A guest of ANTIQUES Roadshow completely lost it after learning the value of an airplane model he had collected for free.

In an episode of the BBC show that aired earlier this year, expert John Foster met a man who had brought a model of a Vulcan bomber.

He immediately admitted to John that he hadn’t paid a dime for it, saying, “It was in my neighbor’s backyard.

“It was a garden ornament for years and he passed away and his family left pieces in the driveway for anyone who wanted to help themselves.

“And I had seen that and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to have this.'”

John went on to explain in more detail, “So the Vulcan bomber was really developed at the end of WWII in the late 1940s, which really led to the Cold War.

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“And it was a nuclear deterrent. It would carry a nuclear payload and it was mind-boggling how advanced it was.

When you think of the Delta wing, that triangular shape Delta, the Concorde and the Stealth Bomber, the kind of three main planes known of that shape.

“And this model would have been used to test aerodynamics and wind efficiency.”

John also pointed out the stamps on the underside of the model and his guest admitted he didn’t know what they were for.

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John explained, “Well, if we look at the bottom, you’ll see there’s the number 52.

“You have other benchmarks, then you have the Air Ministry arrow, which obviously shows that this is a working military model.

“The first development of this would have taken place in 1952.

“I think it started in the late 1940s, obviously kicked in in 1956 and continued into the 1980s.

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“I think the Falklands War was its last outing. And overall its shape is just a nice shape cast from aluminum or alloy.”

John then revealed his valuation, telling the guest he could fetch between £ 1,500 and £ 2,000 at auction.

The guest laughed in surprise and said, “Well that’s very sweet. Very kind, thank you very much.”

Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays on BBC One and is available on iPlayer.