An Antiques Roadshow visitor stated he ‘got fortunate’ after learning the worth of a Hollywood film score he purchased on the cheap.
Sunday’s episode, held at Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, saw someone bring in an old school musical score – handwritten notes by US film composer Bernard Herrmann – for professional value.
The late composer’s work may be found in films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane.
Explaining how the antique came into his possession, the guest explained: ‘There was a man in front of me and it was offered off for £5 but he didn’t want it so I gladly took it.’
The score was ‘Bernard’s own copy,’ according to expert Justin Croft, for the 1952 play The Snows of Kilimanjaro.
Justin added: ‘What I like about it is there is a lot of annotation and that takes us closer to matching the score with the film. I think it does have some value.
‘It may not be his most important film score, it’s not the one which everyone knows him for. For you to have an original version of it with his corrections and with his annotation done at the time of fitting it with the film together, I think that is important.’
He then surprised the party by revealing that the Hollywood relic was valued between £800 and £1000 at auction. The visitor said, ‘Not bad for £5.’
Herrmann, who died in 1975, won an Oscar in 1941 for his score for The Devil and Daniel Webster and another in 1976 for Taxi Driver, which he received posthumously after dying a year earlier.
This isn’t the first time a celebrity has been on the show.
During a recent show, fans couldn’t believe their eyes or ears when they learned the worth of an authentic Batman outfit.
The memorabilia collector began with a Batman mask worn by Michael Keaton in the 1989 Tim Burton Batman picture.
‘What’s really important about this is that everybody knows and recognises the Bat cowl, it’s so distinctive, it has really an iconic shape and finish to it. It was designed by Academy award nominated costume designer Rob Ringwood,’ collector Steve explained.
The Batman mask was classified as ‘Basic,’ with a value of £4-6k, which is still rather high for a basic item!
Antiques Roadshow airs on Sundays at 8pm on BBC One.
