Bridget Jackson was a young girl from Kansas City who was quite unique. She lived with her parents and didn’t beg them for the newest toy on the market. She begged them to take her to garage sales.
Bridget loved antiques. She would rummage through boxes and boxes in garage sales to find anything she thought could be of value. She thought it would eventually pay off, but she had no idea what she would find.
Bridget didn’t mind being unpopular in school due to her hobbies. Her parents supported her interests and always took her to any yard sales or charity shops she wanted to go to. In their mind they just wanted their daughter to be able to express herself.
If only her parents could have known that this “hobby” would lead to a huge secret from an influential person.
Bridget not only liked antiques but loved going through anything to do with them. She watched countless documentaries on them and even read through books and literature on how to spot the real deal from the fake.
Her parents humored her and bought these things for her. But they wouldn’t have if they had known the path it would take her down.
Bridget went to her grandmother’s house to look through all her old boxes in the attic. She rummaged through all of the worthless junk hoping to find something of value. Even an airliner pen was enough for her. She loved the thrill, it was like an Easter hunt for her.
But when she finally saw it she couldn’t believe what she had found. It could have been incredibly valuable.
Through all of the junk concealed in a thin cloth was a bronze statue. Her eyes grew wide. She had no idea what was holding in her hands, but she felt drawn to it.
Her grandmother told her she could have it for only $15. She checked her pockets for the birthday money that she had saved. She had just enough. If only she knew what she was buying.
She knew it was the last of her birthday money but she felt a strange connection to the piece. Like there was more to it than its appearance. She just didn’t know a lot about it.
It could have been worth a fortune, but it could have also been a cheap Christmas ornament that was worth nothing.
All of Bridget’s searches came up with nothing, she couldn’t believe that after purchasing the item nothing would pop up on any search engines. She felt cheated. She had no more money and nothing more than a doorstop to show for it.
She cried herself to sleep thinking that the universe was cruel – until her parents showed her something that would give her new found hope.
Bridget’s parents came into her room and told her some amazing news. Antiques Roadshow, her favorite television show, was coming to Kansas City!
She knew that they would know about the statue. That they could tell her once and for all if it was worthless or if her gut feeling was right. But she could never have anticipated what the appraiser would say.
Fast forward a week and Bridget nervously sat in front of Ernest DuMouchelle, her favorite appraiser. He smiled at her and looked at the statue, but when he turned the statue over and found a secret compartment his jaw dropped open.
He pulled a note out of the statue and unrolled it, but whatever he was reading, she could see the excitement in his face.
Bridget had no idea that the statue had a hidden compartment or even that there was a note inside it. She couldn’t believe what secrets the statue would hold and that Ernest would be the one to find it.
What was written in the note that had him so excited?
Ernest explained that the note was a certificate of authenticity for the statue and that it was created by Pierre Émile. Émile was a Neoclassical artist whose work went for a pretty penny.
Ernest even managed to date the statue back to 1867, which made it very special. Bridget couldn’t believe it, her gut feeling hadn’t let her down.
Pierre Émile was well known for his bronze statues and none were like each other. That meant her statue was completely unique. Bridget couldn’t believe she was using it as a doorstop just a week earlier.
It was a pretty expensive doorstop, being appraised at around $5,000.
Her parents couldn’t believe what their little girl had found in her grandmother’s attic. It was more than just a hobby to her now but a passion. It was the push she needed to spark her collecting.
This would only be the first of many pieces that she would start to collect but she always remembers her roots
Bridget was extremely happy with the luck combined with her gut feeling. But she hasn’t forgotten every bit of help that she got to lead her to her passion.
She was thankful for her parents being so supportive because without them nurturing and encouraging her passion she would never have continued and found the statue.