Professionals who know how to handle fragile treasures work on Bares für Rares. But even experts are not safe from accidents: a valuable masterpiece was destroyed during the show.
Shards bring good luck, as we know. Unfortunately, this saying does not apply to Bares für Rares. When a seller brings his valuable treasure to the ZDF show, Horst Lichter has to deliver some bad news without further ado: the production team has destroyed the rarity in an unfortunate accident.
Horst Lichter must confess: employee destroyed treasure on Bares für Rares
Normally, we know Horst Lichter to be in a good mood and self-confident. In the episode from January 7, 2025, however, the moderator seems much more reserved because he has to convey an unpleasant message to the sellers Markus and Michael: The porcelain dishes they brought with them were damaged by the production team. Lichter looks guilt-stricken as he presents the two of them with a small box full of shards. The lid of a jug they brought with them suddenly “became a puzzle,” said the moderator.
Lichter explains how the annoying mishap could have happened: “One of our really excellent employees, who is sitting in the corner crying right now, dropped this little lid.” The moderator points out that the accident will affect the selling price – but he gives the all-clear: “Of course, this is a depreciation. But our insurance will cover it.”
Extreme loss: the broken set changes hands for such little money
Expert Friederike Werner explains that the broken porcelain set is from the renowned company Rosenthal and comes from a strictly limited art edition. The seller wants a hefty sum for his treasure: “We have imagined 1,500 euros.” The expert does not go along with this asking price, but still names a considerable sum despite the damage: “500 to 700 euros” can be expected in the broken state.
The seller is desperate to get rid of the unconventional set and, despite the discrepancy, agrees to try his luck in the dealer room. Once there, cult dealer Waldi immediately causes a laugh: when he learns that the team has destroyed the treasure, he bursts out laughing: “You see, I’m not the only one who broke something here.”
Unfortunately, the dealers are not at all interested in the porcelain set. Only Waldi finds the large pot interesting and hesitantly begins to bid. In the end, a deal is made, albeit for an extremely disappointing price: Waldi buys the set for only 200 euros. This means that the seller is an incredible 1,300 euros below his asking price. His subsequent conclusion is correspondingly sober: he had a good time, but would have liked more “from a financial point of view”.
TV broadcast & streaming: Then Bares for Rares comes on
Bares für Rares is on Mondays through Fridays at 3:05 p.m. on ZDF. Newer episodes can be streamed for free in the ZDF media library.
