In January, a so-called "Grotesque Face Jug" was featured on an episode of the PBS series "Antiques Roadshow." Appraiser Stephen Fletcher described the "over-the-top" piece as "bizarre and wonderful," estimating that it dated back to the late 19th or early 20th century.
"You even see a little bit of, like, Pablo Picasso going on here," Fletcher told the jug's owner, Alvin Barr, who reportedly bought the piece for $300 at an estate sale in Eugene, Oregon.
According to the Bend Bulletin, the piece was actually made as a high school art project in 1973 or 1974 by Betsy Soule, now a horse trainer in Bend, Oregon.
"The whole story has had me laughing out loud for over a month now," said Soule, now 60, who learned of the mix-up when a friend recognized the jug on the show. "It's just the most fun thing ever."
Fletcher has since revised the appraisal, The Washington Post reports.
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