Antiques Roadshow guest raises eyebrows at 'very rare' dress price that amazes expert

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from Antiques Roadshow.

An expert was over the moon when she encountered a dress that turned out to be much older than the owner had initially thought.

The US version of Antiques Roadshow, akin to the beloved BBC daytime show, invites individuals from all corners of the nation to bring forth their distinctive and curious belongings to discover more about their history and value.

Such was the case during the programme's visit to Denver Botanic Gardens, where appraiser Deborah Miller had the pleasure of evaluating a vintage dress.

The owner recounted the garment's backstory, saying: "It was given to us by a good friend of my wife's mother and it was from her family and we think it was from the 1800s, the dress was made.

"My wife was a home ec teacher so she was very interested in all the work that went into making the dress. It was given to my wife in about the 1960s."

Miller then revealed a surprising fact: "It's earlier than you think. It is a very rare example of an indigo printed cotton dress that dates to 1798 or thereabouts."

The owner, astonished, exclaimed: "Oh my goodness", as Miller continued to unveil fascinating insights about the piece.

She explained: "This type of printing was very complicated and so we as Americans, just a few decades after the Revolutionary War, we didn't have that skill and that infrastructure to make this type of multi-process printing.

"Therefore, it's highly likely that the fabric, at least, originates from England."

She described the garment in detail, saying: "It's in wonderful condition. It's a glazed cotton and I can see around certain areas it's a little shiny.

"It is lined, the bodice is lined with a very heavy linen to kind of keep body sweats away.

"It has a pull drawstring tie at the top and one on right at the bodice.

"And inside, there's just a little opening. You can see there is sort of a flap closure inside, just for modesty's sake.

"The critical detail that aids in dating the item is all situated in the rear of the dress," she added.

Miller highlighted particular features such as the "tight triangle piece" on the back of the dress adorned with small pleats and discussed how the pleating contributes to "a lot of fullness".

She explained: "Later on, even 10 years later, five years later, we slowly start to see this more of a column.

"But this sort of nice sweep and fullness at the back is helping to date it to the very late 1790s."

The owner, when asked about the garment's worth, mentioned: "No, we've never really worried about it.

"My wife just said it's just a museum piece and we need to keep it, because it's a very valuable dress."

Miller prepared to unveil the true value of the dress, affirming the significance of the gown: "She is absolutely right, that's the level of rarity we're dealing with here.

"It is an exceptionally fine, up-to-date day dress in top-notch condition. For insurance purposes, you'd be looking at an insured value of $15,000."

Upon hearing the valuation, the owner couldn't conceal his astonishment and joy, exclaiming: "Oh my goodness. That's amazing.

"It's very rare" Miller remarked with a chuckle, adding: "Unsuspected."

The expert then disclosed her genuine excitement about the piece: "My heart stopped when we saw it! The colour alone and then looking at it and dating it to that early, there was a lot of excitement on the table. So thank you so much for bringing it in."

Expressing his appreciation in return, he said: "Well we appreciate all your help and telling us more about it."

Antiques Roadshow is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.