A BLANKET that had been handed down through family members turned out to be an important piece of history.
In 2001, Ted decided to take his grandmother's blanket to see if it was worth anything.
Ted told an appraiser on Antique Roadshow the blanket was given to his grandmother by her foster father.
When it was passed down to him, he decided to display it in his home by draping it over a chair in his living room.
As soon as the appraiser saw the blanket he "stopped breathing a little bit."
The large blue-and-white striped blanket was made by the Navajo people sometime between 1840 and 1860.
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It's called a Ute first phase wearing blanket that was worn by chiefs.
The appraiser called it "Navajo weaving in its purest form," featuring handwoven wool dyed with indigo.
"It's the most important thing that's come into the Roadshow that I've seen," he continued.
At auction the blanket could've gone for $350,000 "on a bad day," and up to half a million on a good one.
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That was in 2001, though. Antique Roadshow reapraised the blanket in 2021 and found it to be worth $1.5million to $2million.
HOW TO SPOT A HIDDEN TREASURE
Experts from Our Pastimes have shared a few tips on how to tell if something you have is valuable.
You should check for a maker's mark which is extremely common for older items. It's usually on the bottom of the piece.
Try to research the item as much as you can, and if any paperwork came with it make sure to hold on to it.
Background information on where a product was made and who made it can make it even more valuable to appraisers.
You can do a quick search on eBay to see if anyone is selling the same item or something similar to get a feel for how much it may be worth.
LOST IN HISTORY
There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of important pieces of art, clothing and more donated to thrift shops.
One of Princess Diana's famous dresses wound up in a second-hand store and then sat in a bin for nearly two decades until the buyer saw it in a documentary.
It was quickly sold for about $208,000 in 2018.
Not one, but two, original Pablo Picasso pieces were found at different thrift stores.
The first was a linocut made by Picasso that was then pressed onto paper with ink.
The buyer paid $14.14 for what he thought was just a poster, and ended up selling it for $7,000.
The second was a decorative plate that a woman bought for about $100 in the 70s.
She displayed it above her stove for several years before taking it to Antique Roadshow for an appraisal.
Despite a few years of accumulating grease and dust and a small chip, it was given a "conservative" appraisal of $10,000 to $15,000.
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See how another famous painting ended up being sold for $3 at Goodwill when it was worth $190,000.
Plus, see a different way to shop at Goodwill that can save you even more money.
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