An Antiques Roadshow guest was left gobsmacked by the valuation of a family member’s Chinese tea set
Lucas Hill-Paul Content Editor
21:31, 04 Jan 2026
An Antiques Roadshow visitor was left stunned, exclaiming ‘that’s outrageous’ when discovering her inherited family heirloom was valued in five figures.
Specialist Serhat Ahmet examined a Chinese tea service brought in by a guest during Sunday’s episode on 4th January.
Kicking off the new year with a fresh run, the programme showcased treasures, curiosities and artworks from visitors at Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum.
Ahmet met with a lady who presented a green case housing an exceptional Chinese tea service that had once belonged to her relative Margaret.
He gasped with a “wow” upon unveiling the contents – a striking red collection of teapots, cups and saucers adorned with intricate sgraffito decoration, reports the Express.
The set was bought in Shanghai in the 1940s(Image: BBC)READ MORE: Nostalgic sequel called ‘best film in the franchise’ is soaring up Netflix chartREAD MORE: BBC show ‘accidentally exposes’ Secret Traitor in huge on-air blunder
“This is Margaret’s tea set,” the visitor revealed. “A family member, she died last year at 94.
“I believe the tea set’s been in the attic for about 80 years, I don’t think she liked it very much so she didn’t use it. It was on its way to the charity shop and I said, ‘Hang on. Can I have a look?'”
She continued, explaining that Margaret’s father served as a Merchant Navy captain who discovered the service whilst stationed in Shanghai.
Ahmet initially highlighted the “wonderful” packaging from the manufacturer’s premises on Nanking Road, Shanghai. He also discovered an old newspaper from the day of purchase, confirming that the set was bought in 1947.
The guest was shocked by the set’s impressive value(Image: BBC)
The guest verified this, stating that Margaret would have been about 14 when her father gifted it to her.
The expert then pointed out the sgraffito patterns of Ching dragons, which would have been carefully etched while the porcelain was still slightly damp.
“We are looking at the very high end of teaware production in this period,” Ahmet elaborated.
“I think if this were to come up at auction today, it would fetch somewhere in the region of £1,500 to £2,500.”
The tea set is worth between £1,500-£2,500(Image: BBC)
The guest could only chuckle and exclaim “Really?” in response to the impressive valuation.
“You’re not serious,” she added, noting that she had estimated it to be worth just £100 while chatting to her husband.
“That’s… are you serious? That’s outrageous. Goodness me, I don’t know what to say. I can’t get over it!”
Antiques Roadshow is broadcast on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.
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