On 'Antiques Roadshow,' a historical letter collection triples in value

It was a flashback to 1999 on "Antiques Roadshow," and the estimated value of some of the items was mind-blowing.

One of those items was a historical collection of letters from one of the first postmasters of the United States, Ebenezer Hazard.

While Hazard was postmaster, he petitioned for Congress to publish two volumes of historical collections. The books included a subscription letter from John Adams and a request letter from Thomas Jefferson -- both of which were still in excellent condition.

APPRAISER: "This is a great document and it's in superb condition in the original envelope. I would estimate this letter alone with its attending document inside to be worth $100,000.

WOMAN: "Oh my god!"

You thought that was a lot? The letters have more than tripled in value over time, and now have an estimated value of between $300K-$350K for the set.

The woman also mentioned that she was related to Ebenezer Hazard who, according to the
United States Postal Service, was postmaster of New York from 1775 until 1777, when he was then appointed surveyor of the national Post Office.

If you think $300K is a bit too steep for a set of letters, a similar set of letters written by Thomas Jefferson is currently available for auction at Christie's, for as little as $200K.