Veteran Literally Falls To The Ground When He Learns How Much His Old Watch Is Now Worth On 'Antiques Roadshow'
With the significant rise in minimalist living, particularly in the past year, more and more consumers are discarding their old items in favor of cleaner, simpler living.
But as we can see from this veteran's unique possession, sometimes holding on to something you've never used could be worth it.
While visiting PBS's Antiques Roadshow with appraiser Peter Planes, a U.S. Air Force veteran from Fargo, North Dakota presented a Rolex Oyster Cosmograph watch, along with all of the original paperwork, which he purchased in 1974 for $345.97.
The six-minute exchange between Planes and the veteran began with his story of how he came to purchase the watch. He always admired the Rolex watch, but with a veteran's salary of $300 to $400 per month, purchasing one always felt overly luxurious.
After serving and discovering an interest in scuba diving, the vet's thoughts returned to the Rolex, which had been marketed time and time again as water-resistant, particularly the Oyster Cosmograph with its locking mechanism.
He finally made the hefty purchase but couldn't bring himself to use it for its original purpose.
The veteran said:
"[It was just] too nice to take down in salty water."
Instead, he stowed it away in a safety deposit box, only visiting it to look at it two or three times before presenting it on the Antiques Roadshow.
Due to its age, rarity, and condition, the veteran was in for a real treat.
Planes explained that the Daytona watch became popular when actor Paul Newman wore one in his 1969 movie Winning. The going rate for the same style of watch at auction is approximately $200,000.
The veteran was visibly bracing himself, probably assuming the watch like Newman's was the most monetarily valuable. But he was mistaken.
Planes then pointed out that the veteran's watch, unlike Newman's, included the word "Oyster" on the watch face, as well as the locking dials on the side of the watch, which were both only briefly used in the product line and are now a rare find.
Planes stated that a standard Rolex Oyster Cosmograph like the veteran's would sell at auction for between $300,000 and $400,000.
To this news, the veteran happily fell over on the ground with his feet in the air.
After making sure he was okay—and asking that he not fall down again—Planes said he wasn't done with the good news.
Because the veteran's watch had never been worn and was in such pristine condition, and since it still included all of the original paperwork and packaging, the veteran's watch could easily sell at auction for between $500,000 and $700,000.
The veteran's reaction was humbling, his face totally illuminated with the news.
You can watch the full, fun exchange here:
While fans of the Antiques Roadshow watch and often enjoy the rare finds presented on the show, many found this particular instance especially heartwarming, for someone who didn't want to invest in themselves to come into the potential for such financial wealth.
This is my favourite thing on the internet right now. Great. Real. Nerdy. Heart warming. Antiques Roadshow is wit… https://t.co/20YvXlB2uL— James Kachan (@James Kachan) 1580256813.0
@jameskachan @RoadshowPBS It was fantastic. It is a great reward for his dangerous service in Vietnam.— Dr Hugo Hackenbush (@Dr Hugo Hackenbush) 1580258350.0
@BrandDNA That is awesome. Imagine having the patience to put something like that away for 40 years and never wear it!— phil (@phil) 1580298519.0
@DWH_ETH Isn’t it! What a story— Bradley Petersen+ (@Bradley Petersen+) 1580223060.0
Antiques Roadshow is my non-impeachment related content happy place: https://t.co/8eEPTPMere— Dr. Jennifer Mercieca (@Dr. Jennifer Mercieca) 1580388312.0
Though we can't guarantee all of our own mementos stashed away in our closets and drawers have such extreme monetary value, it's certainly fun to think about what hidden treasures we may have hidden away in our storage cabinets.
Thrift Store Employees Share The Saddest Things People Have Ever Donated
Thrift stores abound with killer clothes that only exist in that one place, a strange amount of used electronics, and extremely cheap ways to outfit your entire kitchen with silverware, mugs, pots, and pans.
But the whole time you're there you feel a keen sense that most of the items around you have been neglected in an attic for the last two decades and dusted off very recently.
Usually, that's no big deal. But sometimes things that old and given away are given away for a reason.
u/NormalBlogTM asked, "Charity shop volunteers of Reddit, what's the worst/saddest thing your shop has been donated?"
Discount Haunting
A local woman with young kids died of cancer, so her husband donated all her clothes to the shop. The shop then did the worst thing it could, and dressed all the mannequins in the window in her clothes. Her kids had to walk past the shop displaying their dead Mum's clothes to get to school every day.
Not the Intended Recipient
A teddy bear with a pre-recorded message telling someone that they love them and hope they get better.
GiphyWhen an Object is a Portal
An elderly man came in one day and donated his and his wife's wedding rings. He told me he had worn her ring on a chain around his neck since she died nearly 20 years earlier. They had no children and he didn't date again. He had finally decided to donate their rings because he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer a few days before. Safe to say, I had to take my lunch break early and have a cry in the staff kitchen.
Not a Ton of Resale Value
The thing that stuck out the most to me was a set of Crocheted woman's underwear
GiphyNot Joking, An Absolute Tragedy
the shop I used to volunteer in got a dead cat in one of the bags once. They figured it must have climbed into one of the big donation bins for clothes and not been able to get out
Someone is Out Here Lying About Medals They Never Earned
I found a set of military medals from the second world war in one of our local charity shops before.
Bought them and spent a considerable amount of time trying to find the owner or their relatives to return them but so far no luck.
Haste Makes Waste
At one point, my mom asked my dad to drop a garage bag of old clothes off at Goodwill. So he grabbed a bag and off he went. When he got there, he realized that he had actually brought a dead raccoon that she had put in a separate bag for some reason.
A True Antique
One day while sorting through donations, she came across a slim leather case, which she described as "very handsome." She thought perhaps it contained valuable jewelry or maybe a collector's knife. Opening it revealed an odd contraption made of rubber tubing and metal valves. Perplexed, she took it to her supervisor, who happened to be a Catholic nun.
Turns out it was a 1930s penis inflation device designed for "marital difficulties and impotency." My friend said they got a hefty price for it on eBay.
GiphyNo Respect
I donated all my fat clothes including a shirt I loved and had for many years. My clothes went like hot cakes which was bittersweet except for my favorite shirt which nobody appeared to want. Finally a guy took it and was using it as his rag to wipe his hands and nose while he ate. That pulled a few heart strings.