Antiques Roadshow guest questions experts $20,000 | TV Shows

The latest contestant on Antiques Roadshow questioned the appraiser’s experience.

The beloved PBS show often leaves visitors shocked, sometimes virtually collapsing, over the valuation of their most prized possessions. 

The last guest to seem on the show, however, wasn’t speechless just like the others. Instead, he did have one thing to say to his appraiser, who he believed was flawed on her valuation.

The great grandson of Harry Karstens appeared on the show to current the late mountain climber’s axe from the first expedition of Denali.

Giving some preface into his great grandfather’s 1913 journey, he said, “He was working on a ranch in Billings, Mo. when a guy came into town talking about gold. Came to the gold rush in 1897, very young, around 18.”

“He learned from the First Nations people how to do all the skills that were appropriate to survive in the Alaska winter and he built up a reputation,” he said.

“He shouldn’t have survived. He just kept surviving,” he admitted. “That grabbed the attention of the Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, who wanted to climb that mountain over there.”

Along with Robert Tatum and Walter Harper, Hudson and Harry climbed what is now identified as Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, for the first time. A local blacksmith had created 4 axes for each of the mountain climbers. Only one lasted through the expedition.

“Robert Tatum lost his in McKinley River. Harper’s and Stuck’s disappeared,” he revealed. “This is the only one we know that exists today.”

The appraiser began by praising his discovering, saying, “This is an amazing object. Mountaineering is a wonderful niche category of highly specialized collectors that love this stuff. The enthusiasts,” she shared. “The problem is that we don’t see a lot of materials. It stays in the family as it has with yours.”

“You earned it the hard way,” the appraiser added.

She also highlighted the axe’s uniqueness, once again mentioning, “There were only four that ascended the mountain. Three of them are gone. So this is the only one. And it’s a milestone event. It’s the first climb that made it all the way to the summit.”

The appraiser identified how “provenance is key” in antiques and he’s had it in his household. “It has been in a trunk in a barn,” he assured.

Finally revealing the estimated price, she said, “So, at retail for insurance purposes, $20,000.”

In disbelief, the guest challenged her valuation, “Oh no. That’s a little bit too much.”

“You sure?” she requested, laughing.

He ultimately accepted the appraisal and said, “Now, I’ve got to lock it up.”