Lion Statue Brings Antiques Roadshow Expert To Tears

Attention To Detail

One of the most important aspects of the lion statue that struck Mason was the unbelievable attention to detail the original crafter had. “The craftsman treated this large sculpture in a manner more typical of carvings of much smaller size,” he explained.

“The surface is smooth and unmarred from damage. The details are as crisply rendered as the day it left the carver’s workshop. I told the lion’s owner that its value might be a bit more than expected…” However, the question remained: How much was lion statue truly worth?

How Much Is It Worth Exactly?

Initially, Mason’s estimate of value was the following: “I would feel pretty confident that one could get between $120,000 and $180,000 for it,” he expressed. Nevertheless, that was only the value at an auction. “Now, the value I gave you is an auction estimate value,” he explained.

“But an insurance figure on this would be somewhere between $150,000 and $250,000, probably toward the high end. I would probably say around $250,000 for insurance purposes.” The lady would never have guessed what he said!