Gun bought for £150 valued at £150,000 at Black Country Antiques Roadshow
A vintage gun was given an eye-watering £150,000 valuation when the Antiques Roadshow visited the region.
The pistol, which was made by American inventor Sam Colt in Paterson, New Jersey, was purchased for just £150 by its owner 40 years ago.
However, in the latest episode of the BBC show antiques expert Bill Harriman estimated the revolver to now be worth around £150,000.
The programme was filmed at the Black Country Living Museum and aired on Sunday evening.
The ‘iconic’ revolver, which is believed to have been made in 1837, was described by Mr Harriman as ‘the most important firearm I’ve ever seen on the Roadshow in 31 years’.
He joked it was more suited ‘to the Wild West than the West Midlands’.
The design for the five-shot revolver – one of the first to fire multiple bullets – was patented in 1836 and production was estimated to have begun a year later.
Mr Harriman estimated that this particular model was one of the first in the series to be made when production started.
He said: “It’s one of the most iconic firearms ever.
“It’s one of the most important ever made in the development and the history of firearms.”
The show was filmed at the museum in June.
Producers captured enough footage on the day to make two episodes, with the first one airing in April.
Mr Harriman continued: “I think that this was the death knell of the Native Americans.
“They just could not deal with troops
sent against them who had so much fire power.
He added: “When they were faced with that relentless volley of lead they stood no chance.”
A spokesperson for the museum said: “It was a really good day and atmosphere. The weather was fantastic.
“A lot of people the came had never been here before, so for us it was a really good way to boost awareness of the museum.”
More than 2,000 people attended the roadshow when it visited the museum last year.
