An Antiques Roadshow guest recently confessed that his daughter was probably ‘scared to death’ once he discovered his family’s gambling wheel was worth a small fortune as she ‘keeps it in her living room’.
During the show, viewers got to see expert Brad Witherell appraise a wooden gambling wheel from the 19th Century when the PBS series travelled to Tulsa, Oklahoma for filming.
According to the owner, the wheel had a long and colourful history and he claimed he had inherited the quirky item from his uncle.
He explained: ‘My uncle and aunt came to Oklahoma in 1898.
‘He was a professional gambler, they travelled over Oklahoma, they went to Shawnee, and came back.
Antiques Roadshow guest recently confessed that his daughter was probably ‘scared to death’ once he discovered his family’s gambling wheel was worth a small fortune as she ‘keeps it in her living room’
During the show, viewers at home got to see expert Brad Witherell (left) appraise a wooden gambling wheel from the 19th Century and shockingly revealed it was worth around $4,000
‘They decided they liked Tulsa best and at that time, it was called Tulsee Town and he leased a building in Tulsa that had a cigar stand, a barber shop, a billiard parlour and upstairs he had a gambling hall.
‘He operated the cigar stand and soon discovered that there was money in lending money to the gamblers.
‘And when they went broke, they came down and pawned their ring to him or their diamond.
‘The story goes that if it was a big enough diamond and it was enough money, he would go upstairs and win the money he loaned them.
‘He would still hold his diamond for them to pick up and at that time or soon after, the oil boom hit Tulsa and that’s when his business really boomed, but of course, statehood came in, which kind of slowed the gambling situation down a great deal.
Brad then delved deeper into the origins of the wheel stating that it was manufactured by Will & Fink in San Francisco.
It comes after Antiques Roadshow viewers were left less than impressed as the latest episode involved no antiques or valuations
The BBC show aired a special episode from St Thomas’ and St Bartholomew’s hospitals in London about nurses looking at how the profession has changed
Prior to making gambling wheels, the business started out as cutlers in the 1860s.
However, when the demand for bowie knives lessened, they decided to move on to making gambling equipment during the 1930s.
Brad said: ‘This would probably fit the turn of the century as far as production goes.
‘The exciting part about it is the vivid colours, how the patina on the paint is so untouched and it’s never been monkeyed with.’
He added: ‘And then, of course, it says Will & Fink, 818 Market Street, San Francisco.
‘So made in California by a very, very important maker of gaming equipment.’
Brad then shockingly revealed ‘It’s the mother of all game makers. It’s just beautiful. It’s worth around $4,000.’
The guest appeared shocked and proceeded to laugh when the appraisal commented ‘Is that right?’
At the start of the show, host Fiona Bruce explained: ‘Given the emotional and moving testimonies on tonight’s show our experts won’t be providing any valuations but even the most humble items will reveal powerful stories’
However, fans took to X – formerly known at Twitter – to argue the BBC programme had lost track of its theme as shocked viewers were left wondering why no items were being valued
To which he responded with: ‘Well, you probably scared my daughter to death. She keeps it in her living room.’
It comes after Antiques Roadshow viewers were left less than impressed after the latest episode failed to include any historic elements or valuations.
The BBC show aired a special episode about nurses, looking at how the profession has changed from the 19th century to the present day.
Host Fiona Bruce filmed at the historic St Thomas’ and St Bartholomew’s hospitals in London and was joined by several guests to look into the history of healthcare.
At the start of the show, Fiona explained: ‘Given the emotional and moving testimonies on tonight’s show our experts won’t be providing any valuations but even the most humble items will reveal powerful stories.’
However, fans took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to argue the BBC programme had lost track of its theme as shocked viewers were left wondering why no items were being valued.
They wrote: ‘I thought this was about valuing antiques, what is this about #antiquesroadshow’.
‘US #Roadie here- I’ve never seen the BBC Antiques Roadshow; if there were no valuations then what was the content of the show?? #antiquesroadshow #learningopportunity’.
‘Antique roadshow – no antiques’.
During the special episode, Fiona spoke to comedian Jo Brand, who was a former psychiatric nurse and discussed her experience working in emergency mental health clinics
The actress, 66, explained why she got into the nursing profession and how she started her career by getting involved in hospitals performances
‘Remember when #AntiquesRoadshow was an antiques programme and #countryfile was about the countryside?’.
‘I only want to see old s*** getting valued thanks very much #antiquesroadshow’.
‘#AntiquesRoadshow Great subject, amazing women and stories but has it got anything to do with antiques?’.
‘No valuations…oh come on that’s not fair, nursing or not’.
During the special episode, Fiona spoke to comedian Jo Brand, who was a former psychiatric nurse and discussed her experience working in emergency mental health clinics.
The actress, 66, explained why she got into the nursing profession and how she started her career by getting involved in hospital performances.
She said: ‘I worked in a 24 hour self referral mental health emergency clinic. My mum was a mental health social worker and my dad used to suffer from depression so it was a combination of knowing enough about it and wanting to help people get better’
Jo said: ‘My mum was a mental health social worker and we used to spend a lot of time at the hospital and I used to love it there.
‘My dad used to suffer from depression so it was a combination of knowing enough about it and wanting to help people get better.
‘I worked in a 24-hour self-referral mental health emergency clinic, people could come in off the street.
‘I was always in hospital productions and pantos which I used to do every year. I absolutely loved my job. You do have to be a kind person and remember you are looking after people and you can’t forget these are people who need to be treated with humanity.’
