Antiques Roadshow viewers were left gobsmacked when a guest's unusual item was valued at a staggering amount. The intriguing piece featured on the BBC programme over the weekend, with expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan providing his insights.

On this occasion, the team visited the Firstsite contemporary art gallery in Colchester. Hosted by Fiona Bruce, the episode showcased an ironwood pole club. The guest explained that the item had been discovered by her in-laws after they moved into a new house.

It had been left behind by the previous occupants and had spent years gathering dust in the loft. The family believed the hidden gem originated from Fiji, but they were keen to learn more.

She said: "In the 1960s, my husband's parents bought a house in West Wales with all its contents and this was in its contents." Archer-Morgan confirmed that the pole club came from the Cook Islands and likely dated back to the 18th century.

He shared the tale of Captain Cook and his surgeon finding one of these pole clubs during their travels in Polynesia.

"This is a magnificent ironwood pole club and the Cook Islands people call it an akatara," he said. "They were made either on the island of Rarotonga or Atiu.

"Originally, this would have been a fighting weapon, but by the time there was contact from the West, this had become a ceremonial weapon imbued with manna.

"And manna is like the spiritual power of the warrior chief who would have owned this. I feel as though I've got the power holding this. It's such an impressive object."

Despite some damage to the pole club, Mr Archer-Morgan estimated it could fetch up to a staggering £150,000 at a pre-sale in Paris. Upon hearing this, the visitor gasped: "Crikey. That's amazing, really amazing."

She added: "I just can't believe how did something like that end up in an old house in the middle of Wales? How did it get there? I'd love to be able to step back in time and follows its journey because it's just incredible."

This comes after another guest was also left gobsmacked as an item she "chucked in the bin" received a very surprising valuation.

As usual, members of the public flocked to the site to have their prized possessions valued by the show's experts. But there was a surprise in store for a woman who brought it in an old item. Expert Siobhan Tyrrell examined the piece and valued it at up to £400.

You can catch up on Antiques Roadshow on BBC iPlayer

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**