0:00:33 > 0:00:38This week, the Antiques Roadshow comes to the shores of Loch Gilp,
0:00:38 > 0:00:45on the west coast of Scotland, and the town of Lochgilphead, just north of the Mull of Kintyre.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49Lochgilphead is only 50 miles from Glasgow as the crow flies,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53but 85 by road because of the contours of the lochs.
0:00:53 > 0:01:00In 1794, a surveyor remarked, "The convenience of water carriage exempts the people of Argyllshire
0:01:00 > 0:01:05"from the absolute necessity of an expensive attention to roads."
0:01:05 > 0:01:10In other words, round here, the boat is the only way to travel.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15This is the entrance to the Crinan Canal, just south of Lochgilphead.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19It was designed to save a long haul around the Mull.
0:01:19 > 0:01:26Building it was a dour struggle. The hard rock and the remote site made it difficult to attract workers.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29But the pioneer spirit won through.
0:01:29 > 0:01:35Ironically, by the time it was up and running properly, it was no longer needed.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39Ships had become more powerful and could easily sail around the Mull.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44So the canal became the home of puffers, linking it with steamers.
0:01:44 > 0:01:52Well, it's no good coming to Scotland unless you're prepared for some fresh air and some exercise.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Should have brought my stair lift.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Made it. This is the top of Dunadd Hill,
0:02:03 > 0:02:10where, in the 5th century, Fergus of Antrim in Ireland was crowned the first king of Scotland.
0:02:10 > 0:02:16Fergus came from the tribe of Scoti, and that is how the new country got its name.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20This is the anointing bowl, and here the carved footprint
0:02:20 > 0:02:25into which the heir apparent would have stepped whilst swearing a sacred oath.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29It's said only the foot of a rightful king of Scotland
0:02:29 > 0:02:30will fit the imprint.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Just as a matter of interest...
0:02:34 > 0:02:37CHEERING
0:02:39 > 0:02:43The reason the ancients picked this particular place?
0:02:43 > 0:02:48Well, the sea followed the line of the river to the base of the hill,
0:02:48 > 0:02:54so it was a symbolic location, and a useful lookout point in the event of attack.
0:02:54 > 0:03:01Far below, the Mid Argyll Sports Centre is being invaded as the Antiques Roadshow gets under way.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06"Mademoiselle, votre beaute adorable me fait un devoir."
0:03:06 > 0:03:11- That's correct.- Miss, your adorable beauty gives...me a duty.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14A beautiful little French letter,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18penned by this 18th-century beau.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23- Right.- He's not looking at what he's writing at all, is he?
0:03:23 > 0:03:27- He's gazing into the beyond. - Into the romantic distance.- Yes.
0:03:27 > 0:03:33It's a wonderful piece of modelling - to achieve that in a small piece of porcelain
0:03:33 > 0:03:36that can wobble all over the place in the kiln firing.
0:03:36 > 0:03:42Our gentleman has all the accoutrements of an 18th-century table.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46- He has his...what we would call a turnip watch.- Right.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51He has the pounce pot - for dropping sand onto his letter -
0:03:51 > 0:03:57the ink pot, his feather, which is slightly broken. Here...the seal.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- The seal, yes.- And the sealing wax.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05And the whole thing takes place on this beautiful marble table.
0:04:05 > 0:04:11- Very, very good bit of modelling. - A lot of detail in it. - Is it a family piece?
0:04:11 > 0:04:16Yes, it is. It came down through the family on my father's side.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Well, we turn it upside down and there we have...
0:04:21 > 0:04:24I don't know the mark.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28This is the most famous porcelain mark in the world.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33- The mark of the Meissen factory! That's the good news.- The bad news?
0:04:33 > 0:04:38- You can see the bad news, can't you? - Yes.- What happened?
0:04:38 > 0:04:40Did she have a fit of pique?
0:04:40 > 0:04:45I wish I knew. It would make it much more interesting, wouldn't it?
0:04:45 > 0:04:51- It is badly hairline cracked.- Yes. - These fractures may have come about
0:04:51 > 0:04:59- by being thumped heavily onto the table.- Yes.- More likely, however, is that it was badly fired.- Yes.
0:04:59 > 0:05:05The Meissen factory was at the height of its powers in the 18th century.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09It went through the doldrums in the late 18th century
0:05:09 > 0:05:16and didn't really recover until the middle of the 19th century. So I suspect that this is poor materials
0:05:16 > 0:05:22that have caused these hairline fractures to appear.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- It has a bearing on the value.- Yes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28A figure of that quality, in good condition,
0:05:28 > 0:05:32would normally fetch in the region of £700 to £1,000.
0:05:32 > 0:05:37- Right.- I'm afraid you're going to have to halve it, but it's still...
0:05:37 > 0:05:43- It's still a lovely thing.- A very fine piece of modelling.- Yes, it is.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48We bought a house a year-and-a-half ago, north of here,
0:05:48 > 0:05:53- and this cradle was in the house. - Well, it could be Dutch.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57It could be Netherlands. But what I can tell you is
0:05:57 > 0:06:02this floral marquetry decoration is very typical of the sort of decoration
0:06:02 > 0:06:05that you get on Dutch chests of drawers.
0:06:05 > 0:06:11This is a 19th-century piece of furniture, in an earlier style.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17And it's basically a crib that you'd have in your main living room
0:06:17 > 0:06:20in which to display the brand-new arrival.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23I don't think they were meant
0:06:23 > 0:06:29- to be used as a cot, as a sleeping cot. - More of a christening...- Absolutely.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34When you're putting your baby out for the world to come and admire.
0:06:34 > 0:06:42Obviously, the nice thing is that it rocks. So when the baby is screaming, it can be gently rocked.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46This hook arrangement would have been to hang the drapes from
0:06:46 > 0:06:50so you would have had a lovely canopy of drapes,
0:06:50 > 0:06:55just like an old four-poster bed, to keep the draughts off the baby.
0:06:55 > 0:07:03Very possibly, this would have had something woven through it, because it would be hard to knock against.
0:07:03 > 0:07:09And then it would have had a lining and a mattress, probably a horsehair mattress, in the bottom.
0:07:09 > 0:07:15It stands alone as a piece of furniture that you could have in a hall or in a main room
0:07:15 > 0:07:20and that is where its value lies. And I think that it would cost
0:07:20 > 0:07:23- at least £1,500 to buy, if not £2,500.- Really?
0:07:24 > 0:07:27Mm, I thought it was a few hundred.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32My aunt gave them to me as a wedding present.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Very nice. It's not the usual thing that you give as a wedding present.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41- No.- Because, obviously, what we've got here
0:07:41 > 0:07:47- is the back and the actual seat of a chair.- Yes.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- Of a Victorian chair.- Oh.
0:07:50 > 0:07:56Because this was made to fit, with a chair, that should date at around about 1860, 1870.
0:07:56 > 0:08:02So they were around for quite a bit of time before you were given them.
0:08:02 > 0:08:07Let's concentrate on the back rest, because the back rest is just magic.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11That vivid red - that red is often referred to as a Turkish red -
0:08:11 > 0:08:16is so vibrant and alive, and the composition is typical
0:08:16 > 0:08:21from that Victorian age when it became almost ornament for ornament's sake.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26- Yes.- You've got gros-point decoration and three flowers in cut chenille,
0:08:26 > 0:08:31not only the flowers but, also, you've got some foliage as well.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36Now, that's actually been stuffed underneath, like Carolean stumpwork.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39It's the same sort of technique.
0:08:39 > 0:08:46But the shape of the back... and the seat lends me to think
0:08:46 > 0:08:52that this was made originally for a nursing chair. Probably a walnut frame.
0:08:52 > 0:08:59The chances are it would have been on very short legs - a nursing chair is very close to the ground.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05It probably also would have had white porcelain castors - worth remembering
0:09:05 > 0:09:10- because white porcelain castors were very much the vogue around 1860. - Yes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:16Anyway, 20 years ago, I would have probably said £50-£60, but...
0:09:16 > 0:09:20I'm a bit more optimistic. These are in such wonderful condition
0:09:20 > 0:09:26that you would be hard-pressed to buy anything like this for less than £400-£500.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30So it may be worth speculating on buying
0:09:30 > 0:09:36- a battered old nursing...chair... - Yes.- ..and making a happy marriage.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41- Thank you very much for bringing them in.- Thank you very much.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Well, about 35-40 years ago, I found this
0:09:46 > 0:09:53- in the back of a bric-a-brac shop in Vancouver, British Columbia. - Ah, right.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57These clocks were made in the United States, in Connecticut.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02It is actually by Eli Terry and Sons in Plymouth, Connecticut.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07He made a particular type of clock that was unique to that part of the world.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12He was about the first clockmaker to commercially manufacture clocks on...
0:10:12 > 0:10:17- Yes.- ..a production line basis.- This was Eli Terry's great achievement.
0:10:17 > 0:10:24The movement is almost entirely made of wood - the only material that the Americans had in absolute abundance.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29He converted it in his factory to make these extraordinary clocks.
0:10:29 > 0:10:36- The reason for this was that they couldn't make normal materials. They could not make brass.- No.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39So he confined the brass of this clock to just one wheel.
0:10:39 > 0:10:46All the rest is wood. Incidentally, it actually says down here that it was patented by Terry.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Most people stole the patent and he never got much money for it.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55- Do you know what the name of this particular type of clock is?- No.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59It's called the half-column and splat clock.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04These being the half columns, which are stencilled. The splat's up here.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07It also stands on claw and pineapple feet.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11The claws are at the front and the pineapple's at the back.
0:11:11 > 0:11:19- I've never noticed that. When would it have been made?- Er, it was made probably about 1825.- Yes.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22The production of these clocks stopped by the middle 1830s
0:11:22 > 0:11:28because of great economic depression. Did you have to pay a lot for it?
0:11:28 > 0:11:33- Less than 100. I can't remember exactly.- Yes.- Canadian dollars.
0:11:33 > 0:11:40It was some considerable time ago. But they're very, very rare in this country and if you bought one today,
0:11:40 > 0:11:47you'd certainly be paying £1,200 - maybe £1,500. It's delightful to see one.
0:11:47 > 0:11:53Wow! Goldilocks And The Three Bears. "Who's been tasting my porridge?" said Father Bear.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58"Who's been tasting my porridge?" said Mother Bear. It's lovely.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- Did you have it as a child? - I did, yes.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06The important thing about this is just the lovely round format,
0:12:06 > 0:12:11which is in a long history of peepshow books with moveable parts.
0:12:11 > 0:12:18- It was done, I think, in the 1950s, which would tie in with you.- Yes.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22Which means it's somewhere down the line a bit in terms of history,
0:12:22 > 0:12:28but, because it is a pop-up book, I think, probably, on the open market
0:12:28 > 0:12:36- it would be worth something like £50 to £100 now.- Good heavens!- Because it's in lovely condition.- Yes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:41Well, the majority of them are 19th or 20th century.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46This is the most interesting group here. These are Italian
0:12:46 > 0:12:51and these are aventurine. These are flecks of gold or copper in there.
0:12:51 > 0:12:58These date from the middle of the 19th century and they're very collectable.
0:12:58 > 0:13:04- One like that is worth around £150 to £200.- Right.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07These are around £50-£60 a time.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10This one I particularly like -
0:13:10 > 0:13:18really nice quality, ruby glass, silver lid to it. And that's worth around £200 to £300.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25It's a good little collection and all I can say is, keep at it.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29I'll get my husband to buy me some more for my birthday.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Well, I don't know. Perfume glass, inkwell,
0:13:33 > 0:13:37miniature scotch bottle? I've no idea. What is it?
0:13:38 > 0:13:42It's a target ball that was used before the invention of clay pigeons.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48They would be filled with feathers, someone would throw them off the top of a small hill
0:13:48 > 0:13:53and the shooters would stand at the bottom of the hill and shoot them.
0:13:53 > 0:14:00- That's before the days of safety awareness. I mean, a lot of flying glass...- Lot of flying glass, yeah.
0:14:00 > 0:14:06- They used to pay small boys to collect the missed ones. - When was this?
0:14:06 > 0:14:11It must have been about the end of the 1800s, because I've got a medal
0:14:11 > 0:14:17that my great-grandfather won for shooting these and it's dated 1890.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21- What a wonderful championship.- Yes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25I can't read this inscription, but I can tell you it's by Copeland.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- I think Russian.- Absolutely right.
0:14:28 > 0:14:35This is a kovsh and, in the 17th century, they were given by the Tzar to his officers after a battle
0:14:35 > 0:14:39for having a drink out of. By the time this was made,
0:14:39 > 0:14:47which would be the late 19th century or early 20th century, they're largely for presentation purposes.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49It has beautifully painted enamel
0:14:49 > 0:14:56round the sides in shaded colours, which is the nicest form of enamel.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58This is hand painted on here.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01On the bottom we've got two marks.
0:15:01 > 0:15:08The one on the right is the maker's mark, and the other on the left is a kokoshnik mark,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12meaning it was made around 1900. Because the enamel is so good,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15- that's about £1,000.- Good grief!
0:15:18 > 0:15:23Well, it was given to my parents when they were married
0:15:23 > 0:15:28and my mother eventually offered it to my two sisters -
0:15:28 > 0:15:33my older sister and then my younger sister - and neither wanted it.
0:15:33 > 0:15:40- I think my older sister thought it was ugly. So I had it.- A piece of Wemyss from over in Fife.- Yes.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- But we're a long way from Fife. - Oh, we are.
0:15:43 > 0:15:51It's quite boisterous. Wemyss pottery has got a lot of character to it. It's not beautifully done,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54but it's very strong and boldly done.
0:15:54 > 0:16:01It was popular in the late-Victorian period and into the 20th century. It was all the rage at one stage.
0:16:01 > 0:16:09The Queen Mother is said to be the biggest possessor of Wemyss in the country, has a great love of it -
0:16:09 > 0:16:15probably because it's Scottish. I like it very much. Is it a jam pot...?
0:16:15 > 0:16:20- We used it as a biscuit barrel.- Yes, so the family acquired it about...?
0:16:20 > 0:16:28- About 1910, I think.- Not long after this was actually made.- Oh. - It comes from around about 1900.
0:16:28 > 0:16:33- And lovely. I'm glad you like it. - Yes, I do, I like it very much.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38A great piece. Not of enormous value. Something like £200 to £300.
0:16:38 > 0:16:44- Oh, well, that's...- But great fun. I'm sure your sisters are kicking themselves now.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49- Yes, that's very nice, yes. - Well, I'm glad you like it.- Yes.
0:16:49 > 0:16:57Having one hedge-carpenter's stickback chair suggests a little bit of luck, but having two
0:16:57 > 0:17:03- gives me the feeling that you've got the eye of a collector.- I am.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07I came to Inveraray about 43 years ago
0:17:07 > 0:17:12- and I was always interested in local history.- Mm-hm.
0:17:12 > 0:17:18- At an auction, that one came up for sale.- How long ago?
0:17:18 > 0:17:22- Oh, 42 years ago.- And for the record,
0:17:22 > 0:17:29- what did you pay for that one?- £4. I then became the district nurse for the area, and one old lady,
0:17:29 > 0:17:33when she died, the family gave me this one.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38- That's incredible luck.- Yes.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40And having put paint on the one,
0:17:40 > 0:17:48my husband said to me, "Don't touch that one, that's as it was." So I've really only taken a cloth over it.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Well, the sad thing is that,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53of course, many chairs of this sort -
0:17:53 > 0:18:00and they date back from between 100 and 200 years - many of them ended up, literally, as morning sticks.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05- Yes.- Broken up for kindling when they had a particular problem.
0:18:05 > 0:18:13As people became wealthier and could buy manufactured chairs, they became ashamed of their humble origins.
0:18:13 > 0:18:20- That's right.- Chairs like this would have been found in crofters' cottages in this area,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24made by the hedge-carpenters with available materials.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29This one has almost entirely been made out of little bits and pieces.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35The front legs...almost certainly, have been made from slightly shaped,
0:18:35 > 0:18:39but not steam-bent, single pieces of wood,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- as they'd have been picked out of a hedge.- Yes.
0:18:43 > 0:18:50The top bow here, the same thing. These sticks have been whittled straight from branches.
0:18:50 > 0:18:56While the other one... the other one is rather fascinating.
0:18:56 > 0:19:03The seat suggests that it might have come from somewhere else, maybe even part of an old barrel head,
0:19:03 > 0:19:08because it is almost precisely a semicircle and has been finished.
0:19:09 > 0:19:16- And it has the marks both of a pitsaw and a circular saw on the base.- Oh.- But having said all that,
0:19:16 > 0:19:22- we have to put some sort of a value on them, don't we?- Yes.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28To acquire one of these from a specialist dealer in country furniture, something between...
0:19:28 > 0:19:32- £300 and £500 each.- ..No!
0:19:32 > 0:19:40This design of chest of drawers, with this lovely serpentine front, came into fashion in England
0:19:40 > 0:19:44in about 1770 and went on through until the 1800s.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49It's a very good, solid mahogany chest of drawers.
0:19:49 > 0:19:53- Was it given to you? - Given to me by my mother-in-law.
0:19:53 > 0:19:59She just said, "Would you like it?" I nearly burst into tears on the spot,
0:19:59 > 0:20:03- I was just so thrilled.- You've always loved it?- I've always loved it.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08What's particularly nice is that it's got this fitted...
0:20:08 > 0:20:13dressing drawer. If we pull it out a little bit further...
0:20:13 > 0:20:17- This was excellent, basically, for a gentleman.- Yes.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20You've got a baize-lined writing surface
0:20:20 > 0:20:25which you also put your jacket on and used as a brushing...
0:20:25 > 0:20:28- Oh, that's clever. - ..a brushing surface.
0:20:28 > 0:20:36Pop this back and in here are all the little fitted compartments for your dressing accoutrements
0:20:36 > 0:20:42- and this lovely little... - This mirror, I think, is just magic. It makes me feel quite funny
0:20:42 > 0:20:45because it's so old, isn't it?
0:20:45 > 0:20:51A little easel mirror which you can adjust by sliding it up and then putting it back,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53with its lovely original glass.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- That's such a nice thing to see. - Isn't it?
0:20:57 > 0:21:00If we slide that back again and shut it up...
0:21:02 > 0:21:10- If you look here, there's signs that a pair of handles has been there. - They're sort of round, aren't they?
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And then, underneath this handle,
0:21:13 > 0:21:18there's also been another handle, which I think were the originals.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23I think, originally, it would have just had little round handles,
0:21:23 > 0:21:28little pull handles with a brass back plate. It's a big problem
0:21:28 > 0:21:35having these marks that have been left behind, though the restoration has been done reasonably well.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39- Do you see they've just been plugged in?- Yes.- Which is a pity,
0:21:39 > 0:21:46because it really does hit you that you've got all these marks where the handles have been previously.
0:21:46 > 0:21:52- Yes.- Nevertheless, a chest like this is extremely popular in the market today.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55It's become one of the most sought-after designs.
0:21:55 > 0:22:01I think you should have this insured for at least £10,000, if not more.
0:22:03 > 0:22:10These are very powerful things, these. It seems to me that this is something to do with Nazi Germany.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14- Is that right?- Yes, it has. Well, we assume it has.- Yes.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16They came from my father
0:22:16 > 0:22:21who was German and escaped from Germany - we're Jewish -
0:22:21 > 0:22:25he escaped from Germany in 1939, very last minute.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- I see.- Once the war started, he was interned.- How did he come by these?
0:22:29 > 0:22:32I don't know. He wasn't an artist,
0:22:32 > 0:22:38but he was very interested in art and he befriended a lot of painters.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44- I imagine that he got... - He met them in the internment camp, quite possibly.- Some of them.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48He may well have brought those from Germany with him, I just don't know.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51- And this is your father?- Yes.
0:22:51 > 0:22:57- He was 41 and that was done while he was in internment.- What interested me
0:22:57 > 0:23:02was some of these next things here, because this is signed,
0:23:02 > 0:23:06or inscribed, on the back with the artist's name - Kurt Schwitters.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Yes.
0:23:09 > 0:23:15- Now, he was part of an artistic movement, which was called Dadaism, in the...- Oh, really?
0:23:15 > 0:23:21..in the 1920s and through the First War. And from that,
0:23:21 > 0:23:27he started his own movement called Merz - M-E-R-Z. The name comes from commerce,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31which in German ends with a z. And he laid something over that
0:23:31 > 0:23:39and left the letters M-E-R-Z. From that, you got the name of this art movement called The Merz Movement.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43This is a straight drawing, and powerful and confident it is too.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46I think it's worth about £1,000.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52The next thing which I found interesting was this little thing,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56which is marked Kurt Schwitters on the back again.
0:23:56 > 0:24:02- It's on a bit of old asbestos, which he must have just found around the camp or something.- Yes.
0:24:02 > 0:24:09I'm not sure whether it's done with oils or watercolours, but it's very complex, straight from his mind.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14It might have been suggested to him by all sorts of things.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20And to me it has quite an elemental power. ..You don't agree at all!
0:24:20 > 0:24:26- Well, it's very subjective, isn't it? - In the eye of the beholder. - Yes, in the eye of the beholder.
0:24:26 > 0:24:34I suppose it is. At any rate, his collages can sell for very large sums of money - £20,000 to £30,000.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- Of course, we're not talking about that here.- No.
0:24:38 > 0:24:44None the less, the provenance is good, the image is powerful.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49I think it could easily be worth £2,000 to £3,000.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54- Incredible, incredible.- Yes? - Yeah, quite incredible.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00My mother bought them for me on my birthday in...1934,
0:25:00 > 0:25:06- and I've had them ever since. - Were you pleased?
0:25:06 > 0:25:13I thought they were rather nice, but I wasn't overly excited. I think I'd rather have had something else.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15But they've been a great joy to me.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20They're not very naturalistically modelled. If you turn them round,
0:25:20 > 0:25:27there's barely any attempt at detail at the back. They are flat backs. Do they live on the mantelpiece?
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Yes. Well, I use them as bookends.
0:25:31 > 0:25:37I've seen a lot of dog ones like this, but I've never seen these sort...
0:25:37 > 0:25:44- The dogs have a special name up here, don't they? - Yes, wally dugs. Wally dugs.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48- Wolly dogs?- Wally. Wally. - What does wally mean?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51Well... Porcelain or china.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55So these are wally zebras. Let me tell you a bit about them.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58They were made, almost certainly, in Staffordshire,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01between the 1860s and the 1880s.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05They were intended, really, to go on a mantelpiece.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11You've got these vases, these trunks, which form part of the structure
0:26:11 > 0:26:17so that the spindly legs of the zebra - which wouldn't take the weight of the animal in the firing -
0:26:17 > 0:26:22the whole animal is supported on this integral column at the back,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26so it serves two purposes. It's really just reinforcement.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I like the way that little river...
0:26:29 > 0:26:33runs off at the front. It's nice. And the little babies as well.
0:26:33 > 0:26:40When I first joined the business, these pottery figures weren't particularly highly thought of.
0:26:40 > 0:26:47- Have you had any chance to get them updated?- No, I've never bothered. I just put them up on a shelf.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- £3,000 to £5,000.- Really. Really?
0:26:50 > 0:26:54My daughter said, "Don't go and say, 'Oh, yeah!' "
0:26:54 > 0:26:57That's amazing, actually, isn't it?
0:26:57 > 0:27:04- Will you put them back on the bookshelves?- I might for a little while, but I wouldn't mind a holiday.
0:27:06 > 0:27:14It was my cousin's. He played with it as a child and when he grew out of it, I got it and played with it.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17- It's been in the attic ever since.- OK.
0:27:17 > 0:27:25- It's pretty bashed, as you can see. - Yes, but I think that's nice - it's been used and well raced.
0:27:25 > 0:27:32It's an American model of the Golden Arrow, which was a land-speed race car. Do you know who the driver was?
0:27:32 > 0:27:37I think it was Seagrave. I believe he won a world speed record in the '30s.
0:27:37 > 0:27:44Henry Seagrave broke the world land-speed record in 1926 and 1927 in a Sunbeam
0:27:44 > 0:27:48and then in 1929 in this, the Golden Arrow,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52with a record speed of 231mph. It's a really nice model.
0:27:52 > 0:28:00It was made in the 1930s - this sort of fantastic tapering body up to the winged fin here at the back.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It looks quite comfy in there,
0:28:02 > 0:28:07though I bet you it's like a rocket with wheels. It's an American car,
0:28:07 > 0:28:12made by the Kingsbury Company and it's motor driven.
0:28:12 > 0:28:20- At auction, it should fetch between £400 to £600.- Really?- Yes. - Oh, I think I'll hold on to it.
0:28:20 > 0:28:26- Now this serene family picture has, in fact, been mutilated, hasn't it? - It has.- What's the story?
0:28:26 > 0:28:30Well, this girl Eliza, who was 15 at the time,
0:28:30 > 0:28:36she didn't have a very good relationship either with her elder sister or with her mother,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40so when she inherited this picture, she solved the problem
0:28:40 > 0:28:45by taking her scissors and cutting out her uncle and her father
0:28:45 > 0:28:47and framing them separately.
0:28:47 > 0:28:54- Were these other people still alive at the time? Did they know what she'd done?- I don't think so, no.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59This was not brought to light until after she died
0:28:59 > 0:29:03and her niece found that these two pictures fitted into this
0:29:03 > 0:29:10- which had been pushed away into the attic.- The jigsaw.- The jigsaw, yes. - Very high emotions, weren't they?
0:29:10 > 0:29:15They were, yes. It shows something of the family relationships, I suppose.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Who knows what was going on behind that gentle face?
0:29:21 > 0:29:24- How long has it been in your family? - Since 1933.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29That was my parents' wedding, the year they got married.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Well, I think it was made a little bit earlier.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37It could have been made probably about 1910. I've got to pick it up.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42I'm desperate to pick it up because what you've brought along is...
0:29:42 > 0:29:45When you turn it over and look very carefully,
0:29:45 > 0:29:50you find the name L C Tiffany, Louis Comfort Tiffany.
0:29:50 > 0:29:57This is Tiffany Studios. It's not to be confused with Tiffany & Co who are still going today.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01But what fascinates me is this wonderful use of iridescence.
0:30:01 > 0:30:08- And look at the intensity of that blue! It's mesmerising, isn't it? - It's marvellous.
0:30:08 > 0:30:14It's just magic, absolute magic. But when it comes to value, the blue and the size
0:30:14 > 0:30:20- will tip this towards the £800, possibly £1,000 mark.- Mm. - So, um, lovely.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28I was given it by my parents when we got married. My husband's a falconer
0:30:28 > 0:30:33and he has pointers and collects grouse - they fetch grouse.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37They thought it would be very appropriate.
0:30:37 > 0:30:42It's by one of the many artists working in France in the 19th century
0:30:42 > 0:30:50known as animalier artists. This one is signed at the bottom J Moigniez, who was probably one of the best
0:30:50 > 0:30:57of the animalier sculptors. Jules was his Christian name and he worked mainly in Paris.
0:30:57 > 0:31:03He was very talented and he exhibited at the Salon from a very early age, from his 20s.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07He had a lot of gifts in this particular area
0:31:07 > 0:31:14and his work was much sought after, particularly in Scotland. You find a lot of animalier bronzes here.
0:31:14 > 0:31:19The condition of this one is very good - typical of Moigniez' work.
0:31:19 > 0:31:25You've got a very naturalistic feel to the pointer, the quality of the bronze is very strong.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30Often, the tail has been snapped off in the ensuing 150 years.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34It's nice to see one with the tail original.
0:31:34 > 0:31:41- But it rather looks, looking round here, as though it's been cleaned. - Well, I suspect we polished it,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46- just so that the signatures could be seen.- You polished it yourself or...?
0:31:46 > 0:31:51- Um...- Come on, confess! Confess! - Probably.- Oh, dear.
0:31:51 > 0:31:56That has affected the value of the piece, and also the colour.
0:31:56 > 0:32:02It should all be the deep patina that it is on the pointer.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Really, bronzes should be just cleaned with a light duster.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11At auction, it would probably fetch - good size - perhaps £1,500-£2,000.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17Does that surprise you?
0:32:19 > 0:32:25- What do you think that's made out of?- I assumed it was ivory, probably wrongly.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Yeah, the clue to this
0:32:28 > 0:32:32is this very open granular appearance we've got here.
0:32:32 > 0:32:37This is stag antler, which is what people call stag horn.
0:32:37 > 0:32:43- Deer have antlers, not horn.- Right. - Stag antler is actually very difficult to carve.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47This is very hard material, it's effectively a bone, really.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51He's a senin. A senin is a sort of holy man.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56He dates from probably the middle of the 19th century.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01- He's really rather sweet, but he's not of enormous value.- No.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Worth around £100 to £150. The ball is great fun.
0:33:04 > 0:33:10I don't think I've ever seen one with such nicely engraved insects.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14We've got cicadas, we've got crickets,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18we've got beetles, we've got moths. We've even got a crab,
0:33:18 > 0:33:23which doesn't really quite fit, but it's a charming one.
0:33:23 > 0:33:28There's a popular myth that these were carved out of billiard balls.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32It's a wonderful idea, that the Japanese were playing billiards,
0:33:32 > 0:33:37got bored and went home and carved one of these. Not so.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40That's absolutely splendid. And this one,
0:33:40 > 0:33:43I mean, really displays
0:33:43 > 0:33:46Japanese ivory carving at its best.
0:33:46 > 0:33:52Here we've got a festival cart. It's got wheels and was pushed along.
0:33:52 > 0:33:58This one has a figure of Daikoku, one of the seven gods of good fortune.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03He has a mallet in one hand and he is the god of food production.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06- His familiar is a rat.- Right.
0:34:06 > 0:34:13- And that's why we've got all these rats carved all the way round.- Yes. - And it's a wonderful bit of humour.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18We're rather precious about our God, but the Japanese,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22- you're allowed to sort of play fun with them.- Yes.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25- Where did these come from? - From my grandmother.
0:34:25 > 0:34:32They were part of - I understand - part of a collection that was divided between the grandchildren.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Really? They're wonderful. The ball is worth around £250-£350.
0:34:36 > 0:34:42And the okimono - which is what this is, a standing group -
0:34:42 > 0:34:48- he's going to be worth around £400 to £500.- Right.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52- So a very nice inheritance. - Yes, indeed.- Thanks, Granny.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56My mother actually wore it as a utility piece.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00- Did she?- She didn't wear a watch and that was what she wore instead.
0:35:00 > 0:35:05But it came from much earlier, it came from my great-great-grandmother.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09- It would date from about 1880, I should think.- Yes.
0:35:09 > 0:35:17The movement is very ordinary. They put anything of value into the case, which is beautifully enamelled.
0:35:17 > 0:35:24It's 18-carat gold, it's Swiss, it's set with all these lovely little rose diamonds all around.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29But this is the piece that intrigues me. I love that case.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35- Obviously something missing from it. - There are earrings,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37a matching set of earrings.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40They went to my sister-in-law
0:35:40 > 0:35:44- and I received the brooch.- Right.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48The earrings - did they have anything missing from them?
0:35:48 > 0:35:54I think there were pendants on them. There were some little holes.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Well, you do realise you've got part of the earrings.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Ah. No, I didn't realise.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06Well, these actually detach and they would have gone on the earrings.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08- Good heavens!- If we open it up,
0:36:08 > 0:36:13which I'm sure you've done, little screwdriver inside.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16I've always wondered what it was for.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19If we just move the pin out of the way,
0:36:19 > 0:36:24you can see where that screwdriver fits. Can you see those round...?
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Well, the prongs on the screwdriver
0:36:27 > 0:36:32fit onto those, and it unscrews. So the whole of that front comes off.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36If you look underneath here,
0:36:36 > 0:36:40these tassels are actually on rings. If you take that front off,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44they will slide off and fit onto the earrings.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48- Ah.- So you've got half the earrings. - I've got half the earrings.
0:36:48 > 0:36:54You've got a mixture of diamonds - brilliant cut diamonds, nouvette cut diamonds and a nice central diamond.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58It's lovely, but there's another piece missing,
0:36:58 > 0:37:03- which would be a bracelet that goes there.- That I've never seen.
0:37:03 > 0:37:08- That piece would be the central part of the bracelet.- It clips together.
0:37:08 > 0:37:14That could be taken off, fitted onto the bracelet, which may have been plain Milanese gold.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19- Does it date from the period that it was given?- Absolutely right.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23It's dated here 1913. This is termed as millegrain setting,
0:37:23 > 0:37:31all these little tiny beads. Very, very popular from 1910 up to about 1930 and then it sort of died out.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36So, it's absolutely bang right for the inscription on the case.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40You should insure the watch for about £1,200,
0:37:40 > 0:37:44because that's what it would cost you to replace it today,
0:37:44 > 0:37:49and about £6,000 for the brooch. So it's going to up your insurance...
0:37:49 > 0:37:53A fairly hefty premium. I think it's worth it, I do wear them.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59That's the main thing with jewellery. It's made to be worn.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03My younger sister was the one chosen to be painted.
0:38:03 > 0:38:10We always spent our holidays down on the Solway Firth. For years, we always went to the same place,
0:38:10 > 0:38:16to the same landlady, who, for some reason, was quite pleased to see us, because there were 7 of us children.
0:38:16 > 0:38:23- Do you know who the painter is? - Yes, Hamilton Mackenzie.- James Hamilton Mackenzie, that's correct.
0:38:23 > 0:38:31- A Glasgow-born artist.- He was a friend of my parents.- Really?- I have one or two other pictures of his.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36- My parents just commissioned it from him, you see.- That's interesting.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41This is an unusual picture for him. Most of his work tends to be landscape work.
0:38:41 > 0:38:48It's a very charming portrait. It's beautifully painted - nice and bright and lively
0:38:48 > 0:38:55and captures that wonderful light around the Solway Firth, that almost translucent water there.
0:38:55 > 0:39:00- Yes. I like the way the light is. - It's quite bold in its execution.
0:39:00 > 0:39:08There's a stone under my sister's feet because she was a bit impatient and kept shuffling in the sand,
0:39:08 > 0:39:13so Mother had to find a flat stone and put it under her feet to stop it.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17She always said her toes looked very rebellious.
0:39:17 > 0:39:22It would be in the early part of the year because the bluebells were out.
0:39:22 > 0:39:29- Lovely. So this must remind you of fond holidays on the Solway Firth, then?- Yes, indeed.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33It's a very beautiful picture. It's quite a commercial picture
0:39:33 > 0:39:38in that it's the sort of picture that everybody would like as an image.
0:39:38 > 0:39:43It's nicely constructed. He met a tragic ending - Hamilton Mackenzie.
0:39:43 > 0:39:50Yes, he was only about 45, I think, not much older, when he was killed in an accident. He fell out of a train.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53He was asleep, and the train stopped.
0:39:53 > 0:40:00He woke up, opened the door and stepped out, thinking he must have arrived, and fell on the track.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05It was very sad because I'm sure he would have gone on and done...
0:40:05 > 0:40:10That's probably why we don't see some of his more accomplished works.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14I think it's a lovely picture and I think the story is very beautiful.
0:40:14 > 0:40:19It has all the ingredients of a nice, modern, British-type picture.
0:40:19 > 0:40:25- A picture like this should fetch around £3,000 to £4,000 at auction. - That's quite interesting.
0:40:25 > 0:40:32We moved up here eight years ago from down in the south. It had been in my father's family up until then.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36- I have never seen it out of its case before.- Oh, is that so?
0:40:36 > 0:40:41- You got it out of its glass case. - Exactly, it has this glass cover
0:40:41 > 0:40:45which has kept it in very good condition.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- And you can see all the detail now. - It's fantastic.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51- It's staggering, isn't it?- Yes.
0:40:51 > 0:40:56In the southern part of England during the Napoleonic Wars,
0:40:56 > 0:41:03there were a number of prison hulks and prisons, full of French prisoners of war.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09And the French prisoners of war got into a nice little niche market
0:41:09 > 0:41:14in that they produced wares out of straw which they coloured,
0:41:14 > 0:41:19out of wood from their beds and out of the things that they ate.
0:41:19 > 0:41:25What we're looking at here is a ship made either out of beef bone or mutton bone.
0:41:25 > 0:41:33The way to really gauge the quality of a ship model is to look at things like the deck detail.
0:41:33 > 0:41:40We can see the hatch covers, the bell at the front, the ship's wheel, the little cannon sticking through.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44Then the second deck, another row of cannon.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48These brown layers on the side are made of horn.
0:41:48 > 0:41:53- Of what?- Horn. Cow horn probably. It's very tempting
0:41:53 > 0:41:58for somebody to take a bit of polish to that, but it hasn't happened.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00It's in its original condition.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05Lovely detail up at the front with the figurehead, the anchors...
0:42:05 > 0:42:08The thing that surprises me, I suppose,
0:42:08 > 0:42:12is that the rigging is in such good condition.
0:42:12 > 0:42:18I know that that was replaced at some stage by an expert. I don't know who.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Certainly, it's been expertly done.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25Because it's been cased, that has kept it in very good condition.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30The thing which also adds interest to me is the plinth it stands on,
0:42:30 > 0:42:36because that's beautifully finished too and it's rather naively carved.
0:42:36 > 0:42:41- The market for these ships is very buoyant at the moment.- Yes.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43So I would have said, at auction,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47we're talking about, perhaps, £7,000 to £10,000.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52Wow. Much too beautiful to sell.
0:42:54 > 0:43:00I couldn't agree with you more, but it's not too beautiful to insure.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04We've seen some rare and imaginative things today.
0:43:04 > 0:43:11Speaking of imagination, I've been told about the director of the local museum who, in order to raise funds,
0:43:11 > 0:43:17took himself into the woods and was sponsored for the number of midge bites he received.
0:43:17 > 0:43:23Thank you to the people of Argyll and, from Lochgilphead, goodbye.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Subtitles by BBC