ANTIQUES Roadshow expert Cristian Beadman was floored after a guest brought in Dolly the cloned sheep’s fleece for valuation.
Dolly the Sheep was created in 1996 as a fundamental tool in stem cell research and has been dubbed ‘one of the greatest scientific steps of the 21st century’.
During an episode of the Antiques Roadshow hosted by Fiona Bruce at Brodie Castle in Scotland, a man was left stunned after discovering that his unique fleece from Dolly the cloned sheep was worth a fortune.
The man revealed to expert Cristian that the reason he had the collection was because he used to work on the famed science project which introduced Dolly to the world.
Dolly the Sheep was born at the Roslin Institute in nearby Edinburgh in July 1996 and died in 2003.
She is currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Dolly’s creation has been fundamental to stem cell research and cloning.
Her research project ‘opened up previously unimaginable possibilities’ in the science world of biology and medicine.
She has become seriously popular since her death 20 years ago, and four identical clones are still living.
In the episode, the guest brought the fleece and a selection of laboratory equipment in a cardboard box, and upon opening it, Cristian was mesmerised.
The valuation expert expressed to the guest that ‘Dolly was one of the most scientific steps of the 21st century’ before gathering more information about the fleece from its owner.
He added: “My training at big London auction houses did not prepare me for this sort of stuff.
“Especially her fleece is important now but in the future will be seminally important to science.
“These are museum pieces, and hopefully, one day will end up in some kind of museum.”
He then gave the guest a valuation, telling him that the collection could ‘well be into five figures’.
Cristian also revealed to the man that he could expect to make anything up to £30K at auction.
The man was taken aback and speechless after learning of the eye-watering amount.
Elsewhere in the episode, clock expert Richard Price valued an old broken watch given to a guest by their father and picked up at an army surplus store for just £20 at an eye-watering £8,000 and £10,000 at auction.
