English antique collector makes unexpected fortune from friend’s furniture

An English antique collector discovered a treasure trove after purchasing a deceased friend’s furniture for 7,000 pounds (309,000 baht).

Initially, the antique collector, Alex Archbold, only wished to acquire the piano used by the late Bette Joan Rac, better known as Madame Rac, for her music lessons. However, upon entering the house, he stumbled upon a jackpot: a house filled with collectable items worth millions.

Alex and Madame Rac, who also happened to be an avid collector, bonded over their shared interest in antiques, leading to regular discussions. Following Madame Rac’s death in December 2020, Archbold decided to buy all her furniture as a tribute to their friendship.

Upon entering the house, Archbold was astonished and thrilled to see rooms filled with boxes and bags of collected items, revealing the Edmonton piano teacher’s impressive ability to collect. Among the items discovered were numerous rare pure silver coins from the 1920s and a purse filled with cash.

As the antique collector explored wardrobes and shelves, he found designer items from various decades, diamond and gold rings hidden in shoes, and small silver bars falling out of stacks of paper.

Due to the sheer volume of items, Archbold began by organising an online auction. Just by selling a small portion of the jewellery, he was able to make US$250,000 (8.8 million baht). According to experts, Madame Rac’s large collection could potentially fetch several million dollars in total, reported Sanook.

Alex expressed his intention to hold further auctions to sell Madame Rac’s items, but the antique collector plans to keep the piano as a memento of his older friend. Ultimately, with the proceeds from the auction, Alex plans to fulfil his dream of opening a coffee shop.

Madame Rac, real name Bette-Joan Rac, was a classical piano teacher who taught for more than half a century. In November 2020, she passed away at the age of 76.