0:00:33 > 0:00:39The Antiques Roadshow is now in its 25th season. We're celebrating
0:00:39 > 0:00:41by thinking big.
0:00:41 > 0:00:48We've come to the biggest city in the largest country of the English-speaking world - Toronto.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53The CN Tower has also just celebrated its silver anniversary.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56For 25 years, it's held the record as the tallest,
0:00:56 > 0:01:01freestanding structure in the world, it's 553 metres high.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05In my language, that's over 1,800 feet.
0:01:05 > 0:01:13Thoughtfully, they've put in an elevator, which takes a mere 58 seconds to get to the stratosphere.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17And there's a magnificent view
0:01:17 > 0:01:20of the shores of Lake Ontario.
0:01:23 > 0:01:30Toronto has a population of 4.2 million, from 80 ethnic groups. It's a multicultural mosaic -
0:01:30 > 0:01:36fittingly as, in the Huron language, "toronto" means "meeting place".
0:01:36 > 0:01:42As elsewhere in North America, aboriginal peoples were the first to settle here.
0:01:42 > 0:01:49The earliest-known European visitor was Etienne Brule, in 1615. The French set up a fur-trading post.
0:01:55 > 0:02:01By 1793, the British were in charge, they founded the garrison at Fort York,
0:02:01 > 0:02:08whose restored buildings are now the oldest in town. York became the city of Toronto in 1834.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Torontonians are proud of their heritage.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Luckily for this programme, they're also keen on "antiquing".
0:02:16 > 0:02:22This harbour-front market covers a huge area. I'm told Canadians do love a bargain.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25We could be right up their street!
0:02:25 > 0:02:30The street, in this case, is Austin Terrace. Our venue is Casa Loma.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35It's an extraordinary Gothic castle, built in 1911 for Sir Henry Pellatt,
0:02:35 > 0:02:39a Toronto financier and industrialist
0:02:39 > 0:02:43who harnessed the hydro-electric power of Niagara Falls.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49The mansion took 300 men three years to build and cost over three million Canadian dollars.
0:02:49 > 0:02:56Sir Henry's fortunes ran out, and he had to relinquish his dream home which now belongs to the city.
0:02:56 > 0:03:01Thanks to the Kiwanis Club and the Garden Club Of Toronto,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05our experts are joined by five locals.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10We're hoping for original, Canadian treasures.
0:03:10 > 0:03:17My mother insisted it was American. She had a friend in Ottowa who owned a soft-drink company
0:03:17 > 0:03:22and THEY knew that it was old, and that it predated bottled soda-pop.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27Are they made in America, Canada, or are they made...?
0:03:27 > 0:03:33- They're made in America.- Right. - I haven't seen any company mark.
0:03:33 > 0:03:40- It's about 1915-20.- If I saw this at a British roadshow, I'd think it was a great object, great fun,
0:03:40 > 0:03:47but I wouldn't think it was particularly unusual. We don't have that same country-store fascination.
0:03:47 > 0:03:54To us, entertaining ephemera - collectible, but not particularly valuable. So what's the story HERE?
0:03:54 > 0:04:01This is a very significant item in country-store collecting. I've seen ONE before, in an American auction,
0:04:01 > 0:04:08eight or ten years ago. It was 3,000 American. The value now would be 6,000 - 7,000.
0:04:08 > 0:04:15- That's £3,000! I don't know about you, but I'm amazed. - Well, I-I don't know what to say.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23Throughout the show, you'll hear valuations in Canadian dollars and/or sterling.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27At the time of this recording, there are about 2¼ to £1.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35The chair belonged to William Christian. He was born in 1602.
0:04:35 > 0:04:43He was called "Illiam Dhone", "Brown William". There's a lot about him in Manx lore.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47He was Receiver-General in the time of Cromwell.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52- And you KNOW that it's been in the family that long?- As far as I know.
0:04:52 > 0:04:59- In 40-odd years, I've only seen three genuine tables of this sort. - Really?- Really.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Gosh.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06- We'll have a look, and I'll tell you why this IS genuine.- Mm-hm.
0:05:06 > 0:05:13- Probably not as easy as telling you if it were a fake! It'd be a lot simpler.- I'm sure.- The carving...
0:05:13 > 0:05:18We have to play bears for a minute. The carving here,
0:05:18 > 0:05:20- this is a gioche moulding.- Yes.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25It has this wonderful, simple method of construction,
0:05:25 > 0:05:29just drawn by a compass and created with a half-round chisel.
0:05:29 > 0:05:37The top, of course, has seen a lot of wear and use, and the dramatic thing about it is, if we turn it...
0:05:39 > 0:05:44That's right. ..and we lift it up - and it slides down -
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and then it becomes the chair.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Repeating that pattern on the back, here it is.
0:05:51 > 0:05:58But you have the signs of wear on the edges. Where you don't touch - more crustiness.
0:05:58 > 0:06:04You cannot fake that, cannot create it. Absolutely wonderful to see.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Just exemplary of its type.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11- The castors, of course, are not original!- I know!- Not Cromwellian!
0:06:12 > 0:06:16- I think some Victorian put them on. - Absolutely.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20Otherwise, it's stood the test of time -
0:06:20 > 0:06:25and wear and use - VERY well. Just wonderful.
0:06:25 > 0:06:31This little old piece of furniture is worth the best part of 30,000.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Wow! Gosh! That IS interesting. I always wondered how much it'd be worth.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Where did it come from?
0:06:40 > 0:06:47It was an estate sale of an elderly lady whose family - the father of the family -
0:06:47 > 0:06:50was a ship's captain who went to the Orient.
0:06:50 > 0:06:58He brought things back. I imagine this was perhaps about the...end of the 1800s.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04Because YOU'RE from Japan, you know a little bit more about this, perhaps, than I do.
0:07:04 > 0:07:12- I came to Canada three years ago. - Right.- When I went to my parents-in-law's house, I saw this.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Of course I knew - this is a piece of Satsuma.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22- So when I...- Hang on! That, actually, is quite impressive!
0:07:22 > 0:07:27- An awful lot of Japanese DON'T recognise Satsuma.- Really?!
0:07:27 > 0:07:34- No, no - THIS was made for export, for the West.- Ah.- So the Japanese oftentimes don't recognise it.
0:07:34 > 0:07:41- Sorry - I interrupted you.- Antiques Roadshow is very popular in Japan. - OK, so that's what did it?- Yes.
0:07:41 > 0:07:48- So...why are you here? Has Mother-In-Law given it to you, or...?- Yes, we shall.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Thank you!
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Well, it's a good piece.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59This blue ground was introduced by a potter called Kinkozan.
0:07:59 > 0:08:05My first thought, when I saw it, was that it WAS Kinkozan. We've got a signature.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08I'll take a rest now,
0:08:08 > 0:08:15- and ask you to read that. - Well, this is a family crest - of Shimazu.- Yup.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18- And this is "made by...Kizan". - Kizan.
0:08:18 > 0:08:25So we call that the Satsuma "mon", because it's the mon - the badge - of that family.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29We've the other characters going down like that. That's brilliant.
0:08:29 > 0:08:36We've got here a hero, I think he is, with an ogre, a devil of some sort. I don't know the story there.
0:08:36 > 0:08:43- Do you know what that one might be? - I think it's about Peach Boy. - This is Peach Boy?- I think so.
0:08:43 > 0:08:50- It's a very famous folk tale. - Yes, he had two elderly parents...? - That's right.
0:08:50 > 0:08:57- They didn't have a son, is that right?- That's right.- And he came out of a peach stone.- Mm-hmm.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02And then something I've never seen, which I think absolutely wonderful.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05We've got an audience,
0:09:05 > 0:09:10a typical subject where you would normally expect to see
0:09:10 > 0:09:13a lord and his samurai seated round.
0:09:13 > 0:09:18But here, they've all been replaced by birds and animals!
0:09:18 > 0:09:22It's a marvellous idea. Very satirical.
0:09:22 > 0:09:30And brilliantly done! The detailed work in here is superb. It's a glorious piece. Date...
0:09:30 > 0:09:37- late 19C, which ties up very well with your... - Sea captain.- Sea captain.
0:09:37 > 0:09:42Now we come to the price. I would have said this would've made...
0:09:42 > 0:09:47£2,000. 4,500 - 6,500.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Wow!
0:09:50 > 0:09:54- Surprised?- £2,000!- Oh, yes! - "Thank you, sea captain."
0:09:54 > 0:10:01- Oh-h! I can't remember, but I think it was about 125 or something.- Really?
0:10:01 > 0:10:08Yes. But we just thought it was interesting. We didn't know anything about it. Fascinating!
0:10:08 > 0:10:13- I know it's an "Indian" quill box, but that's all.- Well, you are right.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18This box, the decoration is made from porcupine quills
0:10:18 > 0:10:21that have been individually dyed
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and woven into this little wooden box.
0:10:25 > 0:10:31- This particular type of box was made in Nova Scotia.- Oh!- Not local.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36It's quite a bit older than those we see from this part of the world.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42- Probably about 1820.- Oh, my goodness.- Most we see here are 1920.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48What's interesting about these is that most we find, we actually find in England.
0:10:48 > 0:10:54They were acquired in the 19C by English tourists and people in the Navy, taken back to England.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00A lovely pine bottom with some old inscription. How much did you pay? 4.
0:11:00 > 0:11:07The local boxes we see make a couple of hundred dollars at the best of times,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09usually 25 - 35.
0:11:09 > 0:11:16This box, from this period, you're looking at about £700 - £900, about 1,500 - 2,000.
0:11:16 > 0:11:23- Oh, my gosh! I'm absolutely amazed. - I'm sure you are. - Great - I'll have it back now!
0:11:23 > 0:11:30- I haven't seen such a collection of amber for a LONG time. How did you come by it?- It's my grandmother's.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33And this is only a teeny bit.
0:11:33 > 0:11:40She brought it over after the war. She was from Russia, and was living in Lithuania before the...WWII.
0:11:40 > 0:11:46- And she managed to get out with it. - I don't know how she brought 'em.
0:11:46 > 0:11:52- As you know, amber is the fossilised resin of fir trees...- Right.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57- And pine.- ..and pine trees. This is an amazing piece.
0:11:57 > 0:12:05It was fossilised tens of millions of years ago. We're looking at something incredibly ancient.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08These pieces are in their natural form
0:12:08 > 0:12:16because, as far back as 2,000 years ago, people were heating this, melting and refining it
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and re-forming it.
0:12:18 > 0:12:25It was terribly fashionable. Roman ladies would dye their hair to match their amber.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30So this is a terrific lump. But the most interesting thing, I think,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- is this necklace.- It has the bugs...
0:12:33 > 0:12:41Yes. A lovely, original colour. So much amber, even today, when you go into a shop and look at new amber,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44it's all been reconstituted.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48And THIS is completely natural and original.
0:12:48 > 0:12:54And...I haven't counted how many of these pieces have bugs in...
0:12:54 > 0:12:59- I think pretty well each has one. - A lot have. Amber that has bugs in,
0:12:59 > 0:13:06- that has not been reconstituted - because a lot now find insects and pour it all over.- I know.
0:13:06 > 0:13:13- You see a big fly like this. "Nice housefly you've got." - It was buzzing a week ago.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16These are the real things.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19A necklace like this is pretty rare.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24- And valuable.- Mm-hmm? - So, £2,000 British...
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- Oh!- ..or 4,500 Canadian.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32- A really outstanding one. Thank you so much for bringing it.- Thank you!
0:13:32 > 0:13:40I have a small toy collection, and I didn't have a teddy bear. I was living in British Columbia,
0:13:40 > 0:13:47and a friend wanted to sell her bear. I thought it was wonderful, and bought it, not thinking too much.
0:13:47 > 0:13:54- He just looked well-worn and loved. - He looks as if he's had a life. We can see the original colour.
0:13:54 > 0:14:01He would have been this vibrant pink. The thing is not just that he's got this wonderful expression,
0:14:01 > 0:14:06- but he's also got a very nice musical movement. - MUSIC-BOX TINKLING
0:14:06 > 0:14:12You squeeze his tummy and out comes this rather lovely melody.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17So he's got this sort of double attraction.
0:14:17 > 0:14:25- He's quite a valuable little chap. How long ago did you buy him? - I bought him in about '78 or '79.
0:14:25 > 0:14:32- Can you remember...?- 50. - Jopi musical bears can fetch as much as £1,000...
0:14:32 > 0:14:40- Mm-hmm?- ..which is - what? - about 2,200-2,500. - Oh, really? That's pleasant.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45TINKLING CHORDS
0:14:45 > 0:14:53It's not often we have a first on the Antiques Roadshow, but this has to be our smallest book ever!
0:14:53 > 0:14:58It's minute. And you've brought a microscope so that I can read it.
0:14:58 > 0:15:04I can hardly believe it. We come to this enormous country and find the smallest book!
0:15:04 > 0:15:11Having looked at it through the microscope, it is the Lord's Prayer in various European languages.
0:15:11 > 0:15:17- To the naked eye, it's quite impossible to read.- It is, yes.
0:15:17 > 0:15:23- Impossible to open, too.- There was a London dealer, Louis Bondi, who wrote a book on miniature books.
0:15:23 > 0:15:30He tells a lovely story of cataloguing one of these tiny things. He sneezed.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36The book just fell off the table, and his dog, which was under the table, thought it was a fly,
0:15:36 > 0:15:43and snapped at it and ate it! He said he followed the dog around for three days, but nothing happened.
0:15:43 > 0:15:50So I assume they're totally digestible. Anyway, it's from the 1930s.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56It's an incredibly small book. It won't make an awful lot of money,
0:15:56 > 0:16:01but 500, 600, that sort of price. A LOVELY thing to be left.
0:16:03 > 0:16:11- We've had it for 50-odd years. - That IS a while.- We used to go to auction sales.- Here in Toronto?- Yes.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17Oh! Right! That's interesting, because Stanhope Forbes was married to a woman who was born in Ottowa.
0:16:17 > 0:16:24- I didn't know that.- Elizabeth Ada Forbes. I wonder if it got to Canada because of that connection?
0:16:24 > 0:16:29- I have no idea.- It's interesting - it's a relatively early Forbes,
0:16:29 > 0:16:35done within a few years of him establishing a movement in Britain,
0:16:35 > 0:16:40based around an impressionistic use of paint, called the Newlyn School.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44His interest was in slabs of paint showing reflective light.
0:16:44 > 0:16:51The way it's constructed is interesting. You've got quite blank areas with very little going on,
0:16:51 > 0:16:56and then just to pick out highlights with broad brush-strokes,
0:16:56 > 0:17:02just laid on very thickly and confidently to suggest this light coming in through the window.
0:17:02 > 0:17:10It brings the picture almost out of nothing, and if you stand back from it, resolves itself very well.
0:17:10 > 0:17:18- You can see it more easily than if you're close.- Yes. We used to tell stories to our family about the...
0:17:18 > 0:17:25the sceptical younger man listening to Grandfather showing him how to do the nets.
0:17:25 > 0:17:32- He thought he probably could do a lot better.- Or he's been telling some tall tales of the sea.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36- Maybe that's true!- Well...
0:17:36 > 0:17:43a picture this size by Stanhope Forbes is now worth quite a lot of money in England. Here in Canada,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46perhaps it wouldn't do so well.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51But in a London sale, this would be worth between £40,000 and £60,000.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56- Really?!- Absolutely. - We'll have to make a trip to London.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00"Grey for the goblins, blue for the elves,
0:18:00 > 0:18:05"brown for the little gnomes who live by themselves.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09"White for the pixies that dance upon the green,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14"but where shall I find me a robe for the queen?"
0:18:14 > 0:18:18- Tell me about it.- Look at the queen. - Inside. There she is.
0:18:18 > 0:18:26- How long have you had it?- About 30 years - inherited from my parents. It was a wedding gift to them.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31They were married in Canada - in Winnipeg in 1928.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36- Right.- It was just something we grew up with. We were three children,
0:18:36 > 0:18:42- and we grew up learning to read with the rhyme on the bowl.- My goodness!
0:18:42 > 0:18:48- Very trusting parents and very careful children. - Not really - it simply sat there.
0:18:48 > 0:18:55- We were allowed to touch and handle it.- Well, I'll check it for damage, cos that could be a problem.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00- PURE, MELLOW NOTE RINGS OUT - No buzzes, no cracks in there!
0:19:00 > 0:19:07- You WERE a careful child. What do you know about the pattern.- I only know it's "fairyland lustre".- Yes.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12- And...Daisy Makeig-Jones, is it...? - Yes.- ..I believe, is the painter.
0:19:12 > 0:19:19And simply what I've read about it. I checked it out with the Wedgwood museum, through photographs.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24They certified that it was her - but not having seen the bowl.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Wedgwood is absolutely the factory of manufacture.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33There's the Portland vase trademark. These are just pattern numbers.
0:19:33 > 0:19:40As you say, the design was by Daisy Makeig-Jones. But one detail I wonder whether you've picked up.
0:19:40 > 0:19:47- What's that?- It's very rare to see a piece of fairyland lustre with her cipher on it.
0:19:47 > 0:19:54- But each of these rocks carries "MJ." MJ...- Oh, really?
0:19:54 > 0:19:58MJ - for Makeig-Jones. I have never seen that on a piece of "fairyland".
0:19:58 > 0:20:06- Isn't that amazing?- To a collector of "fairyland" - and there are lots in North America as in England -
0:20:06 > 0:20:10- that is a very desirable object. Have you had it valued?- No.
0:20:10 > 0:20:18- Well, if you were to sell this, in today's market it'd fetch £3,000 - £5,000.- Mm-hmm...pounds?
0:20:18 > 0:20:25- Pounds.- Yes, OK.- We're talking, what, 7,000 Canadian PLUS.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Um...yeah.- Yeah.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33Albert Ernest Carrier de Belleuse, 1824-1887.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37He was one of the leading academic sculptors of that period.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43He won prizes constantly in salons, he was a favourite of Napoleon III,
0:20:43 > 0:20:51and he made the transition from the very formal sculpture of the early neoclassical period
0:20:51 > 0:20:57to the livelier, informal, intimate sculpture of the later period.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01- Interestingly, one of his pupils was Rodin.- Ah!
0:21:01 > 0:21:08- This couldn't be LESS Rodin-like. - No.- You see how Rodin, working as a young man in this sort of formula,
0:21:08 > 0:21:15- obviously thought, "Oh, time we had a change," and moved the whole thing on.- This is much more ornate.
0:21:15 > 0:21:21Much more elaborate. It has a wonderful flow and swing to it, but in a rather traditional manner.
0:21:21 > 0:21:28Carrier lived in England for four years, working for Minton, and designed many ceramic figurines.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- I didn't know that. - He went back to France,
0:21:31 > 0:21:38- he was associated with Sevres... He was a great man of that period. - And the detail in the drapery...
0:21:38 > 0:21:45It's such a wonderful element of detail, as you say. There's a detail at the back,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49there's the patterning on the front. And it's this blend of materials.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54We think of bronze-and-ivory as of 1930s' Art Deco sculptors.
0:21:54 > 0:22:00He was the pioneer. Carrier got the idea going of mixing materials.
0:22:00 > 0:22:06It was an attitude of the sculptors of that period, "Let's see what we can do. Let's change the surface.
0:22:06 > 0:22:14"Let's bring in ivory and semi-precious materials, enamels." He also used porcelain sometimes.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19- The little one is also very nice. - I love this one.- I do. It's a seal.
0:22:19 > 0:22:26- I haven't seen one that has the different colours of bronze. - This, again, is the same thing.
0:22:26 > 0:22:33The different colours of bronze, different metals, the blend of finishes -
0:22:33 > 0:22:37the exploring of the traditions of sculpture in the late 19C.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41This is later, but follows on. Two lovely pieces.
0:22:41 > 0:22:48This is going to be £6,000 to £8,000 - that is...
0:22:48 > 0:22:5012,000 to 16,000.
0:22:50 > 0:22:57This one, much less. It's very pretty, it's small. £600 to £800,
0:22:57 > 0:23:02- so it's 1,200 to 1,600.- I've done well, then. I paid 3,000 for this...
0:23:02 > 0:23:07- 500 for this.- Canadian?- Canadian. - Lovely!- Thank you very much.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12- Waltham made of the order of 25 MILLION watches.- Oh, gosh!
0:23:12 > 0:23:19SOME of the models are worth a lot, but in your case, don't give up the day job just yet.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21There was no plan!
0:23:21 > 0:23:29They travelled England, knocking on the doors of country houses, "Anyone want a portrait painted?"
0:23:29 > 0:23:31It might have cost 20 guineas.
0:23:31 > 0:23:38Our Mr John Graham of Claverhouse - if I've pronounced that right - just said yes.
0:23:38 > 0:23:45- This, I paid a dollar for.- A dollar?! That was expensive, wasn't it? A dollar for a cracked pot.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- In a flea market.- It's worth that.
0:23:50 > 0:23:57- It springs open. - And we see the scene here. Earlier ones make a huge amount more.
0:23:57 > 0:24:01I think if it was a bit more suggestive, a bit sexier,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06- it would've doubled in value. - Oh! I know what to look for now.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10In the 30 years that I've been in antique silver,
0:24:10 > 0:24:16I don't think I've ever seen such an interesting claret jug as this.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20So I've got to ask you - where did you get it from?
0:24:20 > 0:24:28Well, about 35 years ago we were out downtown, shopping - antiquing, whatever - we went into a store
0:24:28 > 0:24:33and we saw this, it caught our eye. We liked it, paid about 200 for it.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36- 200?- Yeah. Took it home
0:24:36 > 0:24:40and put it in the dining-room cabinet, where it's been ever since.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45It's so purely Gothic. It's such a great design -
0:24:45 > 0:24:49these wonderful Gothic arches you've got all the way around -
0:24:49 > 0:24:53which is purely in the tradition of Pugin,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56a great architect of Gothic Revival.
0:24:56 > 0:25:03- If you pick it up, even without liquid in it...- Heavy.- It weighs a huge amount, doesn't it?
0:25:03 > 0:25:08That's because the glass itself is really substantial.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10The top is very nicely faceted.
0:25:10 > 0:25:16It's essentially quite straightforward in its construction,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19but just so elegant, so Victorian.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23You couldn't get much more Victorian than this.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28But we should look and see if there are some marks on it.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Yup, we've got a set of marks along here.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34The maker's mark, EHS...
0:25:34 > 0:25:39that's for Edward Stockwell, one of the most innovative silversmiths
0:25:39 > 0:25:42of the second half of the 19C.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48We've also got a date-letter here, S, which is for 1873.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54Stockwell produced some truly wonderful pieces of silver.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Anyway,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00200...it's not a bad investment.
0:26:00 > 0:26:08Cos I would comfortably put 10,000 on it now, which is about £4,500.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11W-Will you check the pulse?
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You're kidding...?
0:26:14 > 0:26:21If a fan's measured by the distance they'll travel, you're the truest of all. Where have you come from?
0:26:21 > 0:26:27- From White Horse in the Yukon Territory.- It sounds a dramatic place. How far away is it?
0:26:27 > 0:26:35- 4,000 miles.- You've come further than I have! How long did it take you?- It took from 11 o'clock -
0:26:35 > 0:26:42- yesterday morning - till 11 o'clock at night.- Didn't involve sledges?- No, I didn't come by dog team. By plane.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47- Sensible. So what did you bring? - I brought two pieces of jewellery.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50I brought a bracelet and a necklace.
0:26:50 > 0:26:57- They were valued at 500 each. - They'd pay for your trip back. - Almost!- Almost!
0:26:57 > 0:27:04- ..They came from an Ontario farm family that was closing down the farm.- Oh, yeah?
0:27:04 > 0:27:09So I bought them - from a friend's garage. It was what we could afford.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14That's all we know. This, we fell in love with and wanted right away.
0:27:14 > 0:27:21- That one we took cos it belonged to this one, though at the time it looked nothing like it.- This one,
0:27:21 > 0:27:29- we'd call a D-end table because of the shape.- Yes.- It's out of Ontario, I'm sure. It's cherry on the top.
0:27:29 > 0:27:36- Ah.- That's a sap streak, typical of cherry. You often get that little white streak.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- Bird's-eye maple on the front... - Yes.
0:27:39 > 0:27:44..which really gives the table some zap. It makes it special.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47The black banding around the edge.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50The table is of the Sheraton period,
0:27:50 > 0:27:53with these good, strong turnings.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57- Probably dates in the 1830 to 1845 period.- Really?
0:27:57 > 0:28:04- I didn't realise it was that early. - They do go together, this being a drop-leaf...
0:28:04 > 0:28:09And this leg swings out, as you know, I'm sure.
0:28:09 > 0:28:15It was a banquet table originally, with TWO D-end tables.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Have you used them as a long table?
0:28:18 > 0:28:22On one or two occasions, with a big crowd.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26It's the same wood, the same leg, it's got the bird's-eye -
0:28:26 > 0:28:32definitely a set. It would've hinged and caught onto the end of this.
0:28:32 > 0:28:40Stand-alone, this table would retail in a shop in Toronto or Montreal...
0:28:40 > 0:28:47- 3,500, 4,000, roughly £1,500 - £1,600, perhaps.- Very good.
0:28:47 > 0:28:54Now, this one, because of the swing leg, it is a good dining table. If you lean on it, it won't fall over.
0:28:54 > 0:29:00A lot of drop-leafs don't have that support. It would retail in about the same range.
0:29:00 > 0:29:07- If you put them together and you had the other D-end...- I know where it is.- You should find it.
0:29:07 > 0:29:15- As a banquet table, it would be at least 15,000 complete.- Is that right? Oh, my gosh.- A wonderful set.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- Hang onto it.- Thank you!
0:29:17 > 0:29:22There's not much I can tell you - a war axe is a war axe.
0:29:22 > 0:29:29Here, the dhal has these Islamic inscriptions. all the way around the edge.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34It probably says, "Allah the one God, the only God", and repeats.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39In the middle we have a devil head,
0:29:39 > 0:29:42which often figures in Indo-Persian armour.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47The most important thing of all... we have the kulah khud.
0:29:47 > 0:29:53This is called camail... and here we have socket plumes
0:29:53 > 0:29:55so they can put ostrich feathers in.
0:29:55 > 0:30:00And this is the nasal bar, so that when he goes into action...
0:30:00 > 0:30:04he drops his nasal bar to protect his nose.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08All in all, it's a very nice set...
0:30:08 > 0:30:10say, 1750.
0:30:11 > 0:30:19- So your father paid about £40 for the whole lot?- Yes.- And now, today, for the whole set, £1,500.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23- Wow.- That's something over 3,000. - That's nice.
0:30:23 > 0:30:30Well, what a surprise to find an Austrian picture in the middle of Canada!
0:30:30 > 0:30:37- How did it appear in your family? - About 1951, my parents bought this and The Rehearsal,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and they've been in the family since.
0:30:40 > 0:30:47- Were they from Europe?- My parents were both born in Toronto. Just, one day, it appeared in the house.- Great.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Let's talk about Hans Zatzka, the artist in question here.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55He was best known for his rather over-the-top...
0:30:55 > 0:31:03I think the Austrians would call it "gemutlich" - sort of...cosy pictures in this sort of setting.
0:31:03 > 0:31:10An allegory of love, I'd have thought, with a sort of Venus, with a Cupid next door.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15Look at the detail, look at the flowers! Look at her apron.
0:31:15 > 0:31:20All exquisitely painted, for an artist that isn't that well known.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25- Have you ever had it valued? - No, I haven't.- OK, well...
0:31:25 > 0:31:28I think, in Canadian dollars, I would suggest...
0:31:28 > 0:31:3315,000 to 20,000, which is about £7,000 to £10,000.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36It's a wonderful, honest picture.
0:31:36 > 0:31:41Now, to have TWO pictures... Charles Hunt, also a 19C artist.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Very kindly, we have the dates on the label.
0:31:45 > 0:31:471803 - 1877.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52Here we have rather a humorous subject matter,
0:31:52 > 0:31:57with boys, in this case, up to no good, I would say.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Nothing changes, really, does it?
0:32:00 > 0:32:06In the 19C, it was quite... almost shocking to see a subject like this, a trivial subject.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11In the 18C, it was only portraits, historical or religious subjects.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16The 19C really was painting for a new clientele
0:32:16 > 0:32:20that liked subjects of everyday life.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25And each figure IS somebody. It really has a nice feel to it.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29I think this sort of picture is worth...
0:32:29 > 0:32:34- I guess about 20,000 Canadian, again. Wonderful!- Thank you!
0:32:35 > 0:32:40This is pure Irish Belleek of the very finest quality.
0:32:40 > 0:32:45- They're made in the very first period.- That's right.- 1870, 1880?
0:32:45 > 0:32:50- About that, yes.- They're great - beautifully painted and decorated -
0:32:50 > 0:32:55and terribly, terribly rare! A pair like that, I suppose...
0:32:55 > 0:32:58- oh, £2,000.- Really?
0:32:58 > 0:33:06- Canadian dollars, we're talking - what - 5,000, something like that. - Isn't that wonderful?- Terribly rare.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10- For- £10! You were very fortunate. And the tea kettle,
0:33:10 > 0:33:15with the handle over the top, this is the same period.
0:33:15 > 0:33:21- What did you pay there?- About 350. - Canadian?- Canadian, yes.- Yes, yes...
0:33:21 > 0:33:27Well! You made a good profit on it. You could double the price now.
0:33:27 > 0:33:33- Congratulations.- Thank you so much! - A love of Old Ireland is in Toronto.
0:33:33 > 0:33:38This is the most obviously Scottish because of the...REAL weight of it!
0:33:38 > 0:33:43It was designed for Ottowa winters rather than perhaps Toronto ones.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48Lots of different tweeds. I think that's absolutely charming.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53Perhaps, to the average eye, it may look a little on the dull side,
0:33:53 > 0:33:57but I actually like the subtlety of the colours.
0:33:57 > 0:34:04- And here we've got other tweeds - sort of Donegal-type tweeds and pinstripes and so on.- Old suits.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09Exactly! These were old jackets, old skirts, old trews
0:34:09 > 0:34:14that have been recycled into something that's very workmanlike,
0:34:14 > 0:34:20and so honest as a result. Nothing fancy about them - made to be used.
0:34:20 > 0:34:27I can quite see - there they were in Scotland, sending their daughter off. All they knew about Canada
0:34:27 > 0:34:33- is that it's freezing.- Exactly. - So they had to make something to keep their dear girl warm.
0:34:33 > 0:34:38- Though a day like today...!- You don't need it, no.- As for value,
0:34:38 > 0:34:43perhaps 300, so around £100-£150 in sterling.
0:34:43 > 0:34:49James Anderson, who owned these things originally, retired in Sutton
0:34:49 > 0:34:53- where I live.- Sutton, Ontario? - Yes, on Lake Simcoe.
0:34:53 > 0:35:00A lot of his descendants still live there. And they gave us some artefacts and some furniture,
0:35:00 > 0:35:05- and this jacket.- I assume you're aware of who Mr Anderson was?- Yes.
0:35:05 > 0:35:11- He was the chief factor of the Hudson's Bay Company in Fort Resolution.- Yes.
0:35:11 > 0:35:18- And he...- Not just any chief factor. - No, he was appointed by the Hudson's Bay Company to lead...
0:35:18 > 0:35:25- an expedition - he and Mr Stewart - to find what happened to Sir John Franklin.- Of the Franklin Expedition.
0:35:25 > 0:35:32- Yes.- We have this letter asking Mr Anderson to search for Mr Franklin. - Yes.- So Mr Anderson -
0:35:32 > 0:35:38not only an important factor in the fur trade, but led an important search,
0:35:38 > 0:35:44- looking for the Franklin Expedition, a tragic event in Canadian history. - It certainly was, yes.
0:35:44 > 0:35:49Here we have a letter inscribed on parchment at Anderson's retirement,
0:35:49 > 0:35:55stating his honourable service for the company, dated December 1, 1857,
0:35:55 > 0:36:01when he retired from Fort Resolution up in the Great Slave Lake area.
0:36:01 > 0:36:08That brings us to this object. Dated to the middle of the 19C, it has this wonderful leather fringe,
0:36:08 > 0:36:13probably moose hide. Look at the back. This is quite fantastic.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17If we can just pull this fringe out of the way...
0:36:17 > 0:36:24we have this band of woven porcupine-quillwork decorating the back of the jacket.
0:36:24 > 0:36:30Quite fantastic! This alone, with this extraordinary history, would be a fairly important thing,
0:36:30 > 0:36:37but all this added together - it's one of the most important objects. I've been doing this 24 years.
0:36:37 > 0:36:44- We search for history associated with objects. We almost never get this sort of thing.- It's exciting.
0:36:44 > 0:36:51I'm VERY excited! Beyond monetary value, to have this kind of history kept together is a fantastic thing!
0:36:51 > 0:36:57Well, I understand you have a couple of his other things that were too large to be brought?
0:36:57 > 0:37:02Yes, we have a beautiful portrait of him and of his daughter and his son.
0:37:03 > 0:37:10I almost am hesitant to talk about a monetary value when I'm dealing with this sort of Canadian history.
0:37:10 > 0:37:18- I've been told that his retirement letter would be worth £4,500, or 10,000.- Really?!- Just for this.
0:37:18 > 0:37:25- Oh, my goodness!- We're not finished. - Oh, my goodness!- Here we have a wonderful old travelling mirror.
0:37:25 > 0:37:32The mirror's not original, but we have this fantastic inscription, "1831. The ship Dew Drop,"
0:37:32 > 0:37:39which he moved around on. This would be worth about 3,500 or £1,500.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Then we get to the piece de resistance, as they say.
0:37:43 > 0:37:49This jacket would easily command a value in the neighbourhood of £15,000 to £20,000,
0:37:49 > 0:37:54- about 35,000 - 45,000.- Well...! - Altogether here,
0:37:54 > 0:38:01about £25,000 or 50,000 - 60,000. Just for this. But beyond that, the historical importance,
0:38:01 > 0:38:06and the fact that you've kept these things together - bravo. Bravo!
0:38:06 > 0:38:09..It's a shell cameo,
0:38:09 > 0:38:11made about 1875.
0:38:11 > 0:38:14Absolutely gorgeous detail.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18The scrolls of the hair on the neck - absolutely fantastic.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21And the delicacy of this wing.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24People aren't sure if it represents Medusa
0:38:24 > 0:38:27because of the snakes in the hair, or Mercury,
0:38:27 > 0:38:32the winged messenger of the gods. I'm rather inclined to Mercury -
0:38:32 > 0:38:36it's such a beautiful, seraphic face, and Medusa was hideous
0:38:36 > 0:38:40and turned you to stone if you looked at her.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43The mounting is beautiful quality.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48And the snakes represent fidelity and eternity...
0:38:48 > 0:38:50because it's an ongoing circle
0:38:50 > 0:38:53that is without end.
0:38:53 > 0:39:00And inside, there's a portrait of a very handsome young man in what looks like a military uniform.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05- I have no idea who it is. I don't know.- Well, isn't that a shame?
0:39:05 > 0:39:06Yes!
0:39:06 > 0:39:11Because it's so beautiful and in such wonderful condition,
0:39:11 > 0:39:19I'd estimate this at £3,000, which would be about... 6,500 Canadian.
0:39:19 > 0:39:26- Well, I have never, ever worn it, but I think it's going to be worn from now on!- It's really lovely.
0:39:26 > 0:39:32- It's super, a little work of art. - Thank you very much. I'm totally shocked.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37..It's a beautiful little Chinese landscape, beautifully pencilled
0:39:37 > 0:39:39with huts on a shore.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Turn it round... same on the other side.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46A slightly different marine landscape.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Then the rest of the jug is beautifully moulded.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55We've got these crisp feathery scrolls running along the edge,
0:39:55 > 0:39:58then sea-scrolls forming the rims.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03But the best bit of all is that lovely "crab stalk" handle,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05a sort of natural, wooden branch.
0:40:05 > 0:40:12And, twisting its body round it, this blue snake coming onto the top to bite into the side of the branch.
0:40:12 > 0:40:17A gorgeous thing! It's a London factory and it's called Limehouse.
0:40:17 > 0:40:22- I had the wrong one. - Are you pleased with that?- Yes...
0:40:22 > 0:40:28- I had the wrong one. I thought it was Vauxhall. - You WERE on the right trail.
0:40:28 > 0:40:35It was one of the earliest English porcelain factories. It was going around 1746-8,
0:40:35 > 0:40:39- darn early for an English porcelain factory!- Well.
0:40:39 > 0:40:46Very lumpy. You can see why it folded. These incompetent cracks and fissures. What did you pay?
0:40:46 > 0:40:54- 750 Canadian.- That is, what... £300, £500 sterling?- Um, about.
0:40:54 > 0:40:59- Uh-huh. Have you done well, do you think?- ..I'm sure I have.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04- You are.- If you tell me it's Limehouse, I've done well.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09- I'm going to say it's worth between £3,000 and £5,000.- I'm very pleased.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Which in Canadian is... what, 7,000 - 10,000?
0:41:15 > 0:41:20This is needlework and stumpwork of the 17C, post-Restoration period,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23so from 1675 - 1685,
0:41:23 > 0:41:28with all the colours in the most perfectly-preserved condition
0:41:28 > 0:41:32that I've seen on any stumpwork for a long time.
0:41:32 > 0:41:37Normally you only find colour like this where it's been in a box.
0:41:37 > 0:41:44Yet it's been out long enough for the silver to tarnish. This was silver ribbon. It's gone black.
0:41:44 > 0:41:50We know the date, we know what it is - a 17C mirror frame. There would be glass there.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55Around it, all the traditional emblems from a school of needlework
0:41:55 > 0:42:00and every known stitch. How did you come by it?
0:42:00 > 0:42:07We were in New York City in June. The lady we were visiting said her friend was having a yard sale.
0:42:07 > 0:42:15So we got in the car and went over. There wasn't too much interesting, but a paper box was sitting there,
0:42:15 > 0:42:20and when I opened the box I saw this. I saw the insects first,
0:42:20 > 0:42:26the embroidered insects, which really got my heart to thumping.
0:42:26 > 0:42:33- And I knew it was very old. I was hoping it was late 1600s, and you said it is.- Absolutely.
0:42:33 > 0:42:40- So...- You bought it.- I did, yes. - Er, can I ask how much? Tell me.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42It was 100.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47- 100.- Yes.- How long ago was this? - This June.
0:42:47 > 0:42:51- So there ARE treasures out there. - My goodness!
0:42:51 > 0:42:58This would make somewhere in the region of £6,000, which is about 12,000 Canadian.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- No-o.- Ye-es.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03- No!- Yes!
0:43:06 > 0:43:10- Well, you've made my day! - You've made mine!
0:43:10 > 0:43:17So, pleasant surprises all round. It's been a long and lovely day. And among the huge throng here,
0:43:17 > 0:43:23a special thanks to the lady who travelled 4,000 miles from the Yukon to be with us.
0:43:23 > 0:43:29Our North American adventure's over. From Casa Loma in Toronto, goodbye.