The premise of Antiques Roadshow is pretty great: Everyday people bring old items they’ve saved to get appraised by experts. Viewers get a history lesson along with a big reveal about an item’s value.
Recently, an Air Force veteran brought his 1971 Rolex watch to the show, and got the surprise of a lifetime: It was worth more than $500,000. As he explains, he purchased the watch for a few hundred dollars when he was serving in the military decades ago. But, because it is so rare—and because of its perfect condition—the Oyster Cosmograph turned out to be one of the most expensive watches ever to appear on the show.
No one was more shocked than its owner though; he literally fell over after receiving the news of its value.
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