Sometimes we own things that are passed down to us from generations of family without knowing their true value or worth. Some tend to hold onto these things, while other people may donate them or throw them away, not thinking the items are of any use. Ted found himself wondering about a family heirloom and was not quite sure if he should hold onto it or if it was worth anything. He owned and used a blanket throughout his years, not knowing that it was a very valuable national treasure.
Taking a chance, Ted decided to bring his blanket on the popular show “Antiques Roadshow” to see if it held any value. The show was coming through his town so he figured he would take the chance, just to see. He went to the show in his area to get the blanket appraised, not expecting the value to turn out as it did.
Antiques Roadshow’s host, Donald Ellis, knew the value of this blanket right away and recognized it as being very rare. He learned that Ted inherited the blanket from his grandmother’s foster family. It turns out that the blanket originally belonged to Kit Carson, an American frontiersman and frontier legend. Ted had figured that the blanket was owned by someone in the Navajo tribe, but little did he know that this particular blanket was a Chief’s Ute First Blanket. Because fewer than 100 of these particular blankets are in existence today, they are the most valuable and the most rare of all of the Navajo Blankets.
Donald Ellis soon told Ted how much his blanket was worth, which put Ted into a bit of a shock. Ellis estimated on the low end that the blanket was worth $350,000 and on the high end, it could be worth up to $500,000. Additionally, if there was any way to prove that this blanket belonged directly to Kit Carson, it could be worth up to $600,000. Ted originally thought this was an old, simple blanket and due to its age and simple design, it was not worth much.
Ted would have never known to expected his house blanket to be worth so much money, but after finding out some history behind it, the truth was revealed.