Antiques Roadshow guest left stunned by the value of her grandmother's 100-year-old Olympic gold medal
An Antiques Roadshow guest was practically hyperventilating when she learned the real value of her grandmother's gold medal from the Paris Olympics a century ago.
Expert Adam Schoon met Julia during the filming of the BBC daytime series. She had brought a collection of swimming medals, including an Olympic gold from the 1924 Paris Olympics.
“That’s my grandmother Lucy Morton, swimming, she started swimming when she was about age 10,” Julia said. “What happened was her dad said ‘you’re too much of a dunce at school, you don’t seem to be doing very well’ and he decided ‘let’s try swimming.’"
Schoon said: “I noticed that there’s a number of medallions around here which she would have won for, I presume, county races, national races. She’s setting world records. All of these are 15-carat gold but of course, all these smaller medals really build up to this one here.”
The expert then pointed to the Olympic medal, and Julia provided some background on her grandmother's achievement. “She was actually the first female swimmer to win a gold medal in swimming for Great Britain,” she said.
“I’m really proud of her. At that age, that time, females weren’t doing anything like that and to have actually swam at the age of 27, I think it was quite old back then.”
Schoon then revealed his appraisal of Morton’s accolades - and left Julia floored by his conclusion, to the point where she was audibly out of breath.
He said: “So when it comes to the valuation, Olympic medal, £15,000?
BBC viewers could hear Julia panting as Schoon elaborated: “Just for that. And the fact you’ve got all these gold medals and more here, another £15,000. But altogether, it just adds up to the most extraordinary record of the most incredible woman.”