0:00:34 > 0:00:39"What is this life, if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?"
0:00:40 > 0:00:45That was written by WH Davies, born in Newport, South Wales,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48this week's Antiques Roadshow venue.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Newport's river is the Usk.
0:00:50 > 0:00:58The Romans set up a fortress at Caerleon, bringing in supplies from all over their empire for 200 years.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01But Newport itself was just a small fishing and market town
0:01:01 > 0:01:05until the 19th-century industrial age.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07The town grew and flourished.
0:01:07 > 0:01:13The canal system brought down coal and iron from the valleys for shipment,
0:01:13 > 0:01:19and soon Newport docks did more business than almost any other UK port.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25Two miles from town stands Tredegar House, home of the Morgan family,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29who played an important part in developing the fortunes of the area.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32They lived here for over 500 years,
0:01:32 > 0:01:38their estates stretching through Monmouth, Glamorgan and the Brecon Beacons.
0:01:38 > 0:01:46Godfrey, a favourite in the town, donated land generously to establish health and education facilities.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51Godfrey Morgan himself had been to hell and back -
0:01:51 > 0:01:54he took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59He was so grateful to have survived, when his horse, Sir Briggs, died,
0:01:59 > 0:02:04he had him buried here in the garden, along with his dog Peeps,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07who is said to haunt the building.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11The last, most colourful, occupant of the house was Evan Morgan.
0:02:11 > 0:02:19Extravagant and self-indulgent, he entertained lavishly. His weekend house parties were legendary.
0:02:19 > 0:02:25His party piece was to let his pet macaw climb up the inside of his trouser leg,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28then peep out unexpectedly.
0:02:28 > 0:02:35If that didn't amuse his guests, they could always watch his boxing kangaroo,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38or they could try the Cefn Mabli shuffleboard.
0:02:38 > 0:02:44Each player takes a brass disc and takes it in turn to slide it down the table.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49The person whose disc gets furthest without coming off the table wins.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Here goes...
0:02:59 > 0:03:03In 1974, a bright new chapter began for the former home of the Morgans
0:03:03 > 0:03:09when Newport Borough Council bought Tredegar House and 90 acres of parkland.
0:03:09 > 0:03:16The country's grandest council house was recently voted one of the top tourist attractions in Britain.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20And now let's join our team of experts at the Newport Centre
0:03:20 > 0:03:23for this week's Antiques Roadshow.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26- You collect miniatures, do you(?) - I do.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- Where do you keep it? - On the wardrobe.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33How wonderful! Has it always stood on a wardrobe?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36When my mother was alive, it was on a piano.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40- An upright?- Yes. - It could topple!- Yes.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42These were never made for use.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47- I shouldn't think it's ever seen tea.- Yes, it has.- It has?- Yes.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52My grandmother, when she lived in Kidwelly, used it at street parties.
0:03:52 > 0:03:58- No!- Yes.- How extraordinary! - Yes.- What a wonderful idea!
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Well, they weren't actually made for use, they were display pieces,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06either made by a manufacturer to show how clever he was
0:04:06 > 0:04:08and to advertise his wares,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13or, more often, they were in the window of a tea shop.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17The fact that it's been used is really rather wonderful.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23- It holds 144 cups. - You've measured it? - Well, my mother always said that.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26I can believe it.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31- It's made in Staffordshire.- Yes.- The design is transfer printed in black,
0:04:31 > 0:04:37then all the colours have been added by hand. It dates from 1860 to 1880.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40- Good gosh!- So it's a pretty ancient pot, really.- Yeah.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44One suspects that when it was made,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- it was silver-plated all over.- Yes.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52You see remnants of the plate, but it's been polished off on the lid,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56and this is so common to find that. But at least it's retained the lid.
0:04:58 > 0:05:04What's nice about it is the design is so chinoiserie, it is Cathay,
0:05:04 > 0:05:11it is the English idea of the mythical East, and that ties up with tea,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14so it's an appropriate Chinese design.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19People love them for display. It would probably make in a sale...
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- £600 to £1,000.- Good gosh! Lovely.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27- So I don't know that it deserves to be sitting on a wardrobe.- No.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32- Thank you very much for struggling in with it.- Thank you very much.
0:05:32 > 0:05:39It was an old people's home, and someone came into the home, and all the stuff from the house
0:05:39 > 0:05:43- was put into a fair, and I bought it at the fair for 20 pence.- Right.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Biscuits, early on, were often sold in elaborate tins and packaging
0:05:47 > 0:05:49to promote the biscuits,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52and by the 1920s, 1930s,
0:05:52 > 0:05:58- you could buy trains, planes... You name it, a biscuit tin was made in that form.- Yes.
0:05:58 > 0:06:04- This has meant that people have lost interest in the biscuits, but they collect the tins.- Yes.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Here we have one called the Meteor,
0:06:08 > 0:06:13based on a car driven by Sir Henry Seagrave, but only up to a point,
0:06:13 > 0:06:18and it's a stylish streamlined image in wonderful, flowing colours.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20And as you go along,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24I like the way the wheels have this dynamic pattern to them.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Inside would be the biscuits.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32- ..No biscuits, but we've got some Woodbines.- Yes.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35So you have a smoke if you can't have a biscuit.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41Many tins were thrown away when they were empty, so they're quite rare.
0:06:41 > 0:06:48- Collectors are keen to buy them, there was even an exhibition in the V & A years ago.- Was there?
0:06:48 > 0:06:53The remarkable thing about this one is that it is effectively brand-new,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55there's very little marking on it.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00All that's missing is a headlight there, with a switch here,
0:07:00 > 0:07:05- so you could push it along in the dark with the headlight glowing.- Oh.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Otherwise, it's pretty immaculate.
0:07:08 > 0:07:13- Now, great car... great 1930s styling. 20p?- Yes, 20p.
0:07:13 > 0:07:19- I think it's worth quite a bit more than that now.- Yes. - I think you did very well.
0:07:19 > 0:07:28- How about £200? Does that sound good?- I have been told it's worth a bit more than that.- Have you?- Yes.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34- What were you told?- About 1,000. - No.- No?- I'd say that was too much.
0:07:34 > 0:07:41- With the light and switch missing, 200 or 300 would be about right.- Oh?
0:07:41 > 0:07:46It belonged to my uncle, who was an antique dealer in Bristol.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51He died in 1980 and it was his wish that I chose one of his paintings.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- I chose this. - I think you made a good choice.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00- The picture is signed, and it's signed with a monogram...- Yes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:06..and a date - 1878. I think I know who that monogram is, but what's your...?
0:08:06 > 0:08:10- I believe it's Albert Ludovici.- Yes. And there is a Junior and a Senior.
0:08:10 > 0:08:17- Absolutely right.- I don't know which one it is.- I agree it is by one of the Albert Ludovicis.
0:08:17 > 0:08:23They were both Italian, but they both came to live in London, and also lived in Paris.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29Now, I really find it difficult to know which Ludovici this is.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34The date is possible for either of them.
0:08:34 > 0:08:40- They have similar styles?- Yes, they do. I'm inclined towards the opinion that it's by Ludovici Junior.
0:08:40 > 0:08:48And it's typical of both the Ludovicis' style. It's slightly sort of sketchy and impressionist.
0:08:48 > 0:08:54But he does paint these charming pictures of children with smiling, rosy faces.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56That's typical of Ludovici.
0:08:56 > 0:09:03- And is he a musician? - Yes, I believe he's a musician, and this is his organ here.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07I see. So he's an organ grinder with his monkey.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Yes, well, this is it.
0:09:10 > 0:09:18In villages in the late 19th century, not much happened and the arrival of an entertainer like this
0:09:18 > 0:09:21was a big village event - everybody turned out -
0:09:21 > 0:09:27- so here they are following him and he's heading for the pub.- Yes.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29The frame is original, isn't it?
0:09:29 > 0:09:36Yes, a nice period frame in good condition, and in a sale now, I would reckon this painting
0:09:36 > 0:09:42- would make £5,000 or £6,000.- Right. - Maybe more as it's a nice subject.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46- I certainly suggest insuring it for, say, 7,500.- OK.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51- A very charming picture.- Thank you very much.- Delighted to have it.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55I can see why you've a problem!
0:09:55 > 0:10:01- You've the hunting horn of Chantilly but it's a very grey piece of porcelain.- Very English-looking.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- Drilled Sevres mark, but it's been drilled through the glaze.- Yeah.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Someone's trying to have two cakes and eat them.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Yeah, it's amusing, isn't it?
0:10:12 > 0:10:14And then this pattern,
0:10:14 > 0:10:18the squirrel pattern, is a Kakiyemon pattern
0:10:18 > 0:10:22done in a Chinese famille rose style
0:10:22 > 0:10:29on a plate that is English with a French Chantilly mark and a drilled hole for Sevres!
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Where do you think it was done?
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I think it's English. It's incompetent enough to be English.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42But this craquelure in the glaze... I honestly don't know.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48- But it's fun, isn't it?- Thank you very much. We're no further forward. I'll break the news to the owners.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53I understand that this was made by my wife's grandfather
0:10:53 > 0:10:57during the Second World War.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01And apparently it's a device for dealing with incendiary bombs
0:11:01 > 0:11:04that may fall through your ceiling.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07So how does it go together?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Apparently one combines these two halves...
0:11:11 > 0:11:14like that.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19You then have a rake with which you can reach into the eaves of the house
0:11:19 > 0:11:22and pull the incendiary device to you,
0:11:22 > 0:11:28and if one is very careful and doesn't hit anybody round about...
0:11:28 > 0:11:32we can scoop up the incendiary device and get rid of it.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Was this a one-off or were these standard issue?
0:11:35 > 0:11:37What I find interesting...
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Apparently, this was a one-off,
0:11:40 > 0:11:46but one of your experts this morning told me that he collected, when he was a child,
0:11:46 > 0:11:51Wills cigarette cards, and there were pictures of ARP issue,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55and that's what prompted him that this might well be the use for this.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01So we have a bit of 60-year-old... genuine...war memorabilia.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Fabulous!
0:12:03 > 0:12:08- I had it as a small boy. My mother's cousin gave it me.- Right.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- And that was about 1930. - But it's older than that, isn't it?
0:12:12 > 0:12:17- Well, maybe so. I think it was in a broken box when I had it.- Right.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21That's been lost because we played with it so often.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24It's a fairly traditional game, I should say.
0:12:24 > 0:12:29- It's Dreadnought And Submarine. - Yes, that was the name on the box.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- I've never done it. Will you let me drive the submarine?- Yes.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35- You can be the ship's captain.- OK.
0:12:36 > 0:12:43You're sailing along the high seas and I'm coming along in my submarine and I'm coming into position...
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Aim, fire!
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Hey!
0:12:49 > 0:12:53You've made my day. I've always wanted to do that.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58I suppose we have to think about value. First made about 1910,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01in production probably for a long time as a standard popular toy.
0:13:01 > 0:13:08Because it's all here, and it's great fun, I think a collector might pay £20 or £30 for it.
0:13:08 > 0:13:15- But that's not the point - the great thing is, it works.- Yes.- And I can see why you enjoyed it so much.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18I'd like to have another go now.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23This bear has an absolutely charming action, and if we move his tail,
0:13:23 > 0:13:29we get the most wonderful head movement, which I think is really, really fantastic.
0:13:29 > 0:13:37I would say that he was probably just pre-war and probably about 60, 65 years old. Would I be right?
0:13:37 > 0:13:38- Yes.- Good.
0:13:38 > 0:13:44- Now, do you know who he's made by? - Well, I've always had him,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and it's only a month ago I noticed
0:13:47 > 0:13:52- the button in his ear.- So you've only just discovered it was a Steiff?
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Yes, literally a month ago.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58He's quite a valuable thing - he's in superb condition -
0:13:58 > 0:14:03and I have no doubt that if he were popped into a toy auction,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- he'd make in excess of £500.- Mmm.
0:14:08 > 0:14:14- It's been in the family for 70 years. - How did it come into the family?
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Mother bought it when she set up home
0:14:16 > 0:14:21and when Victoriana was practically given away.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25It's a very good piece in Gothic revival style,
0:14:25 > 0:14:31which dominated the 19th century in English furniture design and architecture,
0:14:31 > 0:14:37starting with Pugin, the father of the modern Gothic revival in the 1830s and '40s.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41But this piece belongs to the second generation of Gothic revival,
0:14:41 > 0:14:49and although it's not marked in any way, I am certain that it was designed by a Charles Bevan.
0:14:49 > 0:14:57Charles Bevan was a professional furniture designer who trained with an architect, John Pollard Seddon.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Seddon worked for some time in Llandaff,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- so he has a local connection.- Oh.
0:15:03 > 0:15:10A well-known suite of furniture made by Marsh and Jones and designed by Bevan for Titus Salt
0:15:10 > 0:15:18- has sufficient characteristics with this that one can be certain that it's from his hand.- Oh.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22These little half-round motifs with a dot in it
0:15:22 > 0:15:25are very characteristic of his work.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30This cut-out Gothic motif here, and this column here
0:15:30 > 0:15:35are all things you find on this Titus Salt furniture.
0:15:35 > 0:15:43The panel in the front here, round Gothic panel with dot inlay, very, very characteristic of Bevan's work,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and it's an extremely nice example.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50You associate Gothic revival furniture with being in oak,
0:15:50 > 0:15:56but by this later generation, made in the 1860s, they used richer woods
0:15:56 > 0:16:00which was more the taste of that period, so the oak has faded back.
0:16:00 > 0:16:05In terms of value, do you have any idea what this might be worth?
0:16:05 > 0:16:11- It was valued at between 400 and 600.- Would you like some good news in that respect?
0:16:11 > 0:16:16- Well, yes.- You should add a nought to the end of that.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20- For insurance, one's looking in terms of £6,000.- Really?
0:16:20 > 0:16:24It's the best sort of commercial furniture.
0:16:24 > 0:16:31- I nearly threw it away! - I- wouldn't let him. I like it. I'm stuck with it now, aren't I?
0:16:31 > 0:16:36Definitely! Thank you for bringing it in. It really is very special.
0:16:36 > 0:16:41It was a wedding present to my uncle in the '30s and has been passed down.
0:16:41 > 0:16:48- You remember it when you were young? - It was on the mantelpiece. Firelight reflected in the iridescence.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Iridescence is the key to this piece
0:16:50 > 0:16:57because if you look very closely, you've got these beautiful areas of ruby iridescence,
0:16:57 > 0:17:02and in the panels with these flower motifs, you've silver iridescence,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06and the whole vase is covered in this...
0:17:06 > 0:17:11- well, almost green iridescence.- Yes. - Do you know where it's from?
0:17:11 > 0:17:16- I did look underneath.- You did?- I could see it was a Hungarian factory,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20but I was puzzled because of the shape and the arabesque style.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26You're quite right. This is the mark of a factory known as Fuenfkirchen - Five Churches -
0:17:26 > 0:17:32which explains why you've got five churches in the mark, but it now is known as the Pecs factory
0:17:32 > 0:17:36or Zsolnay Pecs. Hungarian. And...
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Hungarian, yes.
0:17:39 > 0:17:45I mean, it's very Eastern in style. It owes more to Persian lacquerwork
0:17:45 > 0:17:49than anything mainstream, north-west European.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55It's a gorgeous little object, a stunning object, made around the year I think 1900,
0:17:55 > 0:18:02middle of the Art Nouveau period, later than the great English lustres made by the likes of de Morgan,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06but they're far more swashbuckling designs.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09This is very miniaturist, fantastically well done.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11I can't keep my eyes off this.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16If you go round the vase, although the pattern is quite repetitive,
0:18:16 > 0:18:21the tones of the lustre do change and shimmer. It's a beautiful thing.
0:18:21 > 0:18:26- Is it an unusual pattern?- I've never seen this pattern before.
0:18:26 > 0:18:33Zsolnay is a factory I associate with Art Nouveau, and this is closer to Persian, Paisley-style motifs.
0:18:33 > 0:18:38It comes quite close to Pilkington's Royal Lancastrian, in this country.
0:18:38 > 0:18:44Difficult to put a value on. If you wanted to go out and replace that today,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49you'd have to think in terms of an insurance value of around £5,000.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Good heavens! Pardon?!
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Good Lord! Oh...that's a shock!
0:18:57 > 0:18:59I'm amazed!
0:19:00 > 0:19:05As a jewellery historian, I'm so pleased you brought in this ring.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11It's quite an unusual ring. So where did you get it from?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13It was handed down to me by my aunt,
0:19:13 > 0:19:20a lady-in-waiting and housekeeper for Lady Shelley-Rolls of Rolls-Royce.
0:19:20 > 0:19:26- Indeed?- Yes.- So there's a pedigree about it.- Yes.- Did you look at it
0:19:26 > 0:19:28and wonder about the skull motif?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31This gruesome, brutal-looking skull?
0:19:31 > 0:19:37- Yes, it's not a nice ring to wear. - It doesn't suit everybody's taste,
0:19:37 > 0:19:44but the very gruesomeness of the skull is a point about its date.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47In mourning jewellery -
0:19:47 > 0:19:55jewels that were worn when someone died - those in the Victorian period are quite sanitised-looking.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58But the early ones, made about 1720,
0:19:58 > 0:20:05- those ones are far more brutal.- Yes.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09So the skull on this one is about 1700, 1720.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14- It's covered in white, which is of course white enamel. - Yes.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18You've got the crossbones behind, so it looks like a pirate's flag.
0:20:20 > 0:20:26The shoulders are set individually with little white stones that are real diamonds.
0:20:26 > 0:20:32- So there's the skull, the table-cut diamonds, as we would call it.- Yes.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Then there's enamel scrollwork above the skull.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40Then if you have a look at the side of the shank of the ring,
0:20:40 > 0:20:45it's also black-enamelled round the edge there.
0:20:45 > 0:20:51So in what is...I suppose you could describe as quite a compact part of the ring
0:20:51 > 0:20:57is full of different pieces - white and black enamel, the diamonds.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03- But most interesting is the skull. ..Something else as well? - Yes, a small brooch.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Unusual brooch. I think it's a brooch, anyway.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10This is a very fascinating piece.
0:21:10 > 0:21:16- Made about the mid-Victorian period, so it's later than that.- Yes.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22They've painted a bubble of rock crystal from behind with the bumblebee motif.
0:21:22 > 0:21:29They painted them with all sorts of different subjects, like herons, storks and cranes.
0:21:29 > 0:21:34Bumblebees, though - very nice. It's one of those subjects people love,
0:21:34 > 0:21:39- the bumblebee.- Yes. - And on the back you'll see...
0:21:39 > 0:21:47the original locket-back compartment that would have been used for a lock of hair or a photograph.
0:21:47 > 0:21:54Unfortunately, the one slight problem with it is that the original hook has been broken off it.
0:21:56 > 0:22:03It's not super-critical. If the crystal at the front was cracked, that would make a huge difference.
0:22:03 > 0:22:09But the fact that you can put a little hook on it, that can be done.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13So, two very different pieces, different periods. Their value...
0:22:13 > 0:22:20They're a very specific market, but people really do like them. Now, the skull ring
0:22:20 > 0:22:25- I think is probably worth something in the region of £1,500.- Right.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30- I never liked it.- And it's a real collector's piece, that one.
0:22:30 > 0:22:36But the bumblebee brooch in the 1860 style, I think that's worth £2,000 to £3,000.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39You've surprised me.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43And that's been hanging about in a box.
0:22:43 > 0:22:48- You thought it was costume jewellery?- Carol never liked it.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53Can you imagine how excited I was when I saw it?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56It's such a beautiful, pedigree, Victorian piece.
0:22:56 > 0:23:02You must have a passion for things costume-related. These are lovely pieces.
0:23:02 > 0:23:10I would like to introduce Lucy, who has very kindly agreed to wear one of your most beautiful outfits.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12She looks very lovely, too.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17This is a typical mid-'20s what some people might call a "flapper" dress.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19Very glamorous.
0:23:19 > 0:23:25- Very nicely decorated with rhinestones.- Sparkling.- With a slit.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28It has a few little diamantes missing.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31They do tend to drop off,
0:23:31 > 0:23:38- especially with use, have to be very, very careful.- They're extremely fragile outfits.- They are, yes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:45Makes you wonder how the flappers did all they were supposed to have done with those dresses on!
0:23:45 > 0:23:50- You can see how beautiful it is with the lace.- Lovely.- Very lovely.
0:23:50 > 0:23:51She looks beautiful.
0:23:51 > 0:23:57- I think a dress like that is probably worth up to £200 at auction now.- Really?
0:23:57 > 0:23:59So I think you did very well, obviously.
0:23:59 > 0:24:06- This I particularly like, because this is a silver, metallised thread creation, of the same period.- Yes.
0:24:06 > 0:24:14- Maybe a little bit later but still very straight.- Still attractive and a lot of work in this metal thread.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19But the silver, metallised thread hasn't tarnished.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23They don't see daylight very often these days.
0:24:23 > 0:24:29- Outfits like this, from that period, were well accessorised.- Yes. - And you've got a selection.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34- Clutch bags...- Capes.- ..which are very beautiful and very finely made.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38This is a particularly beautiful example.
0:24:38 > 0:24:44Chain stitch and glass beadwork, with superb little enamelled features
0:24:44 > 0:24:49- and mother-of-pearl stringing on the purse itself.- Really?
0:24:49 > 0:24:54- Traditionally a very Indian form of decoration.- Was it?- Exquisite.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59A good example like this will make between £100 and £200 at auction.
0:24:59 > 0:25:05- Frightening, isn't it?- Yes, it is. You have such a good collection.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09There are a couple of other outfits which interest me.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13I've looked at the label in this one and it's by a local supplier, Jones.
0:25:13 > 0:25:21- Oh, yes.- And, um...- Swansea. - Yes, that's right, of Swansea. This is a similar period, this coat,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23but it's not of the same quality.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28It was very typical to decorate the collars and things.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33- What fur would you say that was? - It's cony.- I thought it was sable.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36No, cony made to look like sable.
0:25:36 > 0:25:43- At auction that would be worth about £60 to £100.- Mmm.- I think you have some wonderful things.
0:25:43 > 0:25:50I know you have more. This is only a fraction of what I could have looked at.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55- Where did he come from?- I've had him 20 years. I bought him quite cheaply.
0:25:55 > 0:26:02A lady was clearing out some bits and pieces and she said, "Yes, you have it."
0:26:02 > 0:26:05I paid a few pounds for it.
0:26:05 > 0:26:13- The head is bisque. I know you thought that might be real hair. - Yes.- It's actually mohair.- Is it?
0:26:13 > 0:26:17There are variations on this. Some of them had sleeping eyes,
0:26:17 > 0:26:22so that when it went from upright to horizontal, the eyes would close.
0:26:22 > 0:26:30- Some of them also had an open mouth with two teeth.- I have seen bigger ones with open mouths, but...
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- Not this small.- No. - They did do them.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38- This one is a more standard version. - Right.- I think it's wonderful
0:26:38 > 0:26:44that he's still got all his original hat...a lovely little thistle on the top,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- even a little sporran.- I know.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50We won't look up his skirt.
0:26:50 > 0:26:56Oh, we will, because he's got shorts underneath. Not a true Scotsman!
0:26:56 > 0:27:02I think he'd probably fetch in the region of £150 to £180 at auction. Lovely.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08In Newport, history comes at you from all sides.
0:27:08 > 0:27:13None of it more dramatic than what happened in 1839. ..The Chartists.
0:27:13 > 0:27:185,000 men - iron workers and coal miners from Monmouthshire
0:27:18 > 0:27:23arriving in the town in the early hours of November 4th 1839.
0:27:23 > 0:27:31They advanced on the Westgate Hotel where a group of 30 soldiers of the 45th Regiment fired on the crowd.
0:27:31 > 0:27:36Some had got into the building. They left behind some 22 men dead.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41They came demanding the Charter, the right to vote.
0:27:41 > 0:27:48- They triumphed in the end.- Yes, five or six points are now the law of our country, in terms of voting.
0:27:48 > 0:27:56- What is the significance of this silver piece?- This is a testimonial plate to the Mayor of Newport,
0:27:56 > 0:28:01Sir Thomas Phillips. He became SIR Thomas Phillips after the event.
0:28:01 > 0:28:09He had been there on the night with the 45th Regiment and had suffered wounds. A very brave, heroic stand.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- How did it come into your keeping? - In 1982,
0:28:12 > 0:28:20a gentleman in Essex was looking for a suitable-sized plate to weld into the bottom of his car.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24He found this, didn't realise it was silver until he got it home.
0:28:24 > 0:28:31He got a jeweller friend to clean it. Realising it had something to do with Newport he contacted the mayor,
0:28:31 > 0:28:36- and the museum bought it from him. - The circle is complete.- Yes.
0:28:36 > 0:28:43- This is a real mystery object. Do you know what it is?- I don't. - I'm not sure that- I- know.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48- No ideas?- None at all. - Well, I've asked around a bit.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53We came up with a few ideas, but they're not definitive by any means.
0:28:53 > 0:29:00As to where it was made, I think the general feeling is it's probably 19th century, a complete one-off.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03My feeling is it may be Dutch,
0:29:03 > 0:29:09although another person came up with the idea it might be Iberian,
0:29:09 > 0:29:16because of these curious animals, like ibex, animals you might find in the Pyrenees.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21Now, what is it? There are two spouts here.
0:29:22 > 0:29:29They follow down here, so liquid would come out of the two mouths here of the animals.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31But then you pour it out onto what?
0:29:31 > 0:29:36Another idea - possibly a good contender - is that it was a lamp.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41So you put... So the lamp fuel goes in here.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46The taper would go through into the oil,
0:29:46 > 0:29:52come out there and just come to the end of the mouth here and that would flame up,
0:29:52 > 0:29:58and so this would be a reflector, like old students' lamps of the 19th century.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03If anybody sees this and knows what it is,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06- we'd be delighted to know.- Indeed.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Three Japanese vases - where did you get them from?
0:30:14 > 0:30:17- Worcester sale.- The Worcester sale?
0:30:17 > 0:30:22- As far as I know.- This is in your family?- Yes, they're family pieces.
0:30:22 > 0:30:31- Japanese vases sold at a Worcester Porcelain Works sale?- As far as I know.- OK. Well, let's have a look.
0:30:31 > 0:30:38- On the bottom, we've got that little paper label "Worcester Royal Porcelain Works Museum".- Yes.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41- And a number.- Yes.
0:30:41 > 0:30:47The sale that you refer to is almost certainly one that took place about 1905,
0:30:47 > 0:30:52- so you've got to stretch your family back to then.- Yes.
0:30:52 > 0:30:56But well before that, in the 1870s,
0:30:56 > 0:31:00one of the proprietors of Worcester, Mr Binns, went on a binge.
0:31:00 > 0:31:08He went to exhibitions in Europe, bought all sorts of interesting things that he saw on the stands
0:31:08 > 0:31:13and he brought it back to the Royal Worcester Works.
0:31:13 > 0:31:18Many of these pieces inspired the works that were made at Worcester.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22- So they copied these? - They copied these.
0:31:22 > 0:31:28For a ceramic historian, these two particular Japanese vases are very interesting.
0:31:28 > 0:31:35If you'd brought those to me without those paper labels, I would have dated them around 1900.
0:31:35 > 0:31:41But we know documentary proof that these were bought well back in the '70s,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46when the craze for all things Japanese was only ten years old.
0:31:46 > 0:31:53Here, he bought a vase with a relief of a large carp diving to the bottom of a pond.
0:31:53 > 0:32:00- I know that that is a design that we would see in Worcester porcelain. - Right.
0:32:00 > 0:32:07And here is a piece that's been decorated in oxides of iron and other underglazed colours...
0:32:07 > 0:32:11with this beautiful flowering prunus
0:32:11 > 0:32:17in which there sits a bird that's been very, very finely detailed.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22- The potter's even taken trouble to carve out individual petals.- Yes.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26You can see why Mr Binns was taken with it.
0:32:26 > 0:32:31- Our third Japanese vase isn't Japanese.- That's my favourite.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36It's, of course, an example of Royal Worcester aesthetic-ware.
0:32:36 > 0:32:42It's imitating a Japanese carving done on a piece of elephant ivory tusk.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47It shows these frogs having rather a lively party
0:32:47 > 0:32:50underneath a floating cloud of Fuji.
0:32:50 > 0:32:57I don't know why they look so happy, because round the back there is a giant snake about to devour them.
0:32:57 > 0:33:07You've got the original inspiration and a good example, in Worcester, of what the designers made of them.
0:33:07 > 0:33:16- Yes.- This piece has the classic crown mark and a date code for 1886.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22You could buy something like this at auction for around £300 to £500.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26It's got a little chip on it.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29These two Japanese pieces...
0:33:29 > 0:33:34probably are going to be in the region of £500 to £800 each.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39- Not a huge amount in terms of value. - No, no.
0:33:39 > 0:33:45But hugely valuable in terms of what they can tell us about Japanese porcelain.
0:33:45 > 0:33:53If you have time, one day, I'd love you to go to the Worcester Museum. They would love to see those pieces.
0:33:53 > 0:34:00They'd be able to chase up the original records and perhaps tell you how much Mr Binns paid for them,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03- way back in the 1870s.- OK. Lovely.
0:34:03 > 0:34:11- You have never used this nut?- No. - Have you never wondered what that was for?- I have wondered.- Well...
0:34:11 > 0:34:14- If we hang the pendulum on...- I see.
0:34:17 > 0:34:22And then this nut unscrews from this back plate.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24- Oh, yes.- OK?
0:34:24 > 0:34:29And then it goes through there and it screws into the centre,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32so you can lock your pendulum rigid.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37Now when you take it home, it's not going to shake around.
0:34:37 > 0:34:44- Thank you.- There we go. You probably know it's a skeleton clock. - Yes, I had heard that.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48And it's very, very typically English.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53- Is it?- About 1860 to 1865.- Right.
0:34:53 > 0:35:01- We made numerous different models of skeleton clocks.- Yes.- This one is better viewed from behind.
0:35:01 > 0:35:07- You can see the architectural plates working a bit better there.- Yes.
0:35:07 > 0:35:13You've got three feet to each plate. So, six feet altogether.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15The two plates are held in position
0:35:15 > 0:35:20by these rather nice tapering baluster pillars.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24- Is it made of brass? - It is all brass.- I see.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29- And never be tempted to clean it. - That was my next question.
0:35:29 > 0:35:34If you have a crack at it, you'll do damage.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38This has to be taken apart by a clockmaker,
0:35:38 > 0:35:45and every individual part cleaned, polished, put together, and then it will look magnificent.
0:35:45 > 0:35:52- Never be tempted to use any sort of abrasive on it.- Right. - Because it will tarnish again.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Although the front's slightly faded,
0:35:54 > 0:35:59the back has a lovely grain of rosewood.
0:35:59 > 0:36:05- There's also provision here for a glass dome. Do you have that? - I do have a dome.
0:36:05 > 0:36:12It isn't the correct one and I'm afraid it's cracked, but it does keep the dust off.
0:36:12 > 0:36:18- Worth your while having it cleaned. - Is it?- Yes, which wouldn't be too expensive.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21But have you any idea of a figure?
0:36:21 > 0:36:26Well, I had it valued with a house clearance. It belonged to my father.
0:36:26 > 0:36:34- When my mother died, I had someone to come and have a look and it was only valued at £150.- 150?- Yes.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Realistically, today, at auction,
0:36:37 > 0:36:44- I have to say "at auction", because it's not in retail condition.- No.- It would still make close to £1,000.
0:36:44 > 0:36:52- Really?- Yes. By the time it had been cleaned and overhauled and polished and you had a nice dome for it,
0:36:52 > 0:36:57- it would be retailing for in excess of £2,000.- Would it? I am surprised.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:37:00 > 0:37:06- I know it's called Britannia And Her Allies.- Yes.- It didn't look as big in the saleroom.
0:37:06 > 0:37:13Oh, yes, I know that one! If you look at the bottom left-hand corner,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16it's signed by Charles Butler.
0:37:16 > 0:37:23- I think Charles Ernest Butler. - Right.- And it's dated 1920 which is interesting in itself,
0:37:23 > 0:37:28because according to dictionaries on Victorian and Edwardian artists,
0:37:28 > 0:37:34we have no idea about when he died, and they've got him perhaps painting around 1918
0:37:34 > 0:37:41and don't know of anything after that date, so it seems to me a very late work.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46It seems to me as if it's painted as a sort of memorial in some town hall
0:37:46 > 0:37:54- to celebrate the end of WWI and the victory of the Allies and the Commonwealth over the Germans.- Yes.
0:37:54 > 0:38:03- So we have the central figure of Britannia and we have the Australian soldier here.- Yeah.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07- I assume the Canadian here? - Probably, yes.- And the Indian here,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09an absolutely wonderful portrait.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14And we have our other allies - America...
0:38:14 > 0:38:19France... There's two more, possibly Italy here and Portugal there.
0:38:20 > 0:38:25And here we have the lion of the Commonwealth. It's fantastic!
0:38:25 > 0:38:31And there's somebody grieving at the bottom.
0:38:31 > 0:38:37I suppose it's not surprising after the millions that were killed in WWI.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42- In the distance, we have the Germans fleeing the battlefield...- Yes.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45..after four years of bitter warfare.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50Interesting to see, they're wearing this old-fashioned helmet -
0:38:50 > 0:38:55propaganda for the English to depict them always with this spiked helmet.
0:38:55 > 0:39:00- And you can just make out the Zeppelin here.- Yes.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04And the dreadnoughts on the right.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08It's wonderful. It could do with a clean.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11- You're right. - It's quite dirty, isn't it?- Yes.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16- You were surprised under the lights how much more detail appeared.- Yes.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20- Can I ask what you paid for it? - £500.
0:39:20 > 0:39:25It's probably not worth that now because it's so big and so dirty.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29No, something like this, today, would be worth...
0:39:29 > 0:39:34- I think at least £10,000. - You...you don't!
0:39:34 > 0:39:36I think it invokes a whole age.
0:39:36 > 0:39:42- I think there are museums and institutions that would want this picture.- Right.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45- Fantastic. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:39:47 > 0:39:53- My father had a large collection of 60 to 70 pieces like that. - Did he really?- Yes.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58- And he built it up himself?- Yes, and when he died, my mother had them.
0:39:58 > 0:40:06She left instructions in her will that they were to be divided between all the children and grandchildren.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10- No!- Yes. They're spread all over. - How extraordinary!- Yes.
0:40:10 > 0:40:17- So how many have you got?- Those. - That's your lot.- Everyone got eight. The numbers refer to the probate.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21- Right.- We've had them valued and they put stickers on them
0:40:21 > 0:40:29- so that we knew which was which. - How long ago was probate?- '83.- Was it divided for you or did you pick?
0:40:29 > 0:40:35No, they were all wrapped up in tissue paper and we took it in turns to take one.
0:40:35 > 0:40:41- Wrapped?- Wrapped.- So you didn't know what you were getting?- No.- Really?!
0:40:41 > 0:40:47- Do you reckon you did well? - Some of them are unsigned and are not very valuable
0:40:47 > 0:40:54and some of them were very valuable, so we did a bit of juggling so that we all had roughly the same value.
0:40:54 > 0:40:59Well, the majority of them here are of 19th-century date.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04Strictly speaking, they've moved away from being netsuke
0:41:04 > 0:41:08to being Okimono, decorative groups for the Western market.
0:41:08 > 0:41:14The ivory carvers had to do something when the netsuke went out of fashion,
0:41:14 > 0:41:19and so they made these things for the Western market.
0:41:19 > 0:41:25- And the majority of the pieces here are in the region of £100 to £300. - Yes.
0:41:25 > 0:41:32- But there's one star.- I always understood that the water buffalo was the most valuable one.
0:41:32 > 0:41:38- This one?- Yes.- You're right. This is the most wonderful little carving.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43This really shows the skill of the Japanese netsuke carver.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46It's fantastically well carved.
0:41:46 > 0:41:51It's not got the power perhaps of the earliest ones,
0:41:51 > 0:41:57but the way he's carved the backbone so that the vertebrae show...
0:41:57 > 0:41:59the way the ribs show,
0:41:59 > 0:42:05the sensitive carving of the hair on its back,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09the clever way this rope drapes round it,
0:42:09 > 0:42:12absolutely brilliant!
0:42:12 > 0:42:17And typically, there's as much going on on the underside as on the top.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20And it's signed here Tomatada.
0:42:20 > 0:42:25Tomatada is one of the great names to reckon with in netsuke carving.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30But there are a whole string of Tomatadas - One to Six, I think!
0:42:30 > 0:42:35And this is certainly not the great master himself, Tomatada the First.
0:42:35 > 0:42:40It's somewhere down the line, but it's a fabulous bit of work.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44I really think it's a star.
0:42:44 > 0:42:49It's one of the nicest netsukes I've ever seen on the Roadshow.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54- You need to insure it... I think you need to put £5,000 on it.- Gosh.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57You were right, it's the star.
0:42:57 > 0:43:04- The reason I like it is because it's an ox and I was born in the year of the ox.- Oh, that's brilliant!
0:43:04 > 0:43:08Oh, perfect! You must hang on to that.
0:43:08 > 0:43:15It's time to say thank you to the people of Newport for bringing us in their personal treasures.
0:43:15 > 0:43:23My eye was particularly caught by those costumes from the 1920s. Did they ever really go out of fashion?
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Until next week, nos da, and goodbye.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Subtitles by BBC Scotland