0:00:30 > 0:00:36This is the Old Blacksmith's shop at Gretna Green, and a mecca for runaway romantics since 1754,
0:00:36 > 0:00:43when English law decreed that you had to be 21 years old to tie the nuptial knot.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46The law has changed,
0:00:46 > 0:00:50but 1,500 couples still get married here each year
0:00:50 > 0:00:55and they could do worse than linger awhile among the delights of Dumfries and Galloway.
0:00:55 > 0:01:01# When rosy May comes in wi' flowers
0:01:01 > 0:01:05# To deck Her gay, green-spreading bowers
0:01:05 > 0:01:13# Then busy, busy are his hours The gard'ner wi' his paidle
0:01:13 > 0:01:17# The crystal waters gently fa'
0:01:17 > 0:01:22# The merry bards are lovers a'... #
0:01:22 > 0:01:25That song was one of hundreds written by Robert Burns,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28the bard of Caledonia.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32# Should auld acquaintance be forgot... #
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Many of his songs and poems came to him while he was on horseback.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43He began as a ploughman and became a tenant farmer here at Ellisland,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47just north of Dumfries.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51A statue of the poet has pride of place in Dumfries town centre,
0:01:51 > 0:01:55and there's a heritage trail linking sites associated with him.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58This is where he lived and died.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Here is where his bones were laid.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Robert Burns was one of the founders of Dumfries Theatre Royal,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09which, 100 years later, influenced a pupil from Dumfries Academy.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13James Matthew Barrie became, in a word, hooked,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and he went on to write over 30 plays of his own.
0:02:16 > 0:02:21The inspiration for JM Barrie's most famous creation
0:02:21 > 0:02:27came while he was playing pirates with two friends in this garden overlooking the River Nith.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30WOMAN: Boys! Tea time!
0:02:30 > 0:02:37And so was born perhaps the most famous character in children's literature -
0:02:37 > 0:02:39Peter Pan.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Now there are plans for the house to be made into a hotel and museum
0:02:43 > 0:02:48to keep the origins of Neverland alive. Wooden swords on request.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Today's Roadshow comes from the Dumfries Ice Bowl,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56usually the setting for ice-skating and bowls championships.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Clive Farahar and his fellow judges will be giving maximum points
0:03:00 > 0:03:04to anyone turning up with relics of local heroes.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10What a lovely dish! How long have you had it?
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Oh, all my lifetime.
0:03:13 > 0:03:19My mother bought it after the Second World War, about 1946,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and, um...she paid £4 10s for it.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- What, from a shop? - Yes, from an antique shop.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29- Heavens! £4 10s? - Yes, he wanted £5,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- but she only had £4 10s on her. - Oh-ho, that's crafty!- Yes.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- So £4 10s all those years ago?- Yes.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40It's, of course, Chinese and extremely beautiful.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Made in the reign of Emperor Yung Cheng,
0:03:43 > 0:03:48which is around about 1735, 1740,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53so that's 200 and... Ooh, my maths aren't very good... 260 years old?
0:03:53 > 0:03:58Which is a long time to remain in this absolutely perfect condition.
0:03:58 > 0:04:04One hopes it's perfect. If you ring it, it should - if perfect - sound like a little bell.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07TINGS LIKE A BELL
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Lovely, isn't it? Absolutely mint.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Mint as the day it was made.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Beautifully decorated in the style of Imari.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20And her £4 10s has now increased to around about...
0:04:20 > 0:04:23- £400 to £500.- Very good. Thank you.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29They are massive stones. They make an absolute punch, don't they?
0:04:29 > 0:04:34The size of them! Scottish pebble jewellery was extremely popular
0:04:34 > 0:04:39from around about the 1860s right the way through to around about 1900
0:04:39 > 0:04:45and there was a temptation for a blend of stones that brought to mind the heath and the heather,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48these sort of greens and browns
0:04:48 > 0:04:53and russets. And you've got a sort of a jasper stone here,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56this lovely round-cut jasper,
0:04:56 > 0:04:58grey chalcedony,
0:04:58 > 0:05:03smoky quartz. That is transparent, this dark brown smoky quartz.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Bloodstone
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and yellow jasper.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Mounted up in gold,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14with these sort of entwined hoop-like settings between,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17in the original fitted case.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22I'd date this to about 1845,1850, so it's early - tip-top condition.
0:05:22 > 0:05:29I think if you were selling it today that's going to make something in the region of £1,000 to £1,500.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33This brooch doesn't look inspiring, does it?
0:05:33 > 0:05:39- You've got this blue stone in a surround of diamonds.- We were told it was a Burmese sapphire.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I don't know much about it. The gentleman that gave it to my aunt
0:05:43 > 0:05:47did say a story along the lines that it had come from India -
0:05:47 > 0:05:54whether that is true or not, we don't know - and that his wife had worked for royalty.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58India rather more than Burma, I would agree with that.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02It's a cushion-shaped native-cut sapphire
0:06:02 > 0:06:09in a diamond-star cluster frame, date it to about 1885, 1895.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Um, it's actually really rather a good sapphire.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18It's this very collectable blue colour, a medium milky-blue colour.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23Now, I think it weighs in the region of about four-and-a-half carats,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27and these are what people are after, so this piece,
0:06:27 > 0:06:32if you were selling it, we're looking at £2,000 to £3,000 for it.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- OK.- So, although that's got the punch, that's got the value.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- OK, thank you.- Terrific. Thank you.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46MUSIC: "I Love A Lassie" by Harry Lauder
0:06:51 > 0:06:54MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- I think we've got the gist of it. - Yes.- That was his most famous song.
0:06:59 > 0:07:06- And here - this is the piano on which he actually composed this song...- And many other songs on it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I notice that it says here "Acquired...
0:07:09 > 0:07:12- "..by Jimmy Logan.- By Jimmy Logan."
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- Who was the comedian. - The famous Scottish comedian.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18- "From Lauder Ha'"...- In 1966. - "1966. "
0:07:18 > 0:07:23Lauder Ha' was Sir Harry's last home, just outside of Strathaven.
0:07:23 > 0:07:29- Yes.- He had several homes during his lifetime, but he retired to Strathaven with his niece Greta.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32And Greta was a great friend of my grandmother's,
0:07:32 > 0:07:38and that, and the fact that my grandfather used to sing Keep Right On To The End Of The Road,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42when I was 6 or 7 years old, gave me an initial interest in Lauder.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47I see you've got a couple of photographs of the old man himself.
0:07:47 > 0:07:53Yes. This was at Lauder Ha'. These were items that were in Lauder Ha' and sold from his estate.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57- Right. What I noticed was in the collection...- Yes.
0:07:57 > 0:08:03- ..you've got books and all sorts, but you haven't got a stick. - Ah, funny you should mention that.
0:08:03 > 0:08:09Last year I was at an auction in Edinburgh and there was a stick and it got to about £1,500
0:08:09 > 0:08:14and I bid one more time and then I thought, "There is this bush called the Lauder bush,"
0:08:14 > 0:08:20- and being a Scot I thought I would just grow one rather than buy one. - Oh, very Scottish of you! Splendid!
0:08:20 > 0:08:26- Well, it's a difficult thing to value. The piano itself is not a particularly valuable piano.- No.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30But the Lauder connection absolutely makes it,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- and it would be wonderful if you put it on display.- That's what we want.
0:08:33 > 0:08:40- "To Sir Harry Lauder..." He was knighted after the war.- For his work with the war service.- Of course.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Well, you've got over £10,000 worth of stuff here
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- and it's been a pleasure looking through it.- Thank you.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52I can see the name of the sitter - David Anderson. Who is he?
0:08:52 > 0:08:54He's my four times great-grandfather.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59- Lovely pearls, with his initials. - Don't know how they did that then.
0:08:59 > 0:09:05Absolutely stunning, very nice. And he looks like he was quite important.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09He was Warren Hastings' right-hand man in India.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Oh, right. About when?
0:09:11 > 0:09:171790s. Well, probably earlier because there was a portrait of him in 1797.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Right, right, right. So he's obviously a very important man
0:09:21 > 0:09:26because this is a very beautiful miniature indeed. Really quite an important thing.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30- I'll take your word for it! - Well, this inscription goes on...
0:09:30 > 0:09:35and it says over here "Cosway". Now, is that who you think the artist is?
0:09:35 > 0:09:41Supposedly, yes, um... It's in the family book of pictures is that as well, and it's on the frame.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Well, the thing is that it's not actually signed by Cosway.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49- Signed by "E". - Exactly, there's a large "E" in it.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- It's a very cursive "E", slightly tilted over.- Right.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59And I have no doubt that it is the signature of another artist, called Englehart.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- Oh, right, yeah. - Englehart was very prolific
0:10:01 > 0:10:05but he was also very good, and he didn't really drop his standards.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I think it's about 1800,
0:10:07 > 0:10:13so that would post-date your great, great, great, grandfather's tour of duty.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18- It's worth about £5,000, £6,000, £7,000.- Right.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24And yet it's such a good one, so rich, so strong, that it could well reach five figures.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Crazy.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30- That is lovely.- Good.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35- I wonder if there's a family resemblance?- It's not the nose!
0:10:38 > 0:10:44Well, this takes me back to my early teens, I have to say, when much to my mother's horror...
0:10:44 > 0:10:48- Yes.- ..I used to go on the back of a bike, clutching my boyfriend -
0:10:48 > 0:10:52not one of these, I have to say - something a bit more modern.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Obviously it's too old to be yours, so where did it come from?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59My father bought it in London in 1919.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02He went to London to visit his brother
0:11:02 > 0:11:07who was studying to become an income-tax inspector and he...
0:11:07 > 0:11:11There was a rail strike and my father couldn't get home
0:11:11 > 0:11:15so they bought this bike from Maude's Motor Market.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18- He bought the bike simply because he couldn't get home?- Yes.
0:11:18 > 0:11:24- OK. And how much do you think he paid for it?- He paid... 100 guineas for it.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- You're fiddling with a piece of paper.- Yes, this paper shows this...
0:11:28 > 0:11:34- This is the evidence, is it? - £105 13s 6d, with all the little bits and pieces.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38£105... I mean, that was a fortune.
0:11:38 > 0:11:45- In 1919, you could have bought a house for that amount of money. - A flat or something like that, yes.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47An extraordinary amount of money.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52- Was your dad a seasoned motorcycle rider?- No, he hadn't ridden one before.
0:11:52 > 0:11:59Hold on. So he goes to London, he gets stuck in the strike, he buys a bike, drives it off,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03having never set foot on a bike before, and heads off to Dumfries?
0:12:03 > 0:12:08- How long did it take him, do you think?- Two days.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- He slept overnight somewhere in South Yorkshire.- Yes.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16And he put the bicycle on its stand, took his raincoat off
0:12:16 > 0:12:21and made the raincoat into a tent and lay there till daybreak.
0:12:21 > 0:12:22Amazing!
0:12:22 > 0:12:27- He picked up a hitchhiker on the back of the bike.- On this?
0:12:27 > 0:12:32And while they were going along he thought he felt the hitchhiker feeling for his wallet.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37- Oh, when he had his arms round him? - Yes. So they stopped at a pub for a bite to eat,
0:12:37 > 0:12:42but as soon as the guy got off, Father just drove off and left him.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46Well, that's an incredible story, the history of it.
0:12:46 > 0:12:52But then - let's have a look at the machine because the machine is no less extraordinary.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56It's made by a company called Phelon and Moore
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and what is very special about all the Phelon and Moore bikes is this.
0:13:02 > 0:13:08It's the cylinder casing, the single cylinder here, which forms part of the frame,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12and that's completely unique to this particular company.
0:13:12 > 0:13:17So because of this slope, they called it the sloper.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22If it was made before the end of the year 1914,
0:13:22 > 0:13:27it can take part in the pioneering race from London to Brighton,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31which immediately puts a sort of collector's premium onto the bike.
0:13:31 > 0:13:37Is there any way that you think we could say that it was made before 1914?
0:13:37 > 0:13:42- '14? No. I'm in touch with the club at Cleckheaton.- Oh?- And they're going to try and establish
0:13:42 > 0:13:50- from the serial numbers when the bike was made, because it wasn't new when my father bought it.- Ah.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54Assuming that it is made after 1914,
0:13:54 > 0:14:01- which would fit in with the family story, it would have a value of around £4,000.- Yes.
0:14:01 > 0:14:09If by any chance it can be pinpointed to that magic golden period before the end of 1914,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12it would shoot the value up to perhaps £6,000,
0:14:12 > 0:14:18- so it's certainly worth continuing with your investigations.- Yes.
0:14:18 > 0:14:24- It's been great to have it and it's brought back lots of memories for me.- For us as well.- Thank you.
0:14:27 > 0:14:34It's an unusual combination - a case that apparently is for the Turkish market, retailed in Northern Ireland
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- with an American movement.- Yes.
0:14:36 > 0:14:43- Have a guess as to what it might be worth.- I have no idea. Might it go to four figures or not?- Absolutely.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47I'd be terribly disappointed if it didn't. It's very, very commercial.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52- I think, at auction at the moment, between £1,200 and £1,500.- Good!
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Very pretty item.
0:14:56 > 0:15:02- Bunny, what can I do for you?- I thought you'd be interested in this elephant. Underneath it's got that.
0:15:02 > 0:15:08- Very intriguing.- I don't know that it's got anything to do with clocks
0:15:08 > 0:15:10but... This is broken. It's French.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13I wondered if you'd seen one.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I have never seen anything like it before.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24"Dites electronique." And then it's got various patents.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Patent Paris.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31I would suggest that it's the equivalent of a table bell.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Yes. What fun! How would it go off?
0:15:34 > 0:15:36You'd press the top.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40- Early 19th century.- Quimper - somewhere like that.- Thanks.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Now, what's in this box?
0:15:43 > 0:15:48- A child's tea set.- Now, that's very different. Very unexpected.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- You say it's enamel.- Yes.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53I think so.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56When I got it, it was totally black.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01It had either been in a fire or left in a loft for years and years.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05- Where did you buy it? - In Edinburgh, in auction, in 1991.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09We've got these lovely illustrations, all different,
0:16:09 > 0:16:15of childhood scenes with animals, in farmyards. It is delightful.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Have you heard of a toy manufacturer called Bing?
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Gebruder Bing Nuremburg, Bavaria.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Bing are very, very famous as manufacturers of tin toys,
0:16:27 > 0:16:33model railways, models, ships - everything to do with model-making...
0:16:33 > 0:16:39- Right.- ..and toys in the metal area. I've never seen them making a tea set.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- How much did you pay?- £41.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45I think you did very well.
0:16:45 > 0:16:51- I would say £300, £400.- Oh, lovely! Thank you!- Thank YOU!- Right!
0:16:51 > 0:16:55- It's known as Mum's Queen Anne bureau.- Mum's Queen Anne bureau.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Well, it's actually quite correct.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Oh.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04It's an escritoire in two pieces,
0:17:04 > 0:17:10not much after 1710. One or two things to look at straightaway.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Obviously, these are 1760-type handles,
0:17:13 > 0:17:18and we're looking at something made 1710, 1715, perhaps.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23You've got three marks there which is where the original handles went.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Hello - and the feet.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31- One of the feet has been a brick for some years.- Lovely!
0:17:31 > 0:17:35When you look inside, there you can see three holes.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41That was probably the original, and then they put something on later.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44- A lock has been taken out and patched there.- Yes.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48But that's quite healthy. I don't mind that at all.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52Much better that than all disguised and camouflaged.
0:17:52 > 0:17:58A good thing to look at on an early piece of quality - a little domed top to the side of the drawer,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01rather than a flat surface.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05That came in and stayed in until the 1740s.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Always a mark of quality.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09So...
0:18:09 > 0:18:11This is also good.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Signs of wear, where the underneath has rubbed.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18There you can see compatible signs of wear.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22We're building up a picture of authenticity.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26Two-part furniture was always suspect
0:18:26 > 0:18:30because, in the 18th century, when these were second-hand,
0:18:30 > 0:18:35they were sold by auction. It never went up in its social surroundings.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40The farmer went to the lord's sale, the lord never went to a farm sale.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46The farmer couldn't get it in his home. He put a top on here for a chest of drawers, and feet on that,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49- and two pieces of furniture. - Fascinating.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Let's have a look at the top,
0:18:51 > 0:18:55which has this wonderful cushion-moulding drawer.
0:18:55 > 0:19:01- Now, inside, I imagine will be... Shall I give you that key?- Yes.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04..a host of secret drawers.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07We can't go into all of them,
0:19:07 > 0:19:12but that's typical. There were secret drawers everywhere, in a decent piece.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16- These come out. Little ones at the back.- This comes out.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19That slides forward. Great quality.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24Let's see if we can get our friends here to put the two together
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and we can see it in its former glory.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29I shall come over here.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34Chaps, if we can prop up... Put some feet on it.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40And then you start to see it. These mouldings are wonderful.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44- Do come in.- Right. - These are wonderful.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47Applied with the grain going from top to bottom.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52- By the 1730s, the grain of the wood went this way.- Yes.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55It's a lovely colour, isn't it?
0:19:55 > 0:19:58OK.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59Fingers!
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Now...
0:20:03 > 0:20:06- Thank you.- Thank you.- Look at that.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09It's just lovely.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Walnut furniture of this type has gone up in value considerably -
0:20:13 > 0:20:18particularly when it's of this quality. Big mouldings... It's a person.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21- Erm...- And restoration?
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Restoration - I would do very, very little.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29I've always felt guilty about not doing something to it.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35- It's smiling at you. It's saying, "I'm quite happy."- I love it!- Good.
0:20:35 > 0:20:41- And, for insurance, between £25,000, £30,000.- Really?!
0:20:41 > 0:20:44It's just on the house insurance.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49- I wouldn't sell it if it was worth a million.- I'm sure.- Thank you.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52- You've got them all.- Yes.- OK.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57That's volume one. They were too heavy to fetch them all with me.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Yeah. Bear in mind we're all creatures of habit,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05- and when this sort of thing comes out, we all buy it.- Aye.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10It's usually when somebody dies, out of the attic it comes.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13What I'm saying is there are a lot of these around.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17They don't fetch a great deal of money in auction.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22- If you had the whole set, they'd fetch about £40.- Yeah.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28I've been collecting what might be termed Scottish provincial silver
0:21:28 > 0:21:33- for well nigh 40 years. - You started at the right time
0:21:33 > 0:21:36because 40 years ago there were very, very few people
0:21:36 > 0:21:40collecting Scottish provincial silver.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44What we have here, what I'm really excited to see,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47is a piece of Dumfries silver,
0:21:47 > 0:21:52which is denoted by the fouled anchor sign.
0:21:52 > 0:21:59This mark here. And it has the maker's mark - DG for David Gray.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Fairly prolific maker - mainly of flatware.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06This is a fish slice, with a basic decoration.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- Can you remember where and when you bought that?- Vividly,
0:22:09 > 0:22:14because it was one of the first pieces that I bought
0:22:14 > 0:22:19and I believe that the vendor really didn't know of the maker's origin.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24- You knew what it was at that time?- I had pretty good idea.
0:22:24 > 0:22:29- Can you remember what you paid for it?- Memory's not what it was,
0:22:29 > 0:22:34- but I think it was £28.- £28?- Yes.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38That's not bad, because if you came to sell it now,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41you're looking at about £700.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46- Well!- That's not a bad start. - Much better than in the bank.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49The thing about Dumfries silver
0:22:49 > 0:22:53is it's much more common to see flatware like this
0:22:53 > 0:22:56than it is hollow-ware.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00And this little box, as plain as plain could be,
0:23:00 > 0:23:05but open it up and inside here we've got the mark "MH",
0:23:05 > 0:23:11for Mark Hinchliffe, another well-known Dumfries silversmith.
0:23:11 > 0:23:17I'm glad to tell you that a box like this, if you came to sell it,
0:23:17 > 0:23:22you've got to think of at least £3,000, possibly more.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Extremely good news!
0:23:24 > 0:23:27Now, the rarest of all
0:23:27 > 0:23:29is this wine funnel.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35And it's got the mark "IP", which is for Joseph Pearson.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Again, another Dumfries maker.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41I've never seen a Dumfries wine funnel.
0:23:41 > 0:23:47I would confidently expect it to be worth between £4,500 to £5,000.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52Thank you very much for bringing them in.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56- You get crystal bowls on stems for drinking out of.- Right.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00You'd have a job cleaning it out. It wouldn't be that healthy
0:24:00 > 0:24:03- but it's rather nice to hold.- Yes.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07I wouldn't mind drinking a dram of whiskey out of that.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12I've taken this around to various experts. Some say they don't know,
0:24:12 > 0:24:19but those who are sure they know, say it's to do with picture-framing. Are we right?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21You're wrong. You're way out.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23Give us a clue.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- I'm in the music business.- Music.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28I'm in the music business.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Would this do something to the piano?
0:24:32 > 0:24:35N... No, not to the piano.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39- I give up.- Do you?- Yes.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43Have a little look at it now.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49- There's felt down two sides. Is that significant?- Yes.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52- I give up.- Well...
0:24:52 > 0:24:57It stretches your fingers. It stretches the width between them.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03- It's an instrument of torture! - Call it what you like, but it has been put to use.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- Were these mass-produced? - No, it's a one-off.- Hello?
0:25:07 > 0:25:12- Can you sign this?- Is this for your mum or for you?- Me. - What's your name?
0:25:12 > 0:25:18- Nadia.- Nadia. Lovely. What do you think it is, Nadia? Is it a toy?
0:25:18 > 0:25:21- No.- What's it for?
0:25:21 > 0:25:26- Putting on the window ledge.- For what?- Putting on the window ledge.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30She's got it. Putting on your window ledge.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32Well done! Thank you.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36This is by a potter called Sobei Kinkozan.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41He was the most prolific of the top three makers.
0:25:41 > 0:25:47Kinkozan had this vast factory churning out pots,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51and a studio making really good ones.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54- And this is one of the good ones. - Oh!
0:25:54 > 0:26:00I like the shape. At first sight it's just a square, but it isn't.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04It's very subtle the way these shoulders lead down.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07In fact, these panels aren't quite flat.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13They curve inwards, and it gives it a really strong shape.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17The panels are beautifully painted.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19This is quality painting.
0:26:20 > 0:26:25It dates from about 1885, 1895 - somewhere around there.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29This is generically called Satsuma-ware,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33but the majority wasn't made in Satsuma, it was made in Kyoto.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36That's where Kinkozan's studio was.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42- How did the damage happen?- They had a fire and it was damaged in it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48That is amongst the worst bits of restoration I've ever seen in my life!
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Probably, they done it theirself.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54It's what I call chewing-gum repair.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59It could be broken down by a skilled restorer, and it should.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03This pot deserves money spent on it
0:27:03 > 0:27:06to restore it to its previous condition.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11To get that restored would cost you £300, £400.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14- Sounds like a lot of money for a chip.- Yeah.
0:27:14 > 0:27:21But you've got a pot which at the moment is worth £2,000.
0:27:21 > 0:27:27- Oh, right.- And if you spent the 300 on it, it would be worth £3,000.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31- Very good. Thank you. - So I'd recommend you did that.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- Thank you for bringing it.- Thanks.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40That bit was missing and it was completely red-rusted.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45- You've redone it completely. - I stripped it completely
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and it still works.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52- Have you done the washing in it? - No.- Why not?
0:27:52 > 0:27:56I don't think my wife would be very pleased with the result.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58It could be brilliant!
0:27:58 > 0:28:04This type, which has the dolly, which moves to and fro,
0:28:04 > 0:28:09was developed in the 19th century, mechanically, but done by hand.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14You've probably seen the earliest version - a pole with spikes -
0:28:14 > 0:28:16and you go up and down like that.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21- That then became mechanised, with a handle on the top.- Oh, yes!
0:28:21 > 0:28:25Electricity makes the whole thing, in a sense, modern.
0:28:25 > 0:28:33The first electric versions of this were made in America between 1906 and 1908.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36- We weren't sure of the date. - This may be later
0:28:36 > 0:28:38because the technique
0:28:38 > 0:28:43of making that process mechanical was developed about 1908.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48So, you've got that, and then that does it in there.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52Then you take the clothes out and you feed them through the mangle,
0:28:52 > 0:28:59- which would've been by hand. - And you can either wash or wring it.- That's right.
0:28:59 > 0:29:05- Now, this is made by Beatty's, isn't it?- Yes.- What do you know about them?- Nothing.
0:29:05 > 0:29:11- We've got the manual.- That came with it.- The White Cap machine.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16Here is a wonderful lady demonstrating how it works.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21Looking at her dress and her shoes, I think we're about 1915,
0:29:21 > 0:29:24which gives us roughly the date of the machine.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27We can't be more certain than that.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30What I like best is this lovely quotation.
0:29:30 > 0:29:37"Put the clothes in, touch the button, close the lid, the washer does the rest." Just like today.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41"You can tend to something else while it washes the clothes.
0:29:41 > 0:29:46"Come back in 8 or 10 minutes and every garment is snowy white."
0:29:46 > 0:29:51- 8 or 10 minutes only. Better than a modern one.- Now it takes an hour.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54- Technology's gone backwards.- Yes.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56Very collectable. Great fun.
0:29:56 > 0:30:00Very rare to find an early one like this,
0:30:00 > 0:30:06- and, therefore, I should think the value's £300 to £400.- Very good.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09Thank you very much.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11It's from the Black Forest
0:30:11 > 0:30:15and it's a typical, top-of-the-range trumpeter clock.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Most people would initially think, "Maybe it's a cuckoo clock."
0:30:19 > 0:30:24But you've probably peeked inside. I'll do the doors manually.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29You've got these two men who should be blowing trumpets. What happened?
0:30:29 > 0:30:34The trumpets were nicked, really. They were stolen in a flitting.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38- What a shame!- Yes. I don't know what happened.- What a shame!
0:30:38 > 0:30:43These nice doors, which we've got at the sides, show the movement.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48And a series of pipes, a fantastically large spring barrel.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51When did you last have this thing working at home?
0:30:51 > 0:30:56- I would say about 25 years ago. - That long ago!
0:30:56 > 0:31:00Yes. The bellows seem to have perished.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02We've got a series of horns.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04Most of these trumpeters,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07it's just a two or three tone - # Doo-doo. #
0:31:07 > 0:31:12But you've got a full music barrel that is both pinned and bridged.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16You've got an enormous amount of levers here.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20It's a shame that it's not working. It's completely jammed up.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25If you haven't seen it working for years, I won't try to get it going.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31You've got these massive bellows here which would have driven air through all these pipes.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35Those figures would have come whistling out of that door,
0:31:35 > 0:31:39played a marvellous tune and then popped back in again.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44I only took the back off for the first time yesterday.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47- You've never seen inside before. - Never seen inside it.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50We've got a series of pipes.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55It's on a par with an organ clock. This is top of the range.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00I'm going to suggest a date, probably 1870s, 1880s.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02I love it.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06These novelty clocks are very commercial.
0:32:06 > 0:32:12Up and running, and bearing in mind it has a great movement, with a full range of pipes,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15when those figures are done,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19that is going to be an absolute minimum of £3,500 to £4,000.
0:32:19 > 0:32:26So, it's going to be worth spending a bit of money having it cleaned and overhauled.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29- The bellows are easy to do.- Yes.
0:32:29 > 0:32:35- That's...- It'd drive you mad when it was running! - I could stand the noise.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37Good.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41This is so detailed.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45A mouse reading a newspaper, on a stool, with its lovely tail.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48That is absolutely incredible.
0:32:48 > 0:32:54And I notice it's signed "HBP" - Helen Beatrix Potter. And "1890".
0:32:54 > 0:32:58Well, 1890 was 12 years before she wrote Peter Rabbit.
0:32:58 > 0:33:03But she was doing these drawings then. These are very early.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06I particularly like this one.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09Again signed. Again, really detailed.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12She's doing really fine brushwork.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Those two are probably worth between £5,000 and £10,000 each.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Where did you get them?
0:33:20 > 0:33:25- They belong to my daughter-in-law's mother.- Goodness!
0:33:25 > 0:33:30They came from Beatrix Potter to her aunt
0:33:30 > 0:33:35who was a personal friend of the Potter family. So they came...
0:33:35 > 0:33:42The Borders are not far from the Lake District, which is how the connection is made, is it?
0:33:42 > 0:33:46- I think Beatrix Potter's brother farmed in the Borders.- Really?
0:33:46 > 0:33:48- And so this is the connection.- Yes.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52This one of a sinister fox, rather like Mr Todd,
0:33:52 > 0:33:55but I don't think it's Mr Todd.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58This one's worth about £5,000.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01And then these wonderful ones of squirrels.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05These must've been a design for a Christmas card
0:34:05 > 0:34:08because we have stages of this.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10There's that one, this one -
0:34:10 > 0:34:13and the date 1894 here on the side.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Not so well finished.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19But then we go to this, which is beautifully finished.
0:34:19 > 0:34:25That is stunning. Those two - £5,000, £6,000, £7,000 each.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30- Were these working drawings? - Some of them.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35This one - we'll go to another pile here... I can hardly believe this!
0:34:35 > 0:34:40This is beautiful, and very delicate - again unfinished -
0:34:40 > 0:34:43but in the corner, we have all the farm implements,
0:34:43 > 0:34:48everything that Beatrix Potter would've known - forks and spades -
0:34:48 > 0:34:52and two rabbits, again black and white, working.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55That one probably about £10,000.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01Another one here - I love this one, actually.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03I think this is my favourite.
0:35:03 > 0:35:08"Squintena Tabby. Licensed dealer in tea."
0:35:08 > 0:35:14And there she is, looking very cross, squinting at these cats,
0:35:14 > 0:35:18who are obviously kittens, looking through the window.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20That is absolutely fantastic.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25- That would be worth £12,000, probably.- Good gracious!- Or more.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28And this one. This is fantastic.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32I'm sure I know this drawing. I'm sure it's from a book.
0:35:32 > 0:35:37- I think so.- A little robin actually looking at a tiny little shoe,
0:35:37 > 0:35:43possibly left by Peter Rabbit's father or Peter Rabbit himself.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47£15,000. Probably more for that.
0:35:48 > 0:35:53One with a rabbit in. It's only a little drawing, but it's superb.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57- I'd say £10,000. She's signed it. - Yes.
0:35:57 > 0:36:04Then, uncharacteristic - possibly an early study for Peter Rabbit - is this one.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08It's very much like Durer, the Durer picture of the rabbit.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11It's meticulously finished. Beautifully done.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14I'd say £12,000 for that one.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18Last, but not least, are the ones you've had framed.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23And these are absolutely stunning.
0:36:25 > 0:36:30This lovely one of rabbits going through the snow,
0:36:30 > 0:36:35I can't remember what that comes from, but it's one of her books.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38This one I don't recognise at all.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42- It's some rabbits round a bag of buns.- Yes.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46The keys are there, and on the label is "HBP" -
0:36:46 > 0:36:48her initials once again.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Those are fantastic! Absolutely!
0:36:51 > 0:36:54I would say £50,000 for those...each.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57- Gosh!- So you've got 23.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02You've got the best part of £250,000 worth of goods.
0:37:02 > 0:37:09- It's incredible. Thank you for bringing them in. - Thank you very much.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14My late father was a farmer in Dumfriesshire, who played many musical instruments -
0:37:14 > 0:37:19Jew's harp, banjo, mandolin, bagpipes,
0:37:19 > 0:37:25- bones, spoons, tin whistles... I think that was all.- Fantastic!
0:37:25 > 0:37:33In a village concert party, between the 1950s and 1970s, which raised a lot of money for charity.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38- So that was all there was in your lives - music, music, music? - Music and dogs.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41- Sheepdog trials and concerts in local halls.- Well, there he is.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45He's obviously sitting in front of the object here.
0:37:45 > 0:37:51So, I'll ask you to hang on to that whilst we open up...the coffin.
0:37:51 > 0:37:57- And now you tell me about this. - He called it his musical glasses.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01- I think he paid between £40 and £60 for them...- Ooh!
0:38:01 > 0:38:06..which for a canny Scot and farmer 30 to 35 years ago was quite a lot.
0:38:06 > 0:38:11I've never seen one of these. I'm absolutely fascinated to see one.
0:38:11 > 0:38:16There are two ways in which glasses are tuneable. One's the actual size,
0:38:16 > 0:38:21the diameter of the glass itself - and that determines the note -
0:38:21 > 0:38:25or if you put water into a glass, you can change the pitch.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29- Is this a replacement glass? - Yes.- And if you put water in at the right level,
0:38:29 > 0:38:36it'll reach the pitch. Even though it seems to be out of sync in terms of sizes, it will achieve that note.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39This lovely board tells us what the notes are.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43I'll take this out because it looks as if it may rub on the glasses.
0:38:43 > 0:38:49It almost has the look of a homemade musical glasses set, and actually that's what it is.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53We're not going to see another one of these for a very, very long time.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57And for a collector of quirky musical instruments...
0:38:57 > 0:39:04this would be a must. I mean, you could also keep your drinks on those, drink OUT of it!
0:39:05 > 0:39:11I think that, um...you would have to pay £2,000 EASILY
0:39:11 > 0:39:15to find an equivalent in a London shop.
0:39:15 > 0:39:20- The secret is not to have the glasses wet, but to have your fingers wet.- Yes, it is, yes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:26OK, we've got what looks like two octaves, so if I start halfway through the register...
0:39:26 > 0:39:29GLASSES "SING" IN DIFFERENT NOTES
0:39:29 > 0:39:32PLAYS "Auld Lang Syne"
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Wrong note!
0:39:51 > 0:39:55Oh, they recognise it, they recognise it!
0:39:58 > 0:40:04I first knew her in a drawer in my mother's house, just the head and the limbs and body all in pieces.
0:40:04 > 0:40:10And, um...it used to belong to her mother, then one day she decided...
0:40:10 > 0:40:14There was a doll's exhibition, so she got it put together again
0:40:14 > 0:40:18and had its wig made, made clothes for it
0:40:18 > 0:40:23- and then we were allowed to hold her carefully sometimes. - How lovely!
0:40:23 > 0:40:27My grandmother's father went to Paris - he was a jeweller -
0:40:27 > 0:40:33- and she used to leave her dolls by the fire, and they were wax ones and melted.- Oh, my God!- So...
0:40:33 > 0:40:37- Don't believe it!- So he came back one day with this doll, apparently.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41- To make up for all the wax. - To make up for all the wax ones.
0:40:41 > 0:40:45Ah, what a lovely story. Well, you're quite right,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49she was made in Paris, um...
0:40:49 > 0:40:53She's probably made of bisque, which is unglazed porcelain.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56- That's the face?- That's the head.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01Her eyes are made of wonderful glass known as "paperweight eyes"
0:41:01 > 0:41:06because it's the same process as making glass paperweights in Paris.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10Um, you say she had a new wig made for her?
0:41:10 > 0:41:15Now, this is human hair, and so often they made...
0:41:15 > 0:41:21- The original wigs would have been made of mohair, which is from the mountain goat.- Yes.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25The eyes would have been stuck in with wax,
0:41:25 > 0:41:28so if you ever cleaned her, you should avoid the eyes.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31And I'll just show you underneath...
0:41:31 > 0:41:35I always look at a Jumeau body, which I'm sure she has,
0:41:35 > 0:41:40and it should have a stamp on the behind, as it does.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43"Jumeau medaille d'or Paris."
0:41:43 > 0:41:50Now, that means that probably in either the 1870 exhibition
0:41:50 > 0:41:53or even maybe a bit later in Paris,
0:41:53 > 0:42:00the Jumeau factory won a gold medal for making Jumeau dolls.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03I always think the head looks really quite sort of small
0:42:03 > 0:42:07- compared with these rather hefty limbs.- Yes.
0:42:07 > 0:42:10She's not an ordinary dolly face.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13She's known as a "Jumeau triste"
0:42:13 > 0:42:18because she looks rather wan and sad.
0:42:18 > 0:42:24Well, I think you should go home and tomorrow ring your insurers
0:42:24 > 0:42:28and insure her for £10,000.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35That's, um... Heavens!
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Bit of a worry, suddenly.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44Yes, it puts her in a different sort of category.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48We'd better give you some special wrapping to take her home.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52Yes, I don't know that she should go in that old bag again!
0:42:52 > 0:42:57Well, the show may have come to you from the Dumfries Ice Bowl but it's been as warm as toast here all day.
0:42:57 > 0:43:03We found some Dumfries silver and there was that amazing collection of pieces by Beatrix Potter,
0:43:03 > 0:43:08but the only sign of the great Rabbie Burns so far has been this -
0:43:08 > 0:43:12a miniature loving cup made in Germany for the souvenir market
0:43:12 > 0:43:16in about 1900. Small but perfectly formed.
0:43:16 > 0:43:22And now it's time for us Sassenachs to head for the border, which is less than 30 miles away.
0:43:22 > 0:43:28So to the people of Dumfries and Galloway, thank you. And from this lovely part of the world, goodbye.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Subtitles by BBC Broadcast