BBC Antiques Roadshow expert gives huge value on 2,000-year-old coin - despite owner's 'worst' alteration

BBC Antiques Roadshow expert gives huge value on 2,000-year-old coin - despite owner's 'worst' alteration

WATCH HERE: Antiques Roadshow expert refuses to value item linked to slavery

BBC
Alex Davies

By Alex Davies


Published: 08/04/2024

- 09:30

Coin expert John Foster admitted the change "hurt the value" of the historic artefact

Fiona Bruce and the Antiques Roadshow team headed to Sefton Park Palm House in Liverpool during Sunday's episode of the BBC show.

First shown in June last year, viewers got another chance to witness expert analysis and valuations being dished on a wide array of items - from a personalised letter by musician Kate Bush to ancient Doctor Who memorabilia.


However, one of the most eye-catching items on display landed on expert John Foster's desk thanks to his expertise in the history of coins.

Foster examined a pair of coins dating back over 2,000 years which have since been repurposed as cufflinks.

"My mum would always say, you could tell a man by his shoes, but for me, it's more the cufflinks. What's the story with them?" Foster asked the owner of the newly-formed cufflinks.

The guest explained: "My great-grandfather used to own a pawn shop, and it's just been passed down through the generations and ended up with me."

Antiques Roadshow:

Antiques Roadshow: John Foster shows off the alteration to the ancient coin

BBC

Quick to draw attention to the fact they'd been repurposed, Foster asked: "So it wasn't you who mounted these? Because they're actually silver coinage, tetradrachms, Greek. Have you got any ideas on dates or anything like that?"

"I thought it was Zeus but I don't know the date of them," the guest replied to which Foster explained: "That's correct. Zeus, the Greek god there. Used quite widely on coins. I thought, 'Ah! They're gonna be Philip II', who is around sort of 330 BC.

"And whenever I say to people I collect coins and this is what I do, you see that glazed look over their face and then you say... But when you show them something like that and say, 'Jesus could have actually held that coin', it puts it into a totally different context."

However, Foster was keen to point out that the previous owner's decision to turn ancient coins into cufflinks - and mounting as a whole - proves detrimental to their monetary value.

Antiques Roadshow: John Foster

Antiques Roadshow: John Foster still delivered an impressive valuation on the item

BBC

Foster told the guest: "The worst thing you can do is to mount a coin like this.

"But someone has taken a huge amount of care to do that. When you flip them over, you can see this open back mounted in 18-carat gold.

"On the back there, there's a chap on horseback. So rather than Philip II, and this is only what I think just from seeing them, I think this is someone called Seleucus. Now, he ruled around sort of 300 BC in the Syrian area."

It turned out that the mounting of the coins wasn't the only flaw in the item, as Foster explained after asking the guest if he still wore them as cufflinks.

Antiques Roadshow: John Foster and guest

Antiques Roadshow: John Foster's guest's item had the 'worst' alteration possible

BBC

Foster pointed out: "Being mounted and they're a little bit clean, so no more cleaning. That will hurt the value a bit."

However, Foster was confident they'd still fetch a four-figure sum if sold, telling the guest: "But I would say for the pair, easily £1,000 to £1,500."

"Happy with that," the guest replied but admitted he had no plans to sell. "I'll be keeping them anyway. Pass them down."

"I just think they're amazing," Foster replied as the show moved on.

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