GUEST

I found these in a flea market in Beijing.

APPRAISER

And you got some other things there, too, didn't you?

GUEST

Yes, that's right.

APPRAISER

And I told you about those.

GUEST

(chuckling) Yes, uh, you sure did.

APPRAISER

Didn't, didn't turn out too well with those pieces.

GUEST

No, they didn't, but we enjoyed them.

APPRAISER

Quite frankly, I was a little dismissive when you showed me the things until I saw these, because this is one of the few examples where I've ever seen something coming out of China these days where it was actually old.

GUEST

Oh, great.

APPRAISER

Yeah, they're late 19th-century. Maybe as late as the 1920s.

GUEST

Mm-hmm.

APPRAISER

They're carved walnut shells. They're magnificently carved. Beautiful, swirling dragons all over them. The other thing that's even tougher with that is to get the polish on them. Because basically, you're using techniques that you would use in stone carving, because it's just, it's too difficult a material to work with.

GUEST

Is the nut actually still inside?

APPRAISER

They removed it from one side.

GUEST

Oh, really?

APPRAISER

Yeah, yeah, they've removed it.

GUEST

So they've been separated and put...

APPRAISER

No, no, they just cut a slot in one side and then worked it out.

GUEST

Oh, my gosh.

APPRAISER

Yeah.

GUEST

Amazing-- so they're hollow, then.

APPRAISER

Yup, yup

GUEST

Wow.

APPRAISER

How much did you pay for them?

GUEST

I think I paid about $40 for them.

APPRAISER

That's really surprising, because it seems that when anything is real in Beijing, the price is just sky-high and bears little resemblance to reality. But when it comes to these, I think you got a real bargain.

GUEST

Great.

APPRAISER

Well, I'd imagine these would sell at auction for probably $1,000 apiece.

GUEST

Oh, my! (laughs)

APPRAISER

Yeah.

GUEST

I had no idea. $1,000 apiece?

APPRAISER

Yup.