Bargain Hunt presenter Christina Trevanion is stunned to hear an antique tribal mask could be worth MILLIONS
Bargain Hunt presenter Christina Trevanion struggled to hide her shock after hearing an antique mask could be worth millions of pounds.
The presenter appeared in a recent episode of the BBC daytime favorite, where she visited Leominster in Hertfordshire to learn more about tribal art.
When she learned about historic tribal masks, she was stunned to discover that you could make up to £2 million at auction.
In the episode, Christina met with expert Sam Hanbury-Maiden, who explained the difficulty of determining the age and origins of tribal art.
“Sam, this looks like a fascinating collection. But what do we mean by the term tribal art? ‘ she asked.
Bargain Hunt presenter Christina Trevanion struggled to hide her shock after hearing an antique mask could be worth millions of pounds
The presenter appeared in a recent episode of the BBC daytime favorite, where she visited Leominster in Hertfordshire to learn more about tribal art
He replied: ‘Essentially Christina we are talking about pieces that are of a non-European nature. Tribal art is a term that includes North and South America, Africa and certain parts of Asia.’
Sam then showed Christina some examples of tribal art, including everyday items such as tools and jewelry, noting that they are considered tribal art because “they are made by artisans.”
Christina pointed to an object and asked, “I recognize this as a typical boomerang, but what’s going on here?”
Sam explained: ‘The middle one is a more unusual version of a boomerang, this one is called the Lil Lil, a rarer type of boomerang.
‘A lot of people recognize the boomerang, the more kind of U-shaped boomerang, the famous one that returns.
“But these are not necessarily recurring boomerangs. They are used for hunting.
‘Some have very sharp edges, they can be used for cutting, others for digging.’
‘You don’t find that every day, so that makes it very popular with collectors.’
When she learned about historic tribal masks, she was amazed to discover that you could make up to £2 million at auction
Christina then asked how much such a boomerang would fetch at auction, and he replied: “You’re looking at maybe between £800 and £1,000,” while predicting another could be worth as much as £1,500.
As for the face masks, Sam continued, “These masks date from about the 1400s to the 1460s. One of the biggest giveaways of the mask is actually not the front, but the back.”
‘You’re looking for signs of wear and tear that mainly come from wearing it on the side of the face or on top of the head
‘This mask from the Yoruba tribe, for example, has probably also been painted several times. If you look with a magnifying glass, you can probably see the different layers of paint.
“This Yoruba mask, maybe a little more, maybe £600, something like that. The big money makers are things like the canine masks from Gabon.”
‘Much copied again these days, but a providential canine mask from the 19th century could cost a few million pounds today.’
Stunned by the value of one item, a shocked Christina gasped: ‘£2 million, wow.’
In the episode, experts Kate Bliss and Ochuko Okiri were called in by the Red and Blue teams to find the best items to put up for sale at auction.
Bargain Hunt can be viewed on BBC iPlayer. It also airs weekdays at 12.15pm on BBC One.