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Antiques Roadshow guest speechless at jaw-dropping value of giant 19th century book
Antiques Roadshow guest was left speechless when she found out the incredible value of her old watercolouring book.The hit BBC antiques show took a trip to Brodie Castle & Estate in Morayshire, Scotland on Sunday night (October 16), but it wasn't long before viewers got a peek at a very pricey book.The owner's book was called Drawings by the De Alwis Family and it originated from Ceylon, a British colony in Sri Lanka which existed between 1796 and 1948.READ MORE:BBC Antiques Roadshow viewers floored at staggering valuation of £8 charity shop buyThe huge blue book was filled with beautiful floral watercolourings dating from the 1880s and relating to the De Alwis family, one of the most prominent families in Sri Lanka.Many of the pieces included plant life from Sri Lanka including flowers, nuts, and seeds, with some were so large that they even folded out across two pages.Antiques expert Matthew Haley was overjoyed by the book and dubbed it: "One of the biggest and most spectacular books I have seen on the Antiques Roadshow".Explaining the origins of the watercolour book, she said: "It belonged to an aunt who was born in the early 1930s. She was given this as a book just to draw in, as a toy, sort of.