0:00:28 > 0:00:33This is Sherborne, an ancient town, an abbey town,
0:00:33 > 0:00:35a town of castles and schools,
0:00:35 > 0:00:39a place of gothic shapes and haunted cloisters.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44Harry Potter would be happy here - in the Dorset branch of Hogwarts.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Above the town stands the old estate of Sherborne,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50gifted by Elizabeth I in 1592
0:00:50 > 0:00:54to one of her favourites - the dashing Sir Walter Raleigh.
0:00:54 > 0:01:00That was before she realised that Raleigh had secretly married one of her ladies-in-waiting.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03When she found out, the Queen was not amused.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07The Raleighs were banished from court
0:01:07 > 0:01:12and retired to Sherborne, where Sir Walter built the new castle.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15This was one of his favourite spots.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18From here, he could admire his garden.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And keep an eye on the busy traffic on the road to Dorchester.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25One evening, apparently,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Raleigh was sitting here, puffing contentedly at his pipe,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33when a servant who didn't know about tobacco, spotted the smoke,
0:01:33 > 0:01:38thought his master was on fire and put him out with a flagon of ale.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Aaargh!
0:01:39 > 0:01:42It made him a bitter man.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Cut off from high society,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Raleigh surrounded himself with family and friends.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52A collection of astronomers, scientists and explorers,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56they'd sit till the early hours - sorting out the world's problems.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59They were known as the "School of the Night".
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Fine education was established in Sherborne
0:02:03 > 0:02:06in the 8th century by St Aldheim.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Sherborne School was later linked with the Benedictine Order,
0:02:10 > 0:02:14and in the grounds are the remains of the original abbey cloister.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18This is the birthplace of the Sherborne Missal -
0:02:18 > 0:02:22the finest example of medieval book painting
0:02:22 > 0:02:25to have survived the Reformation intact.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Its 694 pages contain lavish images
0:02:28 > 0:02:34of kings, bishops, saints and angels in a celestial throng,
0:02:34 > 0:02:39accompanied by a choir of the native birds of the British Isles.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Today, we are in the school's sports hall.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44As an old Sherburnian,
0:02:44 > 0:02:49our pictures expert, Rupert Maas, takes pride of place.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51On with the show.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55"An accompaniment to Mr G Pocock's Patent Terrestrial Globe,"
0:02:55 > 0:03:00which I presume is that object. "Directions for inflating the globe.
0:03:00 > 0:03:05"First, holding it with one hand by the hoop, wave it...
0:03:05 > 0:03:10"and have the air rushing inside." Oh, heavens!
0:03:10 > 0:03:16"Then raise it vertically by the stud." I'm going too fast for you.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20There's the stud.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26"The orifice must rise a foot or two above the carpet.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32- "Raise it, drop it..." You've done this before.- I've done it before.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36"Raise it in a perpendicular direction." ..Oh, my goodness!
0:03:36 > 0:03:42- What a wonderful party piece. - It is, isn't it?- And there it is.
0:03:42 > 0:03:48- There we are, the world as it was in 1830.- Well done!
0:03:48 > 0:03:51Now, what do you do as an encore?
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Well, I'm not sure there is one!
0:03:53 > 0:03:56So we've got here the patent globe
0:03:56 > 0:04:01and a great book giving all sorts of information about it.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06And this was something that was read out during the demonstration.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12Is this something that you have bought in order to entertain people
0:04:12 > 0:04:17- or is it a family piece?- A family piece. I got it from my mother,
0:04:17 > 0:04:21and I suspect it was in the family for two generations before that.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25When one looks at the opening page here, it gives a date of 1830...
0:04:25 > 0:04:30- Of 1830, yes.- ..which goes well before grandparents.- Yes, yes.
0:04:30 > 0:04:35- Now, the material that it's made out of is a paper.- It's paper.
0:04:35 > 0:04:42It seems extraordinary that this has survived fairly violent action
0:04:42 > 0:04:48for well, you know, 170 years. It's quite...quite bizarre, really.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- Yes. - That something so light and airy
0:04:51 > 0:04:55and, in theory, fragile has survived.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Have you done any repairs to it?
0:04:57 > 0:05:02Er, yes, my middle daughter repaired it some years ago,
0:05:02 > 0:05:08- and removed little bits of brown paper which were stuck over holes. - Right.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- It's printed and then hand-coloured. - Hand-coloured.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15So the bright colours that you see are applied by hand,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17with watercolours or with inks,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22but the actual detail is all printed ink from an engraving.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24I think it's a wonderful object.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- It's fun, isn't it?- It's great fun.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32I would have thought, price-wise, it's going to be in the...
0:05:32 > 0:05:37£500 to £700 bracket. I think it's absolutely wonderful,
0:05:37 > 0:05:42so thank you very much for bringing it in and for demonstrating it.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Now, anyone who goes to antique shops
0:05:45 > 0:05:51will know there is a lot of 1920s and '30s reproduction furniture,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56without knowing where it comes from. It was so popular in Britain in that period.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01What these seem to be are designs for exactly that furniture.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06Here we've got a late-17th-century bedroom suite -
0:06:06 > 0:06:09wardrobe, tallboy, bedstead -
0:06:09 > 0:06:15in walnut, looking vaguely like the late 17th, early 18th century,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19but, in fact, completely of the 1920s and '30s.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23And if you lift this, there's an alternative design,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25so you can have A or B.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Here - some elaborate gilded chairs
0:06:28 > 0:06:32of the same period - 17th century - to go with the settee.
0:06:32 > 0:06:38What have we got here? Oh, look now, that's the classic
0:06:38 > 0:06:42oak reproduction, Tudor-bethan, whatever you like.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Wonderful complete set. What's the story?
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Well, back in the '70s, I suppose,
0:06:49 > 0:06:54there was an auction in Bath, and I went along
0:06:54 > 0:06:59- as I'm interested in woodworking machinery.- Right.- And in the corner
0:06:59 > 0:07:03- was a pile of old timber. - Seasoned, ancient timber?- Yes.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08- There was mahogany, walnut.- Gosh. - Oak. Old jobs that had gone wrong.
0:07:08 > 0:07:15- I think I paid about £30 for it. - For a lot of timber?- Oh, yeah. There was about three tons of it.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- Fantastic.- There was a box-van full.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- That's a great bargain.- Yes, it was.
0:07:20 > 0:07:25- Yes, so this tin came by chance with the wood?- Yeah, that's right.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29Let's have another look. Another batch. There's hundreds of them.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33- There are, yes.- They're all designs?- Yeah.- Let's see.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Oh, look - again, there's a wonderful piece.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41It's a sort of 17th-century chinoiserie lacquer commode
0:07:41 > 0:07:45on a stand, or lacquer chest on a stand,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and, look, a cocktail cabinet! What could be more of that period?
0:07:48 > 0:07:52- Do we know who this is? - I've no idea.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- Have you been through the box?- Yes. - Any clues?- None that I can find.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01- So, nothing is signed.- No, nothing, no.- What it reveals, of course,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05is that in the 1920s, 1930s, we were passionate about antique furniture -
0:08:05 > 0:08:08there wasn't enough of the real stuff,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12so, manufacturers like Norris and famous names like Whiteleys,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16you know, big department stores - Maples,
0:08:16 > 0:08:21commissioned all this type of stuff so you could buy Tudor, Elizabethan,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Jacobean,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Sheraton, Chippendale, whatever you wanted, it was there.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- There's hundreds of things in here. - There are, yes.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- Have you ever counted? - No, no. No idea.
0:08:33 > 0:08:40Well, you bought a load of old timber which was already worth more than the £30 you paid.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45- Yes.- Now, its greatest value is as a total archive. One's got to find out
0:08:45 > 0:08:49who the artist is, who the designer is.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53Piece by piece, a design like that in an antique shop today
0:08:53 > 0:08:57would be framed up, cleaned and would sell for between...
0:08:57 > 0:09:03£50 and £100. So if there's 100 of those, at an average of £50 -
0:09:03 > 0:09:09- Well, that's £5,000 for a start. I haven't counted, I haven't been right through it...- No.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12but if you just take that as an average,
0:09:12 > 0:09:18- imagine what you've got. Fantastically lucky day when you got it!- Wasn't it just?!
0:09:18 > 0:09:21My father was in the Royal Navy,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25and when he was a midshipman in 1949,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28he went to Switzerland for a holiday.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33And he met this retired gentleman and his partner,
0:09:33 > 0:09:38and they got on very well during the holiday, and after the holiday,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42they went their separate ways, but they kept in contact by letter
0:09:42 > 0:09:48and when Monsieur Biederman passed away,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51in his will he then left to my father
0:09:51 > 0:09:54the Patek Philippe pocket watch
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- and a Rolex watch as well. - Oh, right.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00And when my father passed away 21 years ago,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03this was passed over to me.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07A fantastic story and a very generous man, too.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12- A Patek Philippe is one of the best watch-making companies in the world...- Yes.- ..was then,
0:10:12 > 0:10:17particularly so for pocket watches. Another little detail of this bill -
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Chronometrie Beyer, BahnhofStrasse, in Zurich, is still there -
0:10:22 > 0:10:28they're the oldest distributor of Patek Philippe and still do business with a handshake, no papers.
0:10:28 > 0:10:33Teddy Beyer is still alive. His father would have sold this watch to Mr Biederman.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39The first thing about it is the dial - good colour, unusual hands -
0:10:39 > 0:10:43lot of extra little details of workmanship.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46If we open the movement - what we're all about -
0:10:46 > 0:10:51you've got the Patek Philippe mark in the back, Patek Philippe numbers,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55the same thing written in here - Patek Philippe.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Always fully signed.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02If you find a watch like this without the case signed, be careful.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05And there we are - yeah, that's the best quality.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10Jewelled throughout, beautiful finishing on the movement,
0:11:10 > 0:11:15you've got ruby jewels, ruby stones set in there, gold chatons,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18and somewhere is the word "extra".
0:11:18 > 0:11:22- Right.- And that's the sign of extra quality, extra special.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28- So that is about as good a lever chronometer as they made.- Right.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- And we've got a date of 1922. - Yeah.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I mean...
0:11:35 > 0:11:38I mean, I imagine you may have had something like this valued,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- but I'm going to tell you what- I- think.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Ah, just a minute, let's look under here...
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I've just spotted that.
0:11:46 > 0:11:51- If you open it... I shan't open it. - I've never noticed that before.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54That'll be a spare mains spring in there.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59So from the valuation point of view, a normal Patek Philippe like this,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01not the extra, but the standard -
0:12:01 > 0:12:05perhaps £1,500. Because it's the extra quality,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07we're looking at a value,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11a real value, not insurance value, of somewhere probably in excess of
0:12:11 > 0:12:15- £5,000.- Right.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18I inherited it from a great aunt
0:12:18 > 0:12:22and it lived in North Coker House, East Coker, for years and years
0:12:22 > 0:12:27until it went to my aunt and mother and then it came to me.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Oh, wonderful.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34So many times a piece of furniture made in the late 17th, early 18th century,
0:12:34 > 0:12:40would be a heavy chest of drawers on a comparatively flimsy stand,
0:12:40 > 0:12:46and over the years these little legs got rickety and the toes rotted -
0:12:46 > 0:12:49either woodworm or being on a stone floor -
0:12:49 > 0:12:51and they were replaced.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And the other story is
0:12:54 > 0:12:58that such pieces of furniture in the middle of the 18th century
0:12:58 > 0:13:01were sold off, at auction perhaps,
0:13:01 > 0:13:06but they never took a rise upwards in their social surroundings,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10not like today when lords and ladies go to farm sales.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14In those days, farmers went to the lord and lady's sale.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18So the farmer would take this home, and when he got home,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22he couldn't fit it all in - he hadn't the room,
0:13:22 > 0:13:25so he would put some feet on this bit, put a top on here
0:13:25 > 0:13:29- and he'd get TWO bits of furniture. - Yes.- And so they were separated.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Let us just have a look here.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38We have original handles, which is terribly rare now,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- and that mark is where that handle... - I thought that was...
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- Where a big handle had been?- Yes. - A big Victorian knob?- Yes.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49No, that's where that's swung round and round for EVER.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54A bit lighter round here where the cleaning has edged away the patina.
0:13:54 > 0:14:00When we look inside - look at this lovely lock - a sort of fan shape.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- Yes.- Wedge shape,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05fixed with handmade clout nails -
0:14:05 > 0:14:091710 at the latest.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13And then the beautifully veneered top -
0:14:13 > 0:14:18quarter veneering here and a broad band of cross banding put on,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20just tall enough to see -
0:14:20 > 0:14:24any taller, of course, it wouldn't have any veneer on at all -
0:14:24 > 0:14:26so totally genuine here.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31All the mouldings are put on cross-grained. Notice by 1740,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34the grain runs that way.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39- Yes.- Until then, they were across the grain - lovely little sections.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44And then a large cock beading here -
0:14:44 > 0:14:49a slip of damp wood applied with big handmade nails when wet,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52and then it kept that beautiful bow shape.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55And, look, just that little curl...
0:14:55 > 0:14:57oh, just lifts it up!
0:14:57 > 0:15:00And a little tiny pointed pad foot.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Oh, wonderful!
0:15:02 > 0:15:07Now, we have to talk about the value, commercial value.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Because of its total genuineness,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14I do feel that, um, this could make in the region of...
0:15:14 > 0:15:19- probably £40,000.- Really? Mmm. - £40,000.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- Thank you, it's been a joy. - Thank you.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24CUCK-OO!
0:15:24 > 0:15:27CUCK-OO! CUCK-OO!
0:15:27 > 0:15:30CUCK-OO! < Isn't he a lovely sound?
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- A cuckoo on the nest.- Yes.- And all these little birds all around,
0:15:34 > 0:15:39- they're absolutely wonderful. What's its history?- I remember it
0:15:39 > 0:15:43from the middle '20s. I'm fairly ancient now.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47It was in my grandfather's breakfast room in a cupboard.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50- He's my teddy bear, I suppose. - Really?
0:15:50 > 0:15:56- He's had a bit of knocking about - there's a bit missing. - Yes, unfortunately, when he died,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00his brother next door put it in the tree for a joke
0:16:00 > 0:16:05- and children threw stones at it. - Oh, no! The cuckoo in the nest.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07It's, of course, slipware -
0:16:07 > 0:16:11different coloured clays put on this red clay body.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13- Yes.- And he's gorgeous.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18I love the little tiny birds hiding in the branches. In date,
0:16:18 > 0:16:24it could be as early as about 1800, it may even be late 17th century
0:16:24 > 0:16:29running into the 18th century. I've got several myself - absolute fun.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33- Yes.- Usually speaking, they come from the north-east of England...
0:16:33 > 0:16:35or else in Lancashire.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40There were several places in Lancashire that made these,
0:16:40 > 0:16:45- so I expect it was up there and it's flown a long way down here!- Yes.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47And I think it's tremendous fun,
0:16:47 > 0:16:52- and it's in the region of about £400 or £500.- Fine.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It was my father's great aunt's.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59- Right.- Then to the aunt, to my father and he left it to me.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Lovely. Did you play it as a child?
0:17:01 > 0:17:06- Yes, we did. We played it in Dublin on the table.- Right, how lovely.
0:17:06 > 0:17:12Bussey's were makers of full-sized billiards and snooker tables, and made them in miniature too.
0:17:12 > 0:17:18- It's in good condition...- Yes. - ..considering you played with it.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23- These hoops fit on the little pins. Did you put them on the table? - Underneath the tablecloth.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- Didn't that damage the tablecloth? - Well, we got away with it!
0:17:27 > 0:17:34- Endless hours of enjoyment.- Yes. We could only play it on a Sunday. - Oh, only on the Sabbath?- Yes.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37- After you'd been to church?- Yes.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42- The mallets and, indeed, the hoops are made of celluloid.- Yes.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46And, as I say, it's in wonderful condition,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50dating from around 1900-1910. So it's lovely,
0:17:50 > 0:17:56and you've got all the rules here and everything else. If this was in a specialist shop,
0:17:56 > 0:18:02- you'd probably have to pay £200 or £300 for it, and have hours of endless enjoyment.- Yes, yes.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04- Thanks for bringing it.- Thank you.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Well, we've seen some large items on this show,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11but this is the other end of the scale,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15something that's fallen from a pigeon. Can you tell us what it is?
0:18:15 > 0:18:19This is a pigeon post from the First World War.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22My father was born in 1881,
0:18:22 > 0:18:27so he was just the right age for the First World War, about 30-ish.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31And he wasn't in communications himself,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33but his pal gave him this,
0:18:33 > 0:18:38and this is the way they used to... communicate in the First World War,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42or one of the ways and, um... by pigeon...
0:18:42 > 0:18:47And the message about forthcoming battles and things
0:18:47 > 0:18:50is on that paper.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54- And is that an original message? - Oh, it's an original message,
0:18:54 > 0:18:59but I can't tell you... I have seen it as a tiny child -
0:18:59 > 0:19:04I was very small because I was born in 1912, 1913,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07and I have seen it, but I can't remember what's on it.
0:19:07 > 0:19:13- It's too fragile now to open up? - You can do it if you can get it back, but I wouldn't dare.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17It's very tantalising. That bears instructions of great importance?
0:19:17 > 0:19:21Yes, a forthcoming battle, so my father told me.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26- May I?- Yes, you can do what you like. If you can get it back!
0:19:28 > 0:19:32- Here it is, unseen for many years. - Unseen for about... I'm 90,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36so unseen for about... I don't know how many years.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42- It's all there.- Yes.- I can see...
0:19:42 > 0:19:47- Oh, look, the message is coming through.- Oh, it's in English.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50I can see the word "this".
0:19:52 > 0:19:57Oh... I'm trying not to...harm it.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59I don't mind what you do.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08- What does it say?- This is an application for a war bond of £200.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13- Oh, nothing to do with a battle! - HM Merriman, Ashtead, Surrey.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15That's my father, that's my father.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19But it's pigeon service. He was using this for his OWN messages.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21I suppose he was. Well!
0:20:21 > 0:20:26My father was an amateur yachtsman at the outbreak of war
0:20:26 > 0:20:31and he volunteered to go into submarines because he fancied it,
0:20:31 > 0:20:37and he went through the various tests and they found he had some varicose veins,
0:20:37 > 0:20:41which meant that it was impossible for him to go in a submarine,
0:20:41 > 0:20:46so they said, "Would you like to volunteer for something else?"
0:20:46 > 0:20:52And the something else was bomb disposal, and he rather got into it with a whole lot of other guys
0:20:52 > 0:20:58who were from the RNVR, and he trained and went to work on parachute mines.
0:20:58 > 0:21:05The Germans were dropping some huge parachute mines on London, every night I think,
0:21:05 > 0:21:10and he got the George Cross for a parachute mine that came down
0:21:10 > 0:21:15on Hungerford Bridge at Charing Cross and it fused itself to the live rail,
0:21:15 > 0:21:22and the only way to defuse it was for someone to climb out onto the bridge with a hammer and chisel
0:21:22 > 0:21:28and try and get the fuse out, and they had to evacuate the War Office
0:21:28 > 0:21:30and most of Charing Cross
0:21:30 > 0:21:34because the mine was so big that it would have blown everything apart.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38I think he worked for over four hours with a hammer and chisel.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42He didn't know what he was going to find in the fuse,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44because the Germans were very clever
0:21:44 > 0:21:48and they had acoustic devices, they had photo-electric devices,
0:21:48 > 0:21:53and so there was always the chance that the next tap would set it off.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56That's what he got the Cross for.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Then he did another mine on a gas holder in Twickenham,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04which again threatened to blow up a whole neighbourhood,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06for which he got the George Medal.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11It's a fascinating group, but to see these two together in one group
0:22:11 > 0:22:13is most unusual, most unusual.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18On its own, as an award...
0:22:18 > 0:22:21this George Cross...
0:22:21 > 0:22:24is £10,000 to £12,000.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28The George Medal is £2,000,
0:22:28 > 0:22:33but because it's in a group, I think you can add to it,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37so I would assess this group at something around about...
0:22:37 > 0:22:40£16,000.
0:22:40 > 0:22:46My 96-year-old mother tells me that it was her mother's aunt's,
0:22:46 > 0:22:51and she was a Miss Helen Hill, and she died in childbirth,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- and her husband had this made from her hair...- Yes.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58..as a cameo mourning set.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03- And these were Helen's hands... - Right.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07I don't know the married name, but it is written there, and the date.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12People would now recoil at using dead people's hair in jewellery,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15but it was popular and fashionable
0:23:15 > 0:23:19in the 19th century, and she must have had jolly long hair.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24- Yes.- This was considered a very suitable hobby for young ladies...
0:23:24 > 0:23:29and, er...although there were professional hair weavers,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33a lot were done at home as well, and it's really extraordinary work.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- That's her hair as well, isn't it? - Yes.- Unless that's the baby's hair.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42- No, I think it was hers. - It's hers.- It's beautifully done.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- It is.- And you've got the black enamel for mourning.- Yes.
0:23:46 > 0:23:52- The interesting thing is that both of these...- Fit on.- ..independently fit on.- Yes, that's a choker.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57You'd probably have to have a small neck, but it is flexible, isn't it?
0:23:57 > 0:24:01- It does stretch a bit.- Yes. - And then...
0:24:01 > 0:24:06- My mother still wears that. - That one is a lovely shell cameo.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12- And again it's got these alternative fittings...- Yes.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16..so you can wear this or this as a brooch,
0:24:16 > 0:24:20- or this as a centre of a choker. - Yes.- It's really fascinating.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25What's interesting about Victorian jewellery is the history with it,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29- which often gets lost because these things change hands so often.- Yes.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32And this is a very nice idea as well.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35What would that have been used for?
0:24:35 > 0:24:37It'd have been either a hand seal -
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- you'd have a nice gold finish here with a seal underneath.- Oh, I see.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46- Or it could have been a parasol handle.- Oh, right.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49- We wondered about that. - Beautifully carved.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51The hands are different sizes,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55- so you've got, presumably, his hand and her hand.- His and hers, yes.
0:24:55 > 0:25:00- Queen Victoria used to do this with her children.- That's right, yes.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04- Their hands and feet sculpted in marble.- I've seen this at Osborne.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08So you have a nice gold-mounted cameo there
0:25:08 > 0:25:12and you have a nice gold mourning brooch there,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15so those would really have to be insured -
0:25:15 > 0:25:19the two together - for about £1,200,
0:25:19 > 0:25:24- and this, I suppose, I'd add another £200 on.- Thank you.- So if one put...
0:25:24 > 0:25:28- £1,500-£1,800 on it for insurance, although it is irreplaceable.- It is.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32And this beautifully carved little objet, I suppose...
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- £500.- Thank you very much.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37It's 1919 - it appears to be dated that -
0:25:37 > 0:25:40so it's just after the First War,
0:25:40 > 0:25:45and Greenwich Naval College there, and a lot of shipping going through.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48It's by Charles Dixon.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51- What do you know of the artist? - He was a sailor, um...
0:25:51 > 0:25:54and he sailed with Sir Thomas Lipton
0:25:54 > 0:25:59and sailed on his Shamrocks - he had five Shamrocks -
0:25:59 > 0:26:01and watched the America's Cup.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06- Were those those wonderful J-class yachts?- Yes, they were beautiful.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11Yes, so as you say, truly a good sailor, Dixon, wasn't he?
0:26:11 > 0:26:15A friend of mine has a wonderful expression for the way he painted -
0:26:15 > 0:26:19"He combines great freedom with great accuracy." How did you get it?
0:26:19 > 0:26:22My sister-in-law bought it
0:26:22 > 0:26:27about 30 years ago, and she left it to my husband and I when she died,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- so we love it very much. - So it's inherited.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33It's in cracking good condition.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37This kind of Dixon really captures a slice of river life
0:26:37 > 0:26:39that has largely gone by now.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44Today, the Thames is a desert compared to this busy thoroughfare.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49I think we're on the Isle of Dogs here, looking across to Greenwich.
0:26:49 > 0:26:55It's a wide stretch of river, and it must have teemed with ships then.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59There's merchantmen here and... Royal Naval training ships.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04- And the barges.- And the busy barges plying their trade up and down.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09What I particularly admire, I've always loved most particularly,
0:27:09 > 0:27:13is just his painting of rust on hulls.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16- Don't you think that's good?- Yes.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- I think he's used a crayon over the brown paper...- Yes, yes.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23..and just left some of the paper to give a little texture.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27Then he's got brown paint, with body colour to thicken it,
0:27:27 > 0:27:34and he's just splodged it on there to represent patches of rust, and it's completely convincing.
0:27:34 > 0:27:40- A lovely picture, really nice. Um, any idea of value at all?- Um...
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- I think we've got it insured for £3,000.- £3,000?
0:27:43 > 0:27:47- Mmm.- As of when?- Two years ago. - Two years ago, yes.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51Well, I think that's a bit modest. I really think
0:27:51 > 0:27:53you ought to double it for insurance.
0:27:53 > 0:27:58- Right.- £6,000 would be much more accurate for a work of this size
0:27:58 > 0:28:02- and quality for Dixon. So collectable.- Thank you.- A pleasure.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06It was given to my parents-in-law for a wedding present
0:28:06 > 0:28:11in...1912. I think they were married...
0:28:11 > 0:28:16- Right.- ..by Sir Moses Montefiori. That's all I know, really.- Right.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20So they've come from the family of the Jewish philanthropist.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24- Yes, yes, yes. - The plates are individually painted
0:28:24 > 0:28:30- with different specimens of orchids. Look at those colours.- Yes.- Lovely.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34- Each one entirely hand-painted. - Yes. Where?
0:28:34 > 0:28:37- Made at the Minton factory.- Yes.
0:28:37 > 0:28:43The pattern tells us Minton - but they're usually marked clearly,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45and there it says the word "Minton".
0:28:45 > 0:28:48We've got a year code, a little date code system,
0:28:48 > 0:28:53- which is the year for 1875. - Oh, well, that's interesting.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58At that time, few painters at Minton and the factories signed their work,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00but I think I know who this is by
0:29:00 > 0:29:05because orchids were a speciality of one man at Minton - William Mussill.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07How do you spell Mussill?
0:29:07 > 0:29:12- M-U-S-S-I-L-L. - Oh. Good thing I asked you!
0:29:12 > 0:29:15He was a spectacular painter -
0:29:15 > 0:29:19he really brought flower painting into a new dimension on porcelain,
0:29:19 > 0:29:23- and he was very highly regarded. - Oh, I'm glad you told me
0:29:23 > 0:29:28- because we thought that they were Chinese painted.- Inspired by that.
0:29:28 > 0:29:34He may have copied Chinese painting. His influence was from the East.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37In the 1870s, Britain went Japanese-mad.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40Japanese art was first being seen,
0:29:40 > 0:29:46- and the influence of the asymmetry here, each one being different, is very Japanese.- Yes, yes.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50So William Mussill and other Minton painters were influenced by Japan,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54but they mixed it in a Victorian way. The border
0:29:54 > 0:29:57is a Chinese key-fret pattern cut out -
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- very Chinese.- I love that.
0:29:59 > 0:30:04- That bit there.- How many of these have you got?- Two.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09- Two big ones.- Yes, two big ones and five little ones.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11A very full set.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16Individual pieces like this - quality plates by Minton-
0:30:16 > 0:30:19you could expect one plate to sell
0:30:19 > 0:30:23for at least £300. You've got plenty of those.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28- Yes, yes.- And then the... That's what, £6,000.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33And then you've got the comports alone -
0:30:33 > 0:30:38- a further...?- Five of these and two of those.- They're going to be...
0:30:38 > 0:30:42£400 or £500 each, even more for the big one.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45- Oh, six... - It all adds up to a lovely set.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49- My goodness me. - But the nice thing is
0:30:49 > 0:30:54it's altogether, and as a suite altogether, what a joy to look at.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Well, thank you very much.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02TINNY TUNE PLAYS
0:31:04 > 0:31:06What energy, what dynamism!
0:31:06 > 0:31:09- Yes!- What style, what music!
0:31:09 > 0:31:15I mean we've got the whole of Hollywood here on the table top!
0:31:15 > 0:31:18And what we have is Mickey Mouse,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22organ grinder. Here is the lid of the original box.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26Now, tell me where Mickey Mouse, organ grinder, came from.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30He came from a relative who died 20 years ago and we inherited it.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34She's had it in her family since it was made. She had it as a child.
0:31:34 > 0:31:39- Wonderful. Were you allowed to play with it when you were a child?- No.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43- Were you allowed to look at it? - Yes, when we went on holiday.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48It is Mickey Mouse, but not Mickey as we know and love him today,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52- because he's rat-like, isn't he? - He is.- He's sharp-nosed and toothy
0:31:52 > 0:31:56and his eyes are what are known as pie-crust eyes,
0:31:56 > 0:32:01- so it's like a pie with just one slice taken out of it.- Yes.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Very good description - a pie-crust eye.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Now, I'm absolutely certain there will not be a trademark on it.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13TINKLE Shush!
0:32:13 > 0:32:16No, there is no trademark on it,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19but there is a giveaway on the box lid,
0:32:19 > 0:32:24which says down here in these tiny, tiny letters -
0:32:24 > 0:32:27"Made in Germany".
0:32:27 > 0:32:30And I happen to know that it was made
0:32:30 > 0:32:34by one of the collectable makers of novelty toys -
0:32:34 > 0:32:37a company called Johann Distler of Nuremburg.
0:32:37 > 0:32:44It will probably be 1929, 1930, that this particular toy was made,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and what's great for me
0:32:47 > 0:32:50is that it is in very good condition apart from just...
0:32:50 > 0:32:53Mickey has got - not quite feet of clay -
0:32:53 > 0:32:58- but feet of steel or tin which have rusted.- Yes.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03But the thing which is always missing on these toys is Minnie.
0:33:03 > 0:33:09And here Minnie is, leaping up and down with glee, wiggling her legs,
0:33:09 > 0:33:13and being a happy little mouse, so it's great to have her on the top.
0:33:13 > 0:33:20It's a lovely toy. It's not a toy of any quality, whatsoever.
0:33:20 > 0:33:21It's really
0:33:21 > 0:33:25thrown together as far as a toy's concerned,
0:33:25 > 0:33:30which is what happened in the '20s. They were put together with tabs,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32and if we look down here,
0:33:32 > 0:33:37we can see the way the tabs just fold the tin into the shape,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40so it's not a quality toy.
0:33:40 > 0:33:44But it's interesting to collectors because it's Mickey
0:33:44 > 0:33:49and it's Mickey in his early manifestation.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52The value is...surprising, perhaps,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55for something that is a mass-produced,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58rather thrown-together printed piece of tin.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01We're going to be talking about...
0:34:01 > 0:34:03between £7,000 and £10,000.
0:34:08 > 0:34:09'It's my father's.'
0:34:09 > 0:34:14My great-grandfather took it to work and used it for his cider.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18- So he worked on the fields?- Mm. - Yes, it's a 19th-century cider jar,
0:34:18 > 0:34:22very classic country design, country pottery.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26You'd wear it on a string round you, and working away all day,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29- cider was what you drank to refresh yourself.- Yes.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32What you were like at the end of the day, heaven knows!
0:34:32 > 0:34:34It could be locally made -
0:34:34 > 0:34:38every country pottery made them, so it could be a Dorset piece,
0:34:38 > 0:34:43made in huge quantities in the 19th century, but very nice surviving,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47- good story, about £80 to £100. - Oh, thank you.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51- Do you collect copper?- No, it belongs to my grandmother.- Does it?
0:34:51 > 0:34:56- She's got quite a few bits and pieces.- She collects them?- Yeah,
0:34:56 > 0:35:00- she has got quite a lot... - What can you tell me about it?
0:35:02 > 0:35:06She was given it for her birthday by her sister Molly,
0:35:06 > 0:35:12and was told it was made by the same guy who'd something to do with the roof of St Paul's Cathedral,
0:35:12 > 0:35:16- On the top of St Paul's Cathedral? - Whether that's true, I don't know.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20Well, no, it's made by a company rather than an individual,
0:35:20 > 0:35:24and she's nearly on the right track. You see there's a mark here -
0:35:24 > 0:35:27and it is the orb on the top of St Paul's.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31A company called Benham and Froud had workshops in that vicinity,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35and because they're close to St Paul's Cathedral,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37took the orb as their maker's mark,
0:35:37 > 0:35:42so she isn't a million miles from it, but it's a very nice object.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46- It's architectural in itself, isn't it?- She has made jelly in it.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49What did the jelly taste like?
0:35:49 > 0:35:53- I don't know, I wasn't around! - To a jelly-mould collector,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57- I'd have thought perhaps £150 to £200.- She'll be pleased with that.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01- And she'll make a celebratory jelly with it I expect.- Hopefully!
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Thanks very much for bringing it in.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06- What we've got here is a Japanese vase.- Yes.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09- The body is ivory.- Yes.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14It's been inlaid in mother-of-pearl, stained ivory, horn,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17coconut shell.
0:36:17 > 0:36:22- Goodness me!- All this has been carefully chiselled out
0:36:22 > 0:36:25and then the little pieces let in.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29- Yes.- Staggering amount of work has gone on here.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31It's been mounted in silver
0:36:31 > 0:36:35which has been enamelled.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Now, the enamel is effectively cloisonne,
0:36:38 > 0:36:43in that it's in little cloisons, little wire holes,
0:36:43 > 0:36:46but they stick up from the body
0:36:46 > 0:36:50and they're just a little bit on the fragile side.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54One has this slight fear when people are putting the final polish on,
0:36:54 > 0:36:58that they're going to catch the hairs on the cloth
0:36:58 > 0:37:02and pull a wire off, and then you're in real trouble.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Some of the little pins are loose.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08That's probably what's happened there.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11This technique is known as shibayama.
0:37:13 > 0:37:17Originally a Mr Shibayama, then his family,
0:37:17 > 0:37:21and then a generic name for any of this technique.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25But in this particular case, it's actually signed "Shibayama".
0:37:25 > 0:37:31- Is it?- It's one of the family. - Right.- Which is very nice.- Right.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33Um, it's a wonderful thing.
0:37:33 > 0:37:39I would easily see that making at auction...
0:37:39 > 0:37:44- £3,000 to £5,000, maybe even more. - Really?
0:37:44 > 0:37:47- Yeah. It's lovely.- Goodness me!
0:37:47 > 0:37:52It's quite a trip down Memory Lane for me being back at my old school.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57Every stone of the buildings round here is redolent with memory for me,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00but these take me even further back
0:38:00 > 0:38:04into my childhood - Winnie the Pooh, EH Shepard, AA Milne...
0:38:04 > 0:38:09What's your connection with, er... with EH Shepard?
0:38:09 > 0:38:12My father was in World War I,
0:38:12 > 0:38:16and EH Shepard was my father's major,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20and he always sent me books for Christmas
0:38:20 > 0:38:22- and chocolates for my birthday.- Oh?
0:38:22 > 0:38:27- Yes.- So he kind of looked out for you?- Yes, he looked after my father
0:38:27 > 0:38:33- because he was the youngest in the section, yes.- In the section?- Yes.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35And I love these. We're looking here
0:38:35 > 0:38:39at what seems to be the first annual reunion dinner
0:38:39 > 0:38:44for the 24th Brigade of the Heavy Battery and Columns.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49- It seems that Shepard did the design for it as well.- That's right.
0:38:49 > 0:38:54- He always did the menu. I think there's only one he didn't do.- Yes.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56And on the back, everyone who was at the supper,
0:38:56 > 0:39:00- including Shepard, has signed it.- Yes, that's right.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05- You've got scores of them here, look at them all.- It was always on...
0:39:05 > 0:39:09on Cup Final night because there were cheap fares on the train,
0:39:09 > 0:39:13and everybody used to come from everywhere, down for the dinner.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15How marvellous.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20- OK, so he sent you Christmas cards each year?- To my parents, yes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Yes, OK... That's nice.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28We've got four books, not first editions, but Winnie the Pooh,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31and they seem to have been signed by the artist.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35- It's very well worn. - Because you had children yourself?
0:39:35 > 0:39:40- Three children, and they were read to every night.- Properly used.- Yes.
0:39:40 > 0:39:46But the thing that really gave me a bit of a thrill was this.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50- Absolutely marvellous. An original EH Shepard, isn't it?- Yes.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56It's from my autograph book. I cut the page out and had it framed.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59I'm not surprised. I absolutely love Winnie The Pooh.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02But then if we look in the book,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04which is House At Pooh Corner,
0:40:04 > 0:40:11we can find the illustration from which that is taken. There it is.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15- Yes.- Wonderful. "Tiggers don't like honey."
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Now, the interesting thing is, if you compare that book -
0:40:19 > 0:40:23the original illustration - with this,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27which is his...idea of that drawing again,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29but I think some seven years later,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33after having first published the book, which was in 1928,
0:40:33 > 0:40:36- Oh, was it?- Yes. This drawing is dated 1935,
0:40:36 > 0:40:40so what he's done is, he's kind of revisited the idea,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43- he's redrawn it, hasn't he?- Yes.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47- So it's not an original illustration for the book.- Oh, no, no, no.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49- It's kind of from it instead.- Yes.
0:40:49 > 0:40:54- It's delightful. Have you any idea what they're all worth?- None at all.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Right, let's do the books first. Not first editions,
0:40:56 > 0:41:01but very clearly signed and with a lovely provenance.
0:41:01 > 0:41:07- About £100 each.- Oh!- £400. - £400, good, for the set.- Now these,
0:41:07 > 0:41:12these annual dinner things, these invitations and the menus,
0:41:12 > 0:41:18- you've probably got about...15 or 20 of those.- Something like that, yes.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23I think they're worth about, um... £300 each.
0:41:23 > 0:41:29- Good heavens! No! Good heavens, worth more than the books! - They probably are.- Good gracious!
0:41:29 > 0:41:3315 of them at £300 - £4,500.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Good heavens!
0:41:35 > 0:41:37That IS a surprise!
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Now the Christmas cards.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45- I think you've probably got about... ten or 12 of those?- Yes.
0:41:45 > 0:41:51- Probably about £200 each - the ones that are signed by Shepard. - Good gracious! Gosh!
0:41:51 > 0:41:54- It adds up, doesn't it?- It does.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58- So we're at nearly £5,000 for the books and those.- Yes.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00And these...12...
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Is about, er...about £7,500 so far.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08- Good God!- I know. It's an insurance burden, really.- Good gracious!
0:42:08 > 0:42:12- This drawing - what do you think? - No idea.
0:42:12 > 0:42:17- He must have done a lot of pictures for children.- I suppose so.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21- His original illustrations are very seriously sought after.- Yes.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26- So prepare yourself for a shock.- I hope you've got the brandy bottle!
0:42:26 > 0:42:30- I don't think the BBC runs to brandy.- Oh, it's brandy I need.
0:42:30 > 0:42:36- £20,000 to £30,000. - Good God, no!
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Good heavens! £20,000 to £30,000?!
0:42:39 > 0:42:42So something like getting on for £30,000 here?
0:42:42 > 0:42:47Oh, and the rest. And I think that I was being rather cautious.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52Good heavens! I had no idea. Thank you very much.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55- Thank you!- Pleasure.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01How touching that Rupert Maas should be reunited with his favourite bear at his old school.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I wonder if young Maas had a nickname?
0:43:04 > 0:43:09You'll find all the items you've seen on the BBC Antiques website.
0:43:09 > 0:43:14In fact, we found so many interesting items that we have enough for two programmes -
0:43:14 > 0:43:19so a nice excuse to browse around this part of Dorset once again.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22So until the next time, from Sherborne, good night.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd