GUEST: I don't know an awful lot about it,
except that, uh, it was given by Kit Carson-- given to the foster father of my grandmother. APPRAISER: And do you know who made this weaving? Do you know what kind of blanket it is? GUEST: It's probably a Navajo, but that's
about all I know. APPRAISER: So you haven't had anybody look
at it, or... GUEST: Nobody's ever looked at it that I'm
aware of. APPRAISER: Well, Ted, did you notice when
you showed this to me that I kind of stopped breathing a little bit? GUEST: Yeah, you did! APPRAISER: I'm still having trouble breathing
here, Ted. GUEST: It took me by surprise, because I,
you know, didn't think much about it. It's probably a chief's blanket, but... APPRAISER: Exactly, and it's not just a chief's
blanket. It's the first type of chief's blanket made. These were made in about 1840 to 1860, and
it's called a Ute, first phase. GUEST: A Ute? APPRAISER: A Ute first-phase wearing blanket. It's Navajo-made. They were made for Ute chiefs. This is Navajo weaving in its purest form. All of these things that we see later with
diamonds and all kinds of different patterns comes much later than this. This is just pure linear design. This is the beginning of Navajo weaving. GUEST: Wow. APPRAISER: And not only that, the condition
of this is unbelievable, unbelievable. We see these... We've got a little bit of damage over there. In spite of the damage, it's unbelievable. An interesting thing: this is almost like
silk. It's made from hand-woven wool, but it's so
finely done, it's like silk. It would repel water. And this, here, is dyed with indigo dyes. It was a very valuable dye at the time. And what's really interesting is right here
we have an old repair that was probably done in the 1860s, and it's done with raveled bayeta,
which is, in itself, a very important thing in Navajo weaving. So, all involved, it's an extraordinary piece
of art. It's extremely rare. It is the most important thing that's come
into the ROADSHOW that I've seen. Do you have a sense at all of what you're
looking at here in terms of value? GUEST: I haven't a clue. APPRAISER: Are, uh, are you a wealthy man,
Ted? GUEST: No. APPRAISER: Well, sir, um, I'm still a little
nervous here, I have to tell you. Uh, on a really bad day, this textile would
be worth $350,000. On a good day, it's about a half a million
dollars. GUEST: Oh, my God! APPRAISER: And you had no idea? GUEST: I had no idea. (voice breaking) It was laying on the back
of a chair. APPRAISER: Well, sir, you have a national
treasure. GUEST: Wow! APPRAISER: A national treasure. When you walked in with this, I just about
died. Congratulations. GUEST: Gee! APPRAISER: Congratulations. GUEST: I can't believe this! APPRAISER: Now, the value of this that I'm
giving is not using the Kit Carson provenance. Provenance is sometimes very difficult to
ascertain. If... if we could do research on this and
we could prove without a reasonable doubt that Kit Carson did actually own this, um,
the value would increase again, maybe 20%. GUEST: Wow. Can't believe it. My grandmother... you know, were poor farmers. They didn't... she had... Her foster father had started some gold mills
and, you know, discovered gold and everything, but there was no wealth, no wealth in the
family at all. Boy! (choking up) I can't believe it! APPRAISER: Congratulations. GUEST: Thank you. Gee... boy...
I love this clip so much. For those interested this guy saw the vid OP posted and realized he had a blanket just like it. Great story.
Old dude was just hanging it on the back of his chair. Jeez
I'd love to hear what Karl Pilkington would have to say about paying $350,000 dollars for a blanket that has holes in it.
Is there a place I can just watch a bunch of these? Where thing's get unexpectedly high valuations?
More antique road show, please.
What is a ute?
Fuck the Rolex give me the blanket!!!
My Princess Diana bear beenie baby has gotta be close in value to that blanket
Hopefully the Old Man gave the appraiser some money so he could buy a suit that fits.