They didn’t need a feather to knock him over.
An unnamed veteran physically collapsed after learning his Rolex watch was worth at least $400,000 on Antiques Roadshow, a video posted by the famous appraisal show Monday showed. (The fun starts near the 4:55 mark)
And that was underselling it. The appraiser, Peter Planes, checked on him and then told him that this specific watch was worth between $500,000 and $700,000 at auction. The man had paid $345.97 for the watch in 1974.
The Air Force veteran brought the watch to Bonanzaville in West Fargo, N.D., for the latest episode of the popular antiques show.
He told Planes that he bought the watch while stationed in Thailand. He planned to use it during scuba diving, but never did because the watch was so nice.
“I looked at it, and I said, ‘You know what this is really too nice to take down in salty water. I just kept it.’”
He said he’d only taken the watch out of a safety deposit box “two or three times” in “30 or 40 years” before taking it to the Roadshow.
Planes was stunned by the watch’s condition, and then walked through several reasons that this particular Rolex is worth so much money: it’s a similar model to the one Paul Newman wore in “Winning,” it has a rare “Oyster” label, it has all the original paperwork and is in impeccable condition.
It was too much for the visitor to take, he was so shaken by the price that he fell down in shock.
Planes himself barely reacted, but finished off the appraisal and did an impressive job of hiding his giddiness at seeing such a rare watch.
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