A WOMAN was left in shock when a hunk of stone with a “weird face” carved on was valued at £5,000.
The unnamed individual unearthed the item whilst digging by the drains in her garden.
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She decided to apply to be on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow to present the mysterious artefact to valuer Adam Schoon, who was left stunned at a stone head.
Making the startling confession, the guest confessed: “I was digging up drains and I just so happened to dig down and hit stone, and I pulled him out and there he was!”
Adam soon began inspecting the stone head with a closer eye as he felt around on the eyes and “primitive nose”.
The whizz went onto affirm that he believed the stone was of “Celtic style”.
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Offering up some more background, the BBC star said: “I think to myself that here we are in Northern Ireland where the Celts existed and stone heads like this go back literally over 2,000 years.
“The style of this one, I think, is third century AD.”
The guest confirmed that she had hired a local archaeologist to take a look at the item who had also expressed similar thoughts.
Adam then quipped happily: “So, he had a good vibe from the old boy then.”
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Trying to pin point the item to a time and location, he went on to say: “I think it might be medieval.
“Honestly, the origins of this is very, very mysterious.”
It then came to valuation time with the guest left stunned at what her drain pipe find would be worth.
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If she were to take it to auction, Adam expected it to command an impressive £5,000.
CASHING IN
It comes after a mum who paid just £25 for a ceramic mermaid and used it to store clothes has now found out it’s worth a fortune.
Anne Pincher snapped up the Victorian twin mermaid ceramic bowl from an antique dealer friend in 1950.
She paid £25 – the equivalent of £786 today – and proudly displayed it in her front room to impress friends and neighbours.
The gaudy ornament, which measures a whopping 99cm (39in) by 62.5cm (24in), is one of the biggest Minton majolica ceramic pieces ever made.
When Anne died in 1995 the vase was given to her daughter Marilyn.
She kept it safe at her home but has now decided to sell it for others to enjoy.
It is expected to fetch £6,000 but could sell for far more when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on March 21.
Anne’s daughter, Marilyn, a retired legal secretary from Walsall, West Midlands, said: “When mum first bought her Minton she put it in the front room for everyone to see.
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“In later years it had to be moved upstairs and she put it on the landing.
“Due to its shape and size, it ended up being filled with bric-a-brac and the odd pair of tights.”
