JOPLIN, Mo. — The owner of a Joplin business has amassed a collection of irreplaceable items that are truly antique.

Bob Mitchell, owner of Hidden Acres Antiques, collects and sells over 6,000 items in his 32nd Street store.

All of them, classified as true antiques, meaning each item is at least 100-years-old.

Mitchell has appeared on the popular PBS program, “Antiques Roadshow” four different times.

One item in Mitchell’s collection was appraised at more than $6,000.

It’s a blue and white plate made during the Sung Dynasty in present day China, that was made around 960 A.D.

After working with antiques all his life, Mitchell says he’s still learning.

While at an antiques show in Denver, Colorado, Mitchell was given some advice from a fellow antiques dealer.

That valuable piece of advice guides how he runs his business to this day.

“She said, ‘Always buy what you like.’ She said, ‘Don’t buy it because it’s cheap, don’t get me wrong, we all like to find bargains, but after a few years if you fall out of love with something, put everything in a box, and just send it to an auction or somewhere.’ She said, ‘Take that money and buy something better. The secret to this business is to always try and upgrade. If you’ve got a collection, upgrade that collection.’ And that’s what has got me into this situation,” said Bob Mitchell, owner of Hidden Acres Antiques.

Mitchell says he continues to upgrade his collection, and is often surprised by what people bring to his shop.

If you would like to learn more about Hidden Acres Antiques, including store hours and location, you can visit their Facebook page, HERE.