Antiques Roadshow Finds $35,000 Value in $1.50 Purchase
An Antiques Roadshow appraiser left a guest speechless with an evaluation of a clutch bag bought at a thrift store.
“I thought it was pretty,” a guest on a recent Antiques Roadshow episode said about the clutch he brought along, which he had paid $1.50 for at a thrift store. He quickly found out there was more to it than good looks.
Appraiser Katherine Van Dell of Heritage Auctions in Palm Beach, Florida, admired the “absolutely exquisite Art Deco purse” and walked through the details of the stones decorating the front flap. She recognized them as precious materials: “carved rock crystal, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and old European cut diamonds,” as well as platinum. They were arranged in the shape of a tiny planter filled with flowers, a design she called “giardinetto,” Italian for “little garden.”
But the really impressive feature was on the inside. Van Dell explained that the tiny, colorful carved stones are a style called “tutti frutti,” which may be associated with costume jewelry, but was pioneered by fine jeweler Cartier, albeit under different names, during the Art Deco period. Sure enough, when she opened the clutch, there was “Cartier” printed in gold on the lining. Van Dell suspected the bag was a Cartier France.
The guest said he hoped the bag might be worth “$2,000 or $3,000,” but Van Dell left him near tears when she said “about $35,000” would be a “fair market value.” She praised the guest’s eye for finding such a treasure.
The episode was filmed at Grant’s Farm in St. Louis, Missouri, and aired May 11, 2026.
All images: PBS Antiques Roadshow
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