0:00:31 > 0:00:35Our venue today sits snugly among the beautiful Brecon Beacons,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38were the rivers Gavenny and Usk come together.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40It's an area we've always found difficult to resist
0:00:40 > 0:00:45so we have succumbed, once again, to the charms of Abergavenny.
0:00:47 > 0:00:48Like a Welsh rugby pitch,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52it's a landscape littered with the evidence of ancient battles.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56To the East lie the castles Grosmont, Skenfrith and White,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58which formed a defensive shield
0:00:58 > 0:01:01to protect the gateway to Wales from Norman invaders.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07The great buildings weren't all military establishments.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12Llanthony Priory was one of the country's finest medieval piles.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Underneath its now ruined arches
0:01:14 > 0:01:18was founded one of the earliest houses of the Augustinian order.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21It's been a religious site since the 6th century.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24If religion kindled the spirit of the local people
0:01:24 > 0:01:27then it was coal that warmed their bodies.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31The once thriving coal industry is remembered at the Big Pit Colliery,
0:01:31 > 0:01:36which, in its prime, supported 1300 men, women and children.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41The wheels are turning once more on this visitor attraction,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44which has been given world heritage status
0:01:44 > 0:01:48alongside Stonehenge and the Great Wall of China.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51Street signs here record other bygone industries,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54during the 18th and 19th centuries,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59Welsh flannel-making, leather goods and wig-making kept the devil from the door.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Now, there's just the odd sign,
0:02:02 > 0:02:04the old tannery building
0:02:04 > 0:02:08and an occasional "hint" of the past.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Something that did survive
0:02:09 > 0:02:13and become the vigorous hub of life in Abergavenny is the market.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15There's been one here since medieval times,
0:02:15 > 0:02:18attracting people from all over the country.
0:02:18 > 0:02:24It settled for the Victorian style and it sells everything from antiques to fleas.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30As the centre of community life,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33the market building houses the mayor's parlour,
0:02:33 > 0:02:35the council offices, and a theatre.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39The only thing it couldn't quite squeeze in was the leisure centre,
0:02:39 > 0:02:42which itself has, today, managed to squeeze in the Roadshow.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44So, let's get to work.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48My father, when he was due to retire,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50was going round country house sales. Yes.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55And he just picked up things that he liked and he liked that. Excellent.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Do you know how much he paid for it?
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Yes, I do, he paid £5 for it. £5? Yes. Good Lord!
0:03:00 > 0:03:01But it's splendid,
0:03:01 > 0:03:06it's a superbly designed jug made by the Doulton factory.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Yes, it's got all the details under the bottom here.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13King George V and Queen Mary, 1935, isn't it?
0:03:13 > 0:03:17And it was a limited edition, there were 1,000 in the edition
0:03:17 > 0:03:19and this is number 356. Right.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24There, usually, were certificates with them... Have you got the certificate? No.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26It's a little printed-out certificate
0:03:26 > 0:03:29that was put inside the, um, the loving cup.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31So it's a shame you haven't got that.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35They're impossible to find again now, of course,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37so it must have got lost at some stage,
0:03:37 > 0:03:41but, it's designed by, by a man called Charles Noke.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44It's got his little signature, just down there,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47I don't know whether you've noticed it? Yes, I had noticed.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51He's a very, very important designer of the Edwardian period
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and it's nice to have that.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55It's a wonderful pot, isn't it?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58George by Windsor Castle, I suppose,
0:03:58 > 0:04:03and all round here is all heraldic sort of things, people blowing trumpets,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05people in the crowd, it's a very busy pot, isn't it?
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Yes. But you, you like it, do you?
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Well, too busy really, for my taste,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I like things rather more simply designed.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Simpler things, yes, but it's spectacular, I think.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20It's got the nations of the, of the Commonwealth around there. Yes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I think that's a handsome pot. Yes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24So its value...?
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Well, they usually fetch, at auction,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30something like around about £500 to £600. Yes.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34But a dealer would probably charge, say, £700, £750 for one of these.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37But it's a splendid, splendid pot,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40so enjoy it, even though it is a bit busy.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42All right, thank you.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48We inherited it in 1986 from my husband's mother,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52and it was her mother's so it's his grandmother's.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54Right, and here's a leading question -
0:04:54 > 0:04:56were you happy to inherit it?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Oh, yes, I love it.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00You do? I love it, yes.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05OK, this is, quintessentially, a piece of Art Furniture
0:05:05 > 0:05:12and it's a type of furniture that arrived on the scene in and around about 1870-1880. Really?
0:05:12 > 0:05:20Um...it's ebonised in so far as this is obviously a wood that's been painted to simulate ebony. Oh.
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Which is quite expensive.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23What they're trying to do here,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27is they're trying to emulate lacquered furniture that's coming out of the Orient.
0:05:27 > 0:05:34Uh-huh. And out of China, out of Japan, and then the British designers thought they'd have a go themselves.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37What is interesting is, is the quality of the decoration,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39because this is nice quality decoration.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42This would have been an expensive piece of furniture.
0:05:42 > 0:05:47Then, of course, your eye is drawn, obviously, to these, these lovely bulrushes
0:05:47 > 0:05:49and more of the same.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53The thing that dominates it are the panels. The panels are beautiful.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58And, normally, these are tiles, which would be printed and then overpainted.
0:05:58 > 0:06:04But here, we've actually got entirely free painted tiles,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06which is very unusual. Really?
0:06:06 > 0:06:10Because any tile expert watching would say, "oh, no, they're printed."
0:06:10 > 0:06:13But I'm nearer and I can assure them. Yeah. These are painted.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Oh, really? And the designs themselves are very much in the manner of Walter Crane.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22I can't swear to it. Have you ever had the back off? You should find out...
0:06:22 > 0:06:27No, no, no. ..who made the tiles. They could possibly be Minton, Minton and Hollins.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Oh, really? Or they could be, they could be Wedgwood.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Or several other factories... Anyway, function -
0:06:33 > 0:06:38I've been trying to find out the Welsh word for plant stand
0:06:38 > 0:06:44because, you know... Yes, yes. I mean, because I operate out of London I'd call that a jardiniere.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Yes, yes, it's never had pots in there.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Well...what's missing is actually a metal tray. Oh, really?
0:06:50 > 0:06:54That should fit inside there. My husband could never remember that. No? No.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58That's what it really needs, because you get flower pots in it.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04So, because these tiles have been hand-painted, I think that's going to add to the value
0:07:04 > 0:07:09and this is probably worth between £600 and £800. Uh-huh.
0:07:09 > 0:07:15The tiles themselves are probably worth at least £400 to a collector.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16BIRD SINGS
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Amazing thing, isn't it?
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Marvellous. How long have you had him for?
0:07:23 > 0:07:27I've had him for about 20 years. Does he always behave quite well?
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Well, it wasn't in very good condition when I first had it
0:07:30 > 0:07:33and it's been repaired and a bit refurbished
0:07:33 > 0:07:36then the last time I used it, I wound it up and broke the spring.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Oh, dear. Ooh there he goes.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41We had to have a new spring put in, locally, which was very good.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44That seems to have done it beautifully. Yes.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48It's undoubtedly Swiss, and this sort of florid palette for the enamelling is a...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50is a signpost to that.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And the reason that it is brightly coloured
0:07:53 > 0:07:56is because it's to attract an Oriental audience, really.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58It was almost certainly made
0:07:58 > 0:08:01for export to the Middle, if not the Far, East.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02And it may date from,
0:08:02 > 0:08:08well, I don't think this one's quite 1820s, the fashion started in about 1820. Yes.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12And, and it went on, because it was highly successful and highly amusing.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15I think this one's probably getting towards the end of the 19th century.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18What did you feel like when you saw that for the first time?
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Amazed, I couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe it...
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Especially when all the wires come up through that tiny little pedestal
0:08:26 > 0:08:29to operate all the beak and all the wings and everything moving.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32It's incredible, in my view, wonderful.
0:08:32 > 0:08:38Tell me, the bellows in there, of which there are numerous bellows are made of...mouse skin?
0:08:38 > 0:08:42It could be mouse skin, chicken skin is the cliche for it.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45I've never heard that. They are miracles, really.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It's tiny miracles to keep at home in a strange way.
0:08:48 > 0:08:54You've got to envisage a society where there's no TV, no motor cars... How wonderful. ..and no... Yes.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58No cinema and so entertainment had to be found in very small intimate ways.
0:08:58 > 0:09:04Yes. And nothing was more amazing, really, in the 19th century than to open this marvellous box.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08I suppose the swan on the lid is a bit of a sort of hint as to the contents, isn't it?
0:09:08 > 0:09:13I suppose, yes. Hmm. It's a curiously sort of child-like thing, perhaps.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I don't know, I mean, it's something that, that would amaze a child.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Do you show it to children at all? I have not, no.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Sensible, they'd sort of snatch at it. Exactly. They're humming bird's feathers.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24Are they?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27That's why, and kingfisher as well, perhaps. Yes, yes.
0:09:27 > 0:09:31So a marvellous thing giving everybody great pleasure,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35look how his head turns. He's got tired, we all have.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Poor chap's run down. We all need our batteries winding up.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42Anyway, he's not going to close, so we'll have to leave him there and wind him up again...
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Brilliant thing... Yes.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46Did you have him valued at all?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Not really no, I've had one or two people look at it,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52just for interest, to say what they thought, but, not officially, let's say, no.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56What did they say? They had a go, didn't they? No, not really. No?
0:09:56 > 0:10:02Local chap valued it about £4,000 a couple of years ago, that's about all, really.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Mm, I think £4,000 is quite enough.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09It's a right value, I would go along with that.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12They can be very much more valuable when they're gold,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15sometimes they're gem-set, if they're for the Pasha of Egypt
0:10:15 > 0:10:17they might be bigger and more exciting.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22This is a very, very good example of a Swiss singing-bird-box.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24What a joy... Honestly, you are lucky.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I wish I were the granddaughter of Eric Gill, but I'm not.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31I'm a friend of the granddaughter of Eric Gill
0:10:31 > 0:10:35and this one IS a portrait of my friend when she was ten years of age.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39This is Gill's granddaughter? Yes, Eric Gill's granddaughter.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Absolutely fascinating and, of course, he came to Wales, didn't he?
0:10:43 > 0:10:48He did, he lived in Capel-y-ffin, yes, for four years, I believe it was.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Yes. Before he moved on to Buckinghamshire.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Yes, yes, well, I think...
0:10:54 > 0:10:57It's a very beautiful drawing, it's somewhat time stained
0:10:57 > 0:11:00and a little bit creased and so on, but it's a wonderful profile.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I always love his line.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07These...drawings in black lead,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11sharp accent and then this lovely soft undulation...
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Very sensuous line and, of course, he was a typographer,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19letter-cutter, sculptor and artist, a writer.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23He had very advanced... I think it's probably the polite way of saying,
0:11:23 > 0:11:30he had eccentric ideas, when it came to social, religious and sexual tastes.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Had a fascination for hair...
0:11:34 > 0:11:38Really? And you can see that in his drawings and in his sculpture
0:11:38 > 0:11:41and he was very, very careful to delineate these things.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44He showed them to their best or the way they interested him
0:11:44 > 0:11:46and there is also something...
0:11:46 > 0:11:51he was very fascinated by Indian art and this comes into his work.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Here, you've got his initials here...
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Eric Gill and the date, 26th of the 3rd, '38...
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Then we have another drawing here.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04A sketch for a head of a statue,
0:12:04 > 0:12:08she looks a little bit Oriental with those eyes.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12Yes. I was thinking of the Indian influence and so on,
0:12:12 > 0:12:16that it actually looks rather like a piece of Indian sculpture.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22The mounts are somewhat time-stained and the drawings, I've said are...
0:12:22 > 0:12:24The paper's gone rather yellow. Yes.
0:12:24 > 0:12:30But I think, probably, for the drawing of your friend,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Gill's granddaughter, this lovely profile...
0:12:33 > 0:12:35I would have thought...
0:12:35 > 0:12:40One should say, it's worth £1,500, £2,000, possibly more for insurance.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42And the head of the sculpture...
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Somewhat less, £1,000, something like that.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Thank you, that's very interesting.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52It's a really nice and appropriate find to have in this part of Wales. Good.
0:12:52 > 0:12:53Can I have a go?
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Hey, look at that. Look at that.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04You could have hours of fun with him. I would...
0:13:04 > 0:13:06What I love about this particular toy,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08it's in such good condition.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Yeah. And also, if you look at the detail here,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13particularly right down on the front here,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16it's a real, sort of, time capsule.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18He needs a stick and a lick.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23Yeah, but it's a time capsule from that 1950s period. Did you remember playing with this toy?
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Oh, yes, I remember yeah, all these are steel, not plastic like today's.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29That's right and this particular...
0:13:29 > 0:13:31interestingly, was made in Germany.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34So it's made five years after the war. Is it?
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And manufactured in Germany for the export market,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40I'm going to put a value of at least £75 on him.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Really very nice... Good. They're great, fantastic things.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46What do you think it is? I think it's a samovar.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49That's what it's not.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50I always thought it was.
0:13:50 > 0:13:55No, no, it's the mistake everyone makes, it's actually an urn. An urn?
0:13:55 > 0:13:58An urn. What's the difference between a samovar and an urn?
0:13:58 > 0:14:05A samovar has a heating device underneath, a tube that runs through the centre to take the hot air up.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09If it was a samovar, you'd actually have a fitting on the top
0:14:09 > 0:14:11to hold a teapot sitting on the top.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Clearly, this one, you can't sit a teapot on the top.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18You'd have difficulty, so that makes this an urn as opposed to a samovar.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Because the way that Russian tea worked,
0:14:21 > 0:14:26you had the tea stewing in the little pot, the hot water in the samovar...
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Yes. ..and then you just poured the tea concentrate
0:14:30 > 0:14:35and then diluted it to taste. So this is an English tea urn.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39Tea urn. But not a samovar, which is a very Russian thing.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Now this particular one was made in about 1880.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46It's electroplated...
0:14:47 > 0:14:49and is worth about...
0:14:49 > 0:14:52£500. Is it, really? Lovely, that's great.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55There has been an extraordinary coincidence in the queue.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59I just wondered if you could explain who, whose this is and what's this?
0:14:59 > 0:15:00What's going on here?
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Well, the album that I've brought in belongs to my father,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07who was pictured with The Beatles here on this...
0:15:07 > 0:15:11this is the blow-up of the print that Stan brought in,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14and of course the album was signed on the same night.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17So The Beatles came here to Abergavenny in June, 1963.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18Did you see them?
0:15:18 > 0:15:22I saw the helicopter land. We've got the helicopter here. Yes.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25And the photographer was Albert Lane, he's been dead ten years
0:15:25 > 0:15:27and I acquired the negatives not so long ago.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31So you bring this photo in, and here is the group photo of The Beatles.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34We've got it again here... Who's this chap?
0:15:34 > 0:15:39This is my father and the original negative, that Stan owns, father's on the print.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41Bizarre, you didn't know each other? Not at all.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Extraordinary! Your father was pictured here next to Ringo in the photo
0:15:45 > 0:15:48and he got The Beatles to sign the album on the day.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52Yes, and it got passed round again and Paul McCartney signed it again.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55So you've got Paul McCartney twice? Yeah. And who's Tina?
0:15:55 > 0:15:56My eldest sister...
0:15:56 > 0:16:02Does she know you've brought it along today? No, she knows we've got it, don't worry about that.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Good and, I mean, this is a fantastic thing to have, have you had...?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Have you an idea of its worth? Have you had valuations?
0:16:08 > 0:16:13We've had some offers from America, but not true valuations.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15What sort of money have they been offering?
0:16:15 > 0:16:17We've been offered £15,000 for it.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20My goodness, well, I think it's a very valuable thing.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22I suspect it might not make that,
0:16:22 > 0:16:24but a private collector would want it,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27and maybe someone from Abergavenny would want it.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29I'm on the warpath. Excellent, thanks.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35Signed by Persis... Persis Kirmse.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Kirmse, is that how you say it? K I R M S E...
0:16:37 > 0:16:40And can you tell me about them? How did you get them?
0:16:40 > 0:16:41There were three sisters
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and I knew the youngest, who was 90-something when I first met her,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48and she was moving flat in Bath.
0:16:48 > 0:16:52Right. And I was asked by her cousin to go and help her to move
0:16:52 > 0:16:56to collect a whole lot of books that she had left with this friend, you see.
0:16:56 > 0:17:02And she'd got all these and she was literally throwing them out and she asked me if I'd like some.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06So I came away with oh, dozens and dozens and dozens.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Because you really liked them? Well, she wanted rid of them.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Was that it? She was going to a smaller flat
0:17:11 > 0:17:15and she had nowhere to put them, when I got home, I had nowhere to put them either,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19but I didn't think they would be of any interest at all.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Well, I can only say what I love about them. And looking at this one,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27look at the expression on that dog's face. I know, it's wonderful.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33Not only is it beautifully drawn with all this detail, but the eyes, the eyes are beseeching
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and it is... It's lovely, isn't it?
0:17:35 > 0:17:40..a well-trained dog, he's got his arms open, he's ready to spring because he wants to go
0:17:40 > 0:17:46and in his eyes there's a kind of appeal and the drawing is just absolutely superb.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48And this little face here, look at him, he's...
0:17:48 > 0:17:51he's like a little whisky dog, isn't he?
0:17:51 > 0:17:53He's very appealing.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58These are very period pieces, in a way, you can see that they were probably done in the 1920s.
0:17:58 > 0:18:03And this is also a lovely one, look "Much wants more".
0:18:03 > 0:18:07This Siamese, you can see... He's got designs on what's up there.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Well, he's been on the table and he's had the cream
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and knocked these plates and look he's had some fish
0:18:13 > 0:18:17and the whole, again it's the movement that attracts the eye.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19He's given it a lot of thought to get that recorded.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21They look as if they're...
0:18:21 > 0:18:23simply done with just a series of lines,
0:18:23 > 0:18:28but when you look at them, you realise how skilful they are. I'm glad I brought them.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30I think they're wonderful. Good.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33This is a lovely one. Do you like that one?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Oh, I love it. This is "He is wise that is wary".
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Yeah. And this is a little fox cub, actually. Yes.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44And again the life in those little eyes and the nose... I know.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46It's wonderful.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51In the album, I would imagine from the size of it, there are perhaps about 30 or so.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Yes, I haven't counted them.
0:18:53 > 0:18:58And just as an estimate, they've got to be worth in the region
0:18:58 > 0:19:00of a couple of thousand pounds. Oh, no. Really!
0:19:00 > 0:19:05For that many drawings and they're just so wonderful, in other words,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10they're varying perhaps between £50 - £100 each depending on the subjects.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13And I have burned dozens of them. Oh!
0:19:13 > 0:19:17I had too many, there was nowhere to put them,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20they were stored in a car in the garage.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Do you know what sort of spoon? It's an apostle spoon.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Absolutely, apostle spoon, the apostle we've got here, that's St Andrew.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30What is fascinating on this one
0:19:30 > 0:19:36is that we've got this lovely series of initials and that's the earliest set.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40You've got AE. So you've no idea who AE might be?
0:19:40 > 0:19:44No. No, that's AE conjoined.
0:19:44 > 0:19:52What we've got here is the date letter for London for 1634.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Good grief, right.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56So we're Charles I. OK.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Oh, and we actually know the maker in this case.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01The maker's mark, which is just there,
0:20:01 > 0:20:07is RC and that's been attributed to a chap called Richard Cross
0:20:07 > 0:20:12who was working in London in 1630s, 1640s, that sort of period,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16which is becoming quite a difficult period, we've got the Civil War looming,
0:20:16 > 0:20:23economic situation is changing and not the ideal period to be in silver.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27But spoons are so personal, they're the most personal of all pieces,
0:20:27 > 0:20:32so when you were baptised into a well-to-do family you got a silver spoon.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35With St Andrew on the top, it's a baptismal spoon,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38of course being born with a silver spoon in your mouth.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41The front of the bowl is a little bit thin there,
0:20:41 > 0:20:46it's clearly seen quite a bit of use. Used as a spoon you think, do you...?
0:20:46 > 0:20:49When you say "used", as a spoon? Oh, yes, used as a spoon,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52you see it where people have been opening tins with them
0:20:52 > 0:20:56and this is NOT a good idea, you get a crease right across the bowl.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58So you haven't been doing that? No.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00No, I can see you haven't been doing that.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03Only the top is gilded, which is normal for a spoon like this.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08Condition is going to pull its value down,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11because of this thin bowl front.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15In an auction, in this condition, Charles I...
0:21:15 > 0:21:18I think there would be an estimate of say...
0:21:18 > 0:21:24£1,500 - £2,000. I would insure it, perhaps, for slightly more than that.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26If it had been in tip-top condition
0:21:26 > 0:21:30we'd be talking more like £4,000 to £5,000 without any problem.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32But thank you so much for bringing it in.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Thank you for the information.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Well, do you have Scottish connections?
0:21:37 > 0:21:40Oh, gosh yes, my grandmother was Scottish.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Well, this is a very typical Scottish clock
0:21:43 > 0:21:46of a type that they call a Scottish regulator.
0:21:46 > 0:21:53Now the word regulator, in terms of clocks, is used for clocks that were designed for precision time-keeping,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56they weren't for simple domestic use.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58They might have been used in an observatory
0:21:58 > 0:22:02or a jeweller's, where he would be adjusting other clocks.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05You do find them in private houses but as a general rule,
0:22:05 > 0:22:10the regulator was a precision instrument for semi-scientific purposes.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13In Scotland, they didn't take quite the same view of it, it seems,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17as we did in England, because the original regulator, English type,
0:22:17 > 0:22:23would have a separate dial for the hours, small dial for the hours, let's say there,
0:22:23 > 0:22:27the minute hand would be the whole dial and then the little dial for the seconds.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31But the Scottish never did that, they tended to have a conventional dial,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35hours and minutes, then you've got seconds at the top and you've got a calendar on it.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37Now the Bryson family...
0:22:37 > 0:22:42I think there was a Robert, two Roberts and an Alexander... were based in Edinburgh
0:22:42 > 0:22:48and they were probably the equivalent of the best clockmakers of England at their time.
0:22:48 > 0:22:52This one is probably by a Bryson working in about 1830
0:22:52 > 0:22:55and he specialised in clocks something of this type,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59again with the so-called regulator dial with the two hands,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03and he particularly liked these hands, these moon hands...
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Curved top although sometimes he did pedimented tops
0:23:07 > 0:23:12and this rather light coloured orangey look to mahogany.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16So it's a classic example of his work and it's an interesting thing to find in Wales.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19Thank you, I think it's handsome.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Handsome, yes.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25A valuation, um, I would have said somewhere in the region of about...
0:23:25 > 0:23:29£4,000 something like that, perhaps five. Really?
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Crikey.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Well, one thing the Victorians were good at
0:23:35 > 0:23:40was painting children. And here's a very delightful example.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44It's by a well-known artist for this type of subject, George Bernard O'Neill
0:23:44 > 0:23:46and here's his name here...
0:23:46 > 0:23:53Actually there's one "L" short, he has two "L"s, O'Neill, and as you might suspect, he's Irish,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57he was born in Dublin. Did you buy it, did you inherit it?
0:23:57 > 0:23:58No I inherited it.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Yes. Always remembered, it's been a family piece. Who had it before?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04My mother. Your mother did? Yes.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08I see. Do you know anything about O'Neill...? No, I'm afraid I don't.
0:24:08 > 0:24:14Well, he was an Irish painter who settled in a village called Cranbrook in Kent.
0:24:14 > 0:24:19What this is, we can see from these flowers she's holding,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22the girl, this is May Day.
0:24:22 > 0:24:27It's May Day garlands and you know May Day used to be a big festival in the countryside
0:24:27 > 0:24:31and so in some ways this picture is social history,
0:24:31 > 0:24:35you know, as well, as painting. It's also beautifully painted
0:24:35 > 0:24:39and observed as a George O'Neill usually would be
0:24:39 > 0:24:41and it's signed down there.
0:24:41 > 0:24:42Oh, I.... It is signed.
0:24:42 > 0:24:48It is signed, in red, G B O'Neill with two "L"s you see, rightly.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Quite rightly, yes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55It's in a very pretty period frame too, I don't think it's ever been out of that frame
0:24:55 > 0:25:01and it's a really nice complete piece, you know, the picture, the frame, everything.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05It's a delightful thing and have you got it insured? No.
0:25:05 > 0:25:06We have to talk about value.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08No insurance at all? No insurance.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11No insurance at all? No. I think it should be insured.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16I think it's certainly going to be worth...
0:25:16 > 0:25:18£5,000.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22It would certainly make that, I think it might make more, £6,000 or £7,000.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27It's a really delightful little picture so I think insurance you've got to think about...
0:25:28 > 0:25:32..£7,500. Seven and a half... You have.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34And thank you. Thank you so much.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I brought the drawer, I couldn't bring the whole thing
0:25:39 > 0:25:43so I just brought you the drawer to see and I brought a photograph as well.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Don't show me the photograph, see if I can guess what it is. OK.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Well, the date I think is easiest, Georgian, mid 18th-century,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53lovely piece of mahogany, lovely original brass handle there,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57so 1750, George II. Now what is it from?
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Let's see if we can guess, lovely oak linings to it -
0:26:00 > 0:26:04is it a desk, like a bureau, a flat-topped bureau? No.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Chest of drawers? Tallboy...!
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Bingo. There you are. Look at that, how's that?
0:26:12 > 0:26:13It's a lovely piece.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Michael, what do you think of these?
0:26:15 > 0:26:19They're very unusual. Very heavy, extraordinary things...
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Swiss-made, I suppose what, Victorian?
0:26:21 > 0:26:23I should think they're quite valuable.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Well, it would be...
0:26:25 > 0:26:27if it was genuine.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Ah. And you can't believe what you see, sadly.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37But, you know, as a genuine piece, it's worth £500, £600, but it's all lies.
0:26:37 > 0:26:38How do you know? How do I know?
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Well, the quality is where I think it's all given away.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46They've both got, or should both have rings on them,
0:26:46 > 0:26:47this one's already lost its ring.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51It comes off pretty easily, very very flimsy quality
0:26:51 > 0:26:56and if you feel it, the quality of turning and casting is very sharp,
0:26:56 > 0:27:00if it had been around for 100, 120 - 130 years it would be you know, nice
0:27:00 > 0:27:03and it would have a patina to it and just feel worn.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08This is all dead sharp, razor sharp, they're worth £30 - £40 each.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Where are they from?
0:27:10 > 0:27:14They're from India. India. Yeah, yeah.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19This is a love token, now if you gave your loved one a token you want it to be the closest thing to your heart.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Ah, yes. So this is a piece of corsetry.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Is it, really? And it's called a stay busk.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Stay busk... So it was probably made by a sailor.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Did you have anybody in your family at sea?
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Well, I had an uncle who was a sea-captain,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35but this certainly didn't belong to that side of the family.
0:27:35 > 0:27:41Right, well, what I really like about this piece is the romance about it, of course. Yes.
0:27:41 > 0:27:47But what's extraordinary about it, it actually has these wonderful scenes engraved all the way down.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49Well, well. From top to bottom.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52And what collectors get excited about are whaling scenes.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56I see. And if you just see here, you can see the whaling ship... Yes.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00..the long boats and you can just see the whales here, with the flags on them.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04They've actually tinted it red to show the blood in the water. I see.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08In the background you can see the pinnacles of the Pacific Islands. Yes.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11This design is exquisite, it's in fantastic condition,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13it has the romance of being a love token.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16At auction, I could see this making between...
0:28:16 > 0:28:17£1,500 and £2,000.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19My word!
0:28:19 > 0:28:21He must have loved her a lot.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23He must have.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28It's a very dramatic necklace, loads of colour, what was the first occasion on which you saw it?
0:28:28 > 0:28:32It's always been in the family, my parents collected a lot of antiques
0:28:32 > 0:28:36and jewellery during the '40s and '50s so it has always been around.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Right. And my mother gave it to me for my 21st birthday.
0:28:39 > 0:28:40It's a very handsome gift.
0:28:40 > 0:28:44Blazing with colour and scintillation and refraction
0:28:44 > 0:28:48and all kinds of yummy things like that. Have you ever thought about its origins?
0:28:48 > 0:28:51I mean what...what did you think when you first saw it?
0:28:51 > 0:28:54I just assumed it was another piece of Victorian jewellery,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56but a particularly lovely one.
0:28:56 > 0:28:59I think, well, it is particularly lovely...
0:28:59 > 0:29:02and I think it is made for a Victorian lady, but it's made in the Far East.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05There's aspects of the gem-cutting that tell me that
0:29:05 > 0:29:08also this loop in loop chain work
0:29:08 > 0:29:13is very much part of... almost tribal tradition, really, of weaving gold.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17So I'm wondering whether this isn't Ceylonese or Indian or something like that.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Now have you done any work about finding out which stone is which?
0:29:20 > 0:29:24No, I know that the moonstones and the opal, but the others...
0:29:24 > 0:29:27I think agate, but the others, I don't know.
0:29:27 > 0:29:28Quite tricky, to be honest.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31This is a hessonite garnet and that's a star ruby
0:29:31 > 0:29:34and this we know, only too well, as an opal
0:29:34 > 0:29:37and a moonstone and an amethyst
0:29:37 > 0:29:39and a perfect...
0:29:39 > 0:29:41well, perfectly beautiful...sapphire.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Perhaps not a terribly valuable sapphire,
0:29:44 > 0:29:46but a lovely pleasing colour here.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48And another sapphire here and turquoise...
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Those in-between, I haven't got a clue what they are.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55Really? Strangely, they're not necessarily terribly valuable stones.
0:29:55 > 0:30:00No. But they are very beautiful and as to value... Heaven only knows, how do we value that?
0:30:00 > 0:30:05Um, I suppose sit down in a rather mechanical way, try to guess the weight of these stones.
0:30:05 > 0:30:10I don't think that's the way. I think it's a hugely decorative and wearable thing...
0:30:10 > 0:30:12You've been wearing it. On occasion, yes.
0:30:12 > 0:30:14What occasion was that?
0:30:14 > 0:30:18I wore it when I got married and, on a few occasions, for anniversaries.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Ah, that's a lovely thing to do with it.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Would it frighten you if I said
0:30:22 > 0:30:24that it was worth about £8,000?
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Oh, yes, it would definitely frighten me.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30Don't be frightened, it's the same necklace and it's beautiful.
0:30:30 > 0:30:36I've never seen these before, these little metal straps and, look, there's one in each corner. Yes.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40They're lovely, they're hand-made nails, it's just a bit of extra tension.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Are they? Holding the legs, the apron, together...
0:30:43 > 0:30:46Really? Normally you'd expect some blocking in there.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Yes. Like...Victorian chair blocking or something...
0:30:49 > 0:30:52You've got blocking here, so like that, but larger, I'd expect.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55But this is novel, very unusual and charming,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59I mean, it's the fun of furniture, it's the fun of what you discover.
0:30:59 > 0:31:0130 years looking at furniture, I've never seen that.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Do you know what date this is?
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Well, I've been told it's George, either George III or II. Right.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10That would be 1780-90.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14Yes, or possibly we're looking at even earlier than that. Really?
0:31:14 > 0:31:16I think earlier rather than later Georgian. Oh.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20Do you feel strong enough to put it back on its...up on its feet?
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Oh, it's solid, isn't it? It is very solid.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27I love that, so tell me where did you get it, and when?
0:31:27 > 0:31:31I bought it at auction in about 1965. Right.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33For £5.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35£5? £5.
0:31:35 > 0:31:36£5, right, right.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38And we use it as a dining table.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41So you use it as a dining table, of course, it's meant as a side table.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Yes, I wondered about that, I was told it could be a side table.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47It's meant as a serving or side table,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50but the fact it's on all four sides is unusual
0:31:50 > 0:31:52and I can't immediately think why.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55You've got this lovely moulding under here
0:31:55 > 0:31:59and it's all cracking, which is what I like to see, again,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02you can run your nail along there and, clearly, it's cross banded. Yes.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06It's old, it's beginning to dry out and the movement just going,
0:32:06 > 0:32:11the wood going a little bit concave, and this lovely chamfered leg. Yes.
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Typical of...I said 1750, I'm going to go a bit later...
0:32:14 > 0:32:20You were right, yes, I was wrong, you were right, it's about 1770 or '80 is probably more correct.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22So you've given me a real headache now,
0:32:22 > 0:32:25£5 is not much of a hint to what it might be worth today.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27I can see it going into an auction at let's say...
0:32:27 > 0:32:30£2,000 to £3,000, something like that.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33But that would be wrong because I don't think it's enough.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37I think people would look at it and say, "It's just a side table."
0:32:37 > 0:32:40It's a smart and sophisticated piece of furniture,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42so I think even if it was at £2,000 or £3,000,
0:32:42 > 0:32:44I can see it going up
0:32:44 > 0:32:46to £3,000 or £4,000 at auction.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50So I think just re...not repolished but polished up a little bit,
0:32:50 > 0:32:56cleaned up a little bit and tidied up a little bit in a sort of London showroom or a big antique centre,
0:32:56 > 0:33:01I can see this with a retail price ie, what I mean by that is, what you should be insuring it for... Yes.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04..£8,000. That's very nice to hear.
0:33:04 > 0:33:06Thank you very much indeed. Excellent...
0:33:06 > 0:33:10This is my uncle's teddy. Uncle's? Yes. And how old do you think he is?
0:33:10 > 0:33:14Well, my father who was the younger of two brothers,
0:33:14 > 0:33:19was born in 1910 so I guess it's somewhere between 1907 and 1910.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Well, absolutely spot on, it's about 1910 in date,
0:33:22 > 0:33:27but the most exciting thing about this lovely little teddy is...
0:33:27 > 0:33:29that he's a Steiff bear.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32You can tell that by that little label in his ear.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35And he's got all the right credentials of being an early Steiff bear.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40He's got these eyes here, which are these little button eyes.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42And if we look round to the side,
0:33:42 > 0:33:43he's got this, again,
0:33:43 > 0:33:45characteristic bump on his back
0:33:45 > 0:33:46and it's also straw-filled.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Oh, is it? And I've also noticed we have a bit of damage here.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Yes, afraid so... That's fine, he's been around for quite some time.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56If we were to sell him we could put him to auction,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59he's going to be worth... £1,200 to £1,500.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01That much? Yes.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03Superb! Isn't that fantastic?
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Yes, I didn't expect that much.
0:34:06 > 0:34:12I have to say, one of my favourite designs of sauce boat, I mean, this wonderful movement.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17Very hot...if you use them as gravy boats, which we do... Right. ..gosh they get hot.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Remember, you're not supposed to pick them up.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24Ah. You're supposed to have them on a salver and have a ladle
0:34:24 > 0:34:29and you ladle the sauce out, you don't pour the sauce. We've been pouring it.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33No, when they were originally made, that's how they would have done it. Oh.
0:34:33 > 0:34:40But these were first made around the 1740s, that sort of period, 1730s-'40s.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Yes. And particularly by leading goldsmiths of that period
0:34:44 > 0:34:50and if we look here...we've actually got the marks...of Barnard.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54You can recognise that? Yes, the marks are a little indistinct. Yes.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59But I can certainly read them, actually if you huff on the surface it makes them much easier to see.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Right, So we're back to the trade again.
0:35:02 > 0:35:03Oh, absolutely...
0:35:03 > 0:35:08What we've got there, as I say, Barnard's maker's mark and Barnard,
0:35:08 > 0:35:12very good maker of the 19th century. And the date letter...
0:35:12 > 0:35:16you can just make that out, so it's all there. Right.
0:35:16 > 0:35:19And it's actually 1821. Is it, is it?
0:35:19 > 0:35:23So what we're actually seeing here is rococo revival.
0:35:23 > 0:35:30And interesting rococo revival because they're actually doing a pure, a straight, a very pure copy.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34In fact, when I saw those sitting there,
0:35:34 > 0:35:37I thought, "Gosh are they by Welland,"
0:35:37 > 0:35:39I mean they are THAT good as copies.
0:35:39 > 0:35:45Yes. Just look at that, the way that edge, how it goes along, folds in,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and then where the handle joins the body...
0:35:48 > 0:35:51This wonderful shaped handle and do you see there?
0:35:51 > 0:35:55It's always a weak point where the handle joins the body. Oh, right.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58But can you see how he's put that shell round there?
0:35:58 > 0:36:00Yes. That spreads the stress.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02Makes a really good join. Be soldered, would it?
0:36:02 > 0:36:08Oh, it's all soldered together. I would say today you'd have to insure those for about...
0:36:08 > 0:36:10£5,000.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12For the pair? For the pair... Good heavens!
0:36:12 > 0:36:15For the pair, yes. Not quite free...
0:36:15 > 0:36:20So let's swap them round, let's have a look at these others.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Now these are quite dinky. Yes, pretty little things.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25What's the background?
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Well, they, I think, have come down on my father's side
0:36:28 > 0:36:31through my great-grandfather who was a silversmith.
0:36:31 > 0:36:38Probably those appeared through some transaction they were involved in, you know, being in the trade.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Right. They must have come through his hands, I feel.
0:36:41 > 0:36:49That's interesting. Now the size, of course, in the 18th century would actually be that of a cream boat.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52That's what I, sort of, rather thought they were.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Yeah. But... But...
0:36:54 > 0:36:56But...and this is a very big but.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00Yes. I think we have a bit of a problem here.
0:37:01 > 0:37:07Now we've got two sets of marks, quite...
0:37:07 > 0:37:10This one, which is actually for 1735. Right.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14And with this one we've actually got marks of 1736.
0:37:14 > 0:37:19Actually that in itself, there's not a great problem with that,
0:37:19 > 0:37:23sometimes things could be going into the assay office the next day.
0:37:23 > 0:37:24Yes, yes.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28Um, the maker's mark I have to say, is quite interesting.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Oh, well, I'm glad you can recognise it, I...
0:37:31 > 0:37:35The maker's mark, you can see it just there. Yes.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37Paul de Lamerie.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39Paul de Lamerie? Great.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41However, I have to say,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44I don't think Paul de Lamerie would recognise this.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48Oh. Because I don't think, for one moment, that he made them.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Oh. How does he get his stamp on it then?
0:37:51 > 0:37:53Well, this is where...
0:37:53 > 0:37:57I say they really are, to my mind, they're rather naughty.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Oh, are they? Yes.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02Makes them much more interesting then.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Well, yes, it also makes them highly illegal.
0:38:05 > 0:38:10But let me just explain why I think they're wrong. Yes.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15There are various things about them, first of all the proportions...
0:38:15 > 0:38:17It's a very odd proportion.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20Oh! Remember what I was saying about the handles. Yes.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23Now look at that handle. No good.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27There's no really good join at that point. Yeah, yeah.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30That's a very ordinary way of joining up a handle like that.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Right. I couldn't... I've never seen Lamerie do that.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35No, right.
0:38:35 > 0:38:42I've also never seen Lamerie put a really poor wire like that round the top edge.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Oh. That just isn't right. Yes.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47It's not right for the period, let alone for Lamerie.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51Then, underneath the handle...
0:38:52 > 0:38:56just when you breathe on it you can see there's some solder marks there,
0:38:56 > 0:39:00something's... Been changed, has it? Well, something's been going on.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05Now those legs, funnily enough, do look somewhat "Lamerieish." Oh.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08What I suspect...
0:39:08 > 0:39:16What I suspect, is that somebody's got hold of something like a pair of salt cellars
0:39:16 > 0:39:20because that's the right size for the leg of a salt cellar... Yes.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22..by somebody like Lamerie,
0:39:22 > 0:39:26and they would have almost certainly have been circular salt cellars. Yes.
0:39:26 > 0:39:32And then they've reshaped the body to make them into something they felt was far more interesting and useful.
0:39:32 > 0:39:37Yes. Certainly, my recommendation is those go down to Antiques Plate Committee.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41Do you think Paul de Lamerie had something to do with it originally then?
0:39:41 > 0:39:42I suspect, well, my suspicion is,
0:39:42 > 0:39:46they may have been Paul de Lamerie salt cellars. Mm, mm.
0:39:46 > 0:39:52And... but they've been altered from those, they've been worked and, of course, that makes them illegal.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Value as of this moment...
0:39:54 > 0:39:58nothing apart from scrap value... Assuming I'm right. Yes.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03They may surprise me and come back as genuine,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06but I don't think they're going to, for one moment.
0:40:06 > 0:40:13Simply because they cannot legally be sold, so these need to go to Antiques Plate Committee.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Perhaps that's why Grandfather took them home, in other words...
0:40:17 > 0:40:19I think you've got it. He might have...
0:40:19 > 0:40:22He realised they were wrong. Yes, and he thought...
0:40:22 > 0:40:24And of course, didn't want to sell them. No.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27In fact, if he had sold them at that time and put his name on,
0:40:27 > 0:40:31he would have been then in line for 14 years in prison.
0:40:31 > 0:40:33It's come down a bit now. I might have to serve it now.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35I think it's about ten years now.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39Long before Crimewatch UK was invented
0:40:39 > 0:40:44the British public took a terrific interest in crime. Right.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46And as I'm sure you know,
0:40:46 > 0:40:51this depicts the scene of a very famous 19th-century crime. Yeah.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54The Red Barn and who were the characters?
0:40:54 > 0:40:58I thought it was Maria Marten and...
0:40:58 > 0:41:02James Rush and Emily Sandford and I can't remember who murdered who,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04but here we have...
0:41:04 > 0:41:09The potter seized the idea and they make this model.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Really in 1829, this is it,
0:41:12 > 0:41:14hot from the press.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17The view of the barn where it all took place.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19Is this a family thing?
0:41:19 > 0:41:24Yeah, my wife actually inherited it in 1986 when her father died
0:41:24 > 0:41:26and he had it from my wife's grandmother
0:41:26 > 0:41:31and as far as we're aware it's been in the family since the late 1800s.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35So...well, maybe they were involved with it. Well, they used to live...
0:41:35 > 0:41:36Possibly...
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Knowing my mother-in-law, quite possibly, yeah.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42And they knew all about the story, did they?
0:41:42 > 0:41:46Yes, they did yes, it was fairly taboo as far as the wife was concerned.
0:41:46 > 0:41:52This was on the mantelpiece and when the children asked about it, nobody would tell them...
0:41:52 > 0:41:54Oh, they weren't... ..the background.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57Probably because of murders and mistresses and...
0:41:57 > 0:42:00All that salacious stuff. Yes, yes, indeed.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03Now this is quite amazing,
0:42:03 > 0:42:06this is a very rare group.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07I would have said, I...
0:42:07 > 0:42:10yet in the last 18 months,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13four examples of it have appeared on the market.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15So...
0:42:15 > 0:42:20and we actually have quite a good snapshot of what this kind of thing is currently worth.
0:42:21 > 0:42:28And I think the most damaged one fetched somewhat more than £3,000.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32I'm glad I'm sitting down. And the most perfect one
0:42:32 > 0:42:36fetched something around £7,000.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Now, your one has a bit of nibbles to the trees.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Yeah.
0:42:41 > 0:42:42Which I am glad to see
0:42:42 > 0:42:46you haven't had fixed up, I think it would be silly to do so.
0:42:46 > 0:42:52So, I think, being prudent we would, should say that probably this today
0:42:52 > 0:42:54is worth something between
0:42:54 > 0:42:57£3,500 and £5,000, allowing for the...
0:42:57 > 0:43:00The damage, right.
0:43:00 > 0:43:06So, you see, this is a case where crime evidently pays. Yeah.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11And there we must leave the scene of the crime.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16As we do a runner, many thanks to the folk of the Abergavenny Leisure Centre for providing our cover.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Until next time, goodbye.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43Subtitles by BBC Broadcast