Antiques Roadshow guest left speechless after eye-popping 30 cents worth of Winnie the Pooh book found in thrift store

An Antiques Roadshow guest was left speechless when she discovered the incredible value of a Winnie the Pooh book she found for 30 cents at a thrift store.

This week the popular BBC show visited Beaumaris Castle in Anglesey to value prized possessions and belongings.

One resident brought her Winnie the Pooh item to be valued by expert Clive Farahar, the first book in AA Milne’s popular children’s book series.

The book, which was protected by a dust jacket, was originally bought by the guest’s mother from a charity shop for around 20 to 30 cents, and she revealed that she enjoyed buying gifts from charity shops.

After inspecting the item, Clive discovered that the precious find was a first edition released in 1926.

When asked about the backstory of the rare book, the guest said: “I had asked my mother, you know, with the grandchildren, as she was walking around the charity shops (to buy some books).”

“She gave me a few books and they’ve been around the house since then, but I didn’t really pay attention to them until I gave my daughter a Winnie the Pooh teddy bear.”

‘And then I thought, “Oh, I’m sure I have a (book) somewhere.” So I looked in the cupboards and then I came across this.’

The expert said: ‘This is absolutely amazing and a wonderful charity shop find. The dust jacket is a little torn there, but most of it is still there.’

Commenting on the condition of the book, he added: ‘Beautiful green (colour). The only thing about it, I think I have to say, is that there’s a little scratch on the top, but it’s a beautiful example.’

‘There is an inscription here and it is dated 1944: ‘To the lady of uncertain age of the same admirer.’

‘That’s romantic. But we don’t want it.’

Clive then asked the guest how much her mother bought the book for, which she estimated was around twenty to thirty cents.

The expert looked at the collector and said shockingly, “20 or 30 cents? I can value it at £1,400.’

After the expert’s revelation, the audience gasped in shock and the stunned guest exclaimed, “Seriously? £1,400?’

She added: “My mother would be over the moon because she loved this programme. £1,400?’

Clive smiled and replied, ‘That’s what I said. Well, thanks for bringing it.”

The guest, still shocked at the book’s value, joked, “Luckily I didn’t sell it.”

It comes after another Antiques Roadshow guest was left completely speechless when he discovered the incredible value of a sculpture he had casually used as a door stop.

This week, Fiona Bruce, 60, hosted the show from the historic Beaumaris Castle on Anglesey, unveiling treasures including a possible first edition of Winnie the Pooh and a rare ballerina brooch.

But the highlight of the show came when a guest brought in an intriguing sculpture, explaining that he had always been “baffled” by the item and wondered what it was.

He joked: “It’s been my doorstop for the last 12 months,” before adding that he picked it up at a car boot sale in Anglesey three years ago for just £50.

Unsure of its origins, he added: ‘Someone said it might be African; Don’t know.’

Expert John Foster identified the piece as a work of art by Ben Enwonwu, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated sculptors.

He explained that Enwonwu was the first pioneer in mixing Nigerian art with Western art, as he described how he rose to fame in the 1940s after being discovered by the Zwemmer Gallery, which led to him having exhibitions in New York, London and Milan.

He said: “Sculptor Ben Enwonwu (is) one of Nigeria’s most celebrated sculptors. He was born in Nigeria in 1917 and died in the mid-1990s.”

‘He was the first pioneer in mixing Nigerian art with Western art. Actually known as a sculptor in bronze and stone, and as this is in carved stone I thought it was from the 1970s.’

‘He was picked up by a gallery in the 1940s and it was a gallery called Galerie Zwemmer. And that skyrocketed him, literally from then on, to shows in New York, London and Milan.”

He then valued the statue at between a whopping £10,000 and £15,000, leaving the guest at a loss for words.

In disbelief, the guest exclaimed, “You’re kidding me! I could cry. I had no idea it would be worth so much money. It shocked me.’

As the true value of his find of £50 dawned on him, he added with a smile: ‘I thought it might have been £100.’

Antiques Roadshow continues on Sunday, November 17 on BBC1 at 8pm.