0:00:50 > 0:00:52This week, the Roadshow's heading east -
0:00:52 > 0:00:55or if you prefer it - to the starboard side of England.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58To reach our destination, we've come by boat for a very good reason -
0:00:58 > 0:01:01there's a lot of water around here.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05This was one of the first, and one of the busiest ports in Britain.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Today, Ipswich takes good care of its pleasure boaters,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12but the quay-side here has known frantic activity
0:01:12 > 0:01:17in its ancient role as East Anglia's gateway to Europe and beyond.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21And the profits that rolled in from a brisk trade in wool, textiles, grain and fish,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25made this one of the wealthiest corners of the country.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26Merchants with loads of money
0:01:26 > 0:01:29wasted no time in getting onto the property ladder.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Even Chaucer's Canterbury Tales talked about the "rich merchants of Ipswich".
0:01:41 > 0:01:45But, of course, not everyone was earning an honest penny.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46In the 18th century,
0:01:46 > 0:01:51Suffolk smugglers were as bold and as busy a bunch as you'd find anywhere.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54There were reports of secret tunnels running underneath the town,
0:01:54 > 0:01:56down to the port.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00This part of Suffolk also boasts a long line of explorers.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04They played their part in opening up the world, and along the way,
0:02:04 > 0:02:08they brought home some fascinating souvenirs. Magic!
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But one of the museum's most prized exhibits is this.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19It's a fork,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22and it was used by Fijian cannibals
0:02:22 > 0:02:24to eat a missionary.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26That was back in 1867.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Perhaps they could swap it for one of his old boots,
0:02:29 > 0:02:33which is at the moment on display in a museum in Fiji.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38So, a place of explorers, smugglers and maritime traders.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Perhaps these are clues to some of the treasures we may unearth in Ipswich today.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46Let's find out, as we head for the Roadshow in the town's Corn Exchange.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52My father, his hobby was firearms - antique firearms
0:02:52 > 0:02:56and gun-dealing and what have you.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59All sorts of bits and pieces used to come through the house.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03One day these came through and he decided to hold on to them.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- He'd never seen anything quite like them before.- No, no.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11My understanding was that to try and get an idea of what this was about,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14he gave them to the British Museum.
0:03:14 > 0:03:20When they were returned, the British Museum asked for them to be donated.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21But that never happened.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24- He kept them?- He kept them.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Well, I think I would keep them as well - they are beautiful.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32The flint napping of that is absolutely beautiful.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The work, I mean carving out those little, tiny serrated edges...
0:03:35 > 0:03:37These are just marvellous.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39They're mind bending, aren't they?
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And if you hold them,
0:03:42 > 0:03:43they will actually fit your hand.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Fits the hand, yes.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48I've seen a flint napper at work, you know, a modern one.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And to see them working on this edge of these things...
0:03:52 > 0:03:54It's sharp as a razor, that, isn't it?
0:03:54 > 0:03:58- It would cut you to...- Yes. Phenomenal.- Rally phenomenal.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03These are, of course, in flint or chert and are not unusual.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05I mean they're really quite common,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09but this one here - it's obsidian, isn't it?
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Yes, I understood it to be volcanic glass.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- Volcanic glass - obsidian.- Yes.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Well, the most incredible obsidian work was done in Mexico.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22They made some fantastic things in obsidian.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25I was told that that was South American.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- Yes, South American or Central American.- Yes.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I think I'd go along with that.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32I mean, obsidian occurs naturally
0:04:32 > 0:04:34in Central and South America.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I would imagine it hails from there.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38But the work is beautiful.
0:04:38 > 0:04:40- Can I take this out?- Yes, you can.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42This is gorgeous.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44- Yes.- We must be looking, I don't know...
0:04:44 > 0:04:47It's certainly prehistoric, isn't it?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49I mean, it must go back...
0:04:49 > 0:04:52If this is Mexican or South American,
0:04:52 > 0:04:58it will be certainly two or three thousand years old.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01These flint ones...
0:05:01 > 0:05:04These will be probably even earlier than that.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07This could be for ceremonial purposes.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12These flint pieces are often found in gravel beds,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15- or in a domestic setting.- Really?
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Prehistoric time, of course.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20But a piece of obsidian like this,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22I should think is more likely to have come from a tomb.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Sort of Indiana Jones type of thing?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Yes...the Temple of Doom!
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Yes, quite. Marvellous, isn't it?
0:05:30 > 0:05:32They don't fetch a huge amount of money, flint.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35I suppose one's looking...
0:05:35 > 0:05:39I mean, it could be anywhere from £300, £400, £500 apiece,
0:05:39 > 0:05:40something like that.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- They do crop up at auctions.- Right.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47But what doesn't crop up at auctions, is an obsidian piece.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52I mean that is mind bending, I've never actually handled one before.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54So, it's fantastic to be able to...
0:05:54 > 0:05:55be able to handle it.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I don't know what it's worth.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Good.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Any guess will be almost possible.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Perhaps for insurance,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I think you should be looking at something like about £5,000.
0:06:06 > 0:06:11- Right.- It's not necessarily that if it came up at auction.- Yes.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13But for comfort and insurance,
0:06:13 > 0:06:16in the hope of getting another one if that was to go...
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- perhaps £5,000.- Really?
0:06:19 > 0:06:21What do you think this is?
0:06:21 > 0:06:23- It's a sextant.- No.- No?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25It's an octant.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28I don't know what it is,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31so I must agree.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32It's the same instrument,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34I'm just being pedantic.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37It's a question of the area of a circle.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Basically, a sextant is a sixth and an octant is an eighth.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43- So, technically, this is an eighth of a circle.- Oh, right.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45- It does exactly the same...- Thing.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47..thing. It's for navigation,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50it's for the horizon, for telling...setting the time.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52But it's actually an octant.
0:06:52 > 0:06:58The octant was an earlier instrument than the sextant, originally.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02This one, we can probably date quite accurately.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Now, it's made of ebony - it's got ivory scales -
0:07:06 > 0:07:07but it's also got a signature.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11The signature is "Spencer, Browning and Rust of London".
0:07:11 > 0:07:12- Yes.- Yes.
0:07:12 > 0:07:19And they were in business, I think, from 1784 to 1840.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22But the box... And this is actually rather rare.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25The box has got this fantastic trade label
0:07:25 > 0:07:30of "Mr T Jennings, carver and gilder of looking-glasses and picture-frame maker",
0:07:30 > 0:07:34who appears - if you read through what he did - he did everything.
0:07:34 > 0:07:35Yes.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39But his dates, I think...
0:07:39 > 0:07:43- end in 1830-1844.- Yes.
0:07:43 > 0:07:49So the only period when they coincide, is the years 1830-1840.
0:07:49 > 0:07:56- Yes.- So that means the date has got to be between 1830 and 1840.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00- Yes.- Now, can you tell me anything about where you came upon it?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- It's been in the family for years. - Oh, it's been in the family?
0:08:03 > 0:08:08- Yes.- Oh, yes.- My father's people were water people.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11They used to sail to Australia,
0:08:11 > 0:08:17and of course, they were on the water three or four months at a time, in them days.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19Because we're going back to the 19th...
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Well, I'm one of those people who has to admit that when...
0:08:23 > 0:08:26- I don't think of Ipswich as being a port town.- No, no.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28When you look on the map,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31it doesn't appear to be close to the sea. But of course, it is.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36- Yes, yes.- So, was it out of Ipswich that the family sailed?
0:08:36 > 0:08:37They did sail from Ipswich
0:08:37 > 0:08:40because I've checked some of those at the records office.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- So is this the man who...? - That's right.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45- This is your...?- Grandfather.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46- Grandfather.- Yes.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- And these are the papers which...?- Yes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53They're basically - as far as I can tell - they're discharge papers.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Presumably, when you came off a particular voyage,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01- you were actually given a discharge from on board that ship.- Yes, yes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05And this one, here is actually 14th June 1873,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and they appear to be of the 1870s.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13Yes, and of course they used to go gold-panning on the Gold Coast.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Oh, really?
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- That's one of those certificates to confirm that.- Oh, this one?
0:09:18 > 0:09:19Somewhere there.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22"County of Westland, miner's right."
0:09:22 > 0:09:26That's fantastic. So he wasn't just a sailor? When he got there he...
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Well, he was shipwrecked at some stage.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31We don't really know when he was shipwrecked.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Well, it's a fascinating story,
0:09:33 > 0:09:35and I have to say the story makes the instrument.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37They're not desperately rare.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39This one is in very good condition,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42the ivory's not cracked, the lacquer's good.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45It's bent up the side there, but that's not a problem.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47It has the original box...
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and therefore I think I'd value the instrument on its own
0:09:50 > 0:09:53at somewhere between £600 and £800.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55But with the family history -
0:09:55 > 0:09:56which is priceless -
0:09:56 > 0:09:59it could be substantially more than that.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00- Oh.- Yes, yes.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05Well, what starts off as a very, very ordinary scrap album -
0:10:05 > 0:10:08on typically rather poor paper -
0:10:08 > 0:10:11it's all breaking here, it's all become rigid.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14It suddenly blossoms with these two,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16which are absolutely fantastic.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I don't think I've ever seen those before.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Mind you, I'm not the greatest connoisseur of these...
0:10:21 > 0:10:24This wonderful one of the Tower of London...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26Then we've got Westminster Abbey...
0:10:28 > 0:10:33..with St Paul's on the other side.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37I assume that's the Bank of England or somewhere like that.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38But as we go further into it,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40there are some fantastic things.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42- These were never stuck in?- No.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46You start off with scenes from Dickens,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48which I think is absolutely tremendous.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Two, and then these ones here - three, four.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Those two - five, six...
0:10:56 > 0:10:58Then this fabulous array,
0:10:58 > 0:10:59now these are superb.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Where do these all come from?
0:11:01 > 0:11:06It was a donation that was brought into the Salvation Army charity shop.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Yes.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10So, what is the destination of them?
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Well, to get the very best price we can, for the shop.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16That is absolutely wonderful.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21Occasionally one sees the odd clown. Very desirable, I should think.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24I mean - those alone - I reckon would be worth...
0:11:24 > 0:11:26I don't know, £100.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Really? I've actually had somebody that's interested in those,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33he has said that he would offer £50.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36But if you value them at more than that...
0:11:36 > 0:11:40- I think he should go on a bit further than that.- Right.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42And after all, it is for charity, isn't it?
0:11:42 > 0:11:45And this one, which is actually my favourite,
0:11:45 > 0:11:46which is in commemoration
0:11:46 > 0:11:49of the jubilee of Queen Victoria.
0:11:49 > 0:11:5312 reliefs portraying the various deeds of daring valour -
0:11:53 > 0:11:55the heroes of the Victoria Cross.
0:11:55 > 0:12:00Here it is, this is just incredible, this is completely uncut.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04It goes on and on and on.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07These are just absolutely delicious.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09The colours are beautiful.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Isn't the colour absolutely fantastic?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15What was the purpose of doing something like this?
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Well, these were done mostly late 19th century, for children to cut up
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and put in their scrap-books to stick down.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23All of these would have been cut?
0:12:23 > 0:12:25They would have been cut out,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27you would have gone to your stationers,
0:12:27 > 0:12:31or newsagent, or whoever was selling these
0:12:31 > 0:12:34and you would buy them and you would give them to your...
0:12:34 > 0:12:38nephew or your niece or your son or your daughter.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43They would spend a very quiet Saturday cutting them out,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45and not going out playing games!
0:12:45 > 0:12:50But they are incredible and it is so noticeable how bright they are.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53It's because they haven't been stuck in -
0:12:53 > 0:12:56there's been no nasty glue on the back of them,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58which would have rotted them,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01or in some cases rotted them, anyway.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Thank goodness they haven't been put into this particular album -
0:13:04 > 0:13:05they are just too good.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I think you should do very well for your charity.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11There is a society called The Ephemera Society
0:13:11 > 0:13:13which actually has fairs
0:13:13 > 0:13:18where people bring along scraps and sell them, or trade them.
0:13:18 > 0:13:24That may well be a place where you could find people
0:13:24 > 0:13:26to get the best price.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30I would have thought you've got at least £500, if not more.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35This is a lovely watercolour, or gouache I'd say, by Frank Henry Mason.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38I know him really... Well, he is a marine painter
0:13:38 > 0:13:40and he painted in both oils and watercolours
0:13:40 > 0:13:42and he did poster work as well.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- He painted a lot for advertising. - Oh.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47And because it's been painted in gouache,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49which is a form of watercolour - very chalky.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52- Yes.- Creamy - it doesn't fade, it's very strong.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54It's like body colour...
0:13:54 > 0:13:56This sort of thing with posters -
0:13:56 > 0:14:00that's the technique and medium that poster artists use.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02It's so strongly painted -
0:14:02 > 0:14:06you get a fantastic composition of the sea, here, with the colours -
0:14:06 > 0:14:09light blues and aquamarine blues
0:14:09 > 0:14:10and the good stormy sky.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13It's almost better than watercolour, being in gouache -
0:14:13 > 0:14:15it's much more dramatic.
0:14:15 > 0:14:21But this is an unusual example, it's of a torpedo boat in the Boer War.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24So, was one of your family involved in this?
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Yes, my grandfather was on board this torpedo boat as a warrant officer.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34- Yes.- They were sailing important dispatches down to Simonstown,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37and the propeller broke.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43He had, of course, been to sea under sail and, as I understand it,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47he was instrumental in getting out all the ship's canvas
0:14:47 > 0:14:51and rigging up sails so that she could be sailed into Saldanha Bay.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55What happened to him? Did he get promoted? What happened after that?
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Yes, he was mentioned in dispatches to the Admiralty
0:14:58 > 0:15:00because of what he'd done.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05In fact, he was the first rating in the navy, ever to be promoted to a commissioned rank.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06- Fantastic.- Yes.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08And he carried on in the navy?
0:15:08 > 0:15:15He did indeed, he retired in the late 1920s - in fact, as a rear admiral.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17Really?
0:15:17 > 0:15:21And was knighted in the King George V coronation honours.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22That is a wonderful story.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26It's such a personal thing because, when you're asked to value this,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29- money's immaterial.- Absolutely.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33It's such a lovely picture, and a lovely story to go with it.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36It almost belongs in the Greenwich Maritime Museum.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Oh.- Well, you should cover it for insurance.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43I would suggest probably an insurance price of about £5,000.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- Thank you so much. - But it's a lovely picture.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Good, thank you very much.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52So, what can you tell me about this little box?
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Well, I've known it all my life -
0:15:53 > 0:15:57my mother used to have several little boxes around the house.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01When she died, my brother, sister and myself decided to take a couple each.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03That was one of the ones I chose.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07- Do you love it to bits? - I think it's sweet.- So do I.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09The first thing is that it's made of yew wood,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11one of my favourite timbers.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13It looks exactly like a tea caddy, doesn't it?
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Yes, it does, indeed.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18I mean it's got a hinge - two hinges on the back -
0:16:18 > 0:16:22and this line, which runs around the middle -
0:16:22 > 0:16:23it looks as if that's a hinged lid.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- But try as you might, you can't get it to open.- That's right.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30Because the hinge bit's all dummy.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33You've got these strips of ebony which are inlaid.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36Very high quality and beautiful ebony
0:16:36 > 0:16:41and a lovely shield-shaped, brass escutcheon - great isn't it?
0:16:41 > 0:16:42It's lovely, yes.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45So then you think, "This is very frustrating,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47"why won't this box open?"
0:16:47 > 0:16:48- Yeah.- Brilliant!
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- Shall I give away the secret? - Why not?
0:16:50 > 0:16:53All your treasures are going to be at risk now.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54You take that end ring handle,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57you give it a quarter of a turn downwards,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59you then try and slide it back
0:16:59 > 0:17:01but before you can slide it back properly,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03you have to release this catch,
0:17:03 > 0:17:06which is the spigot in the middle of that lock,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09slide that back, lift it up quarter of a turn
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and remove the roof - and there it is.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17The most beautifully made, oak-lined, little sarcophagus
0:17:17 > 0:17:21with these lovely, late Georgian brass fittings,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23for the secret devices.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Dare I ask what you keep inside it?
0:17:25 > 0:17:29I don't think you'd better because we are the BBC after all, aren't we?
0:17:29 > 0:17:33Oh, dear. I see, it's one of those sort of boxes, is it?
0:17:33 > 0:17:35And what do you think it's worth?
0:17:35 > 0:17:37I would have no idea at all.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Um, no, I don't, I'm hoping you'll be able to tell me.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42I can give you a rough idea.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45They're very difficult to value, these little novelty boxes.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48But tea caddies - of which it's a type -
0:17:48 > 0:17:52are very much sought after, and it's a delightful little box.
0:17:52 > 0:17:57I can see this making between £600 and £800 on the market.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Gosh, no, I didn't think anything as much as that. That's amazing.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Are you sure?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Well, we've clocked up a few more miles in our nationwide search
0:18:11 > 0:18:15for the top collector and this week's contender is David Cook.
0:18:15 > 0:18:21As a stockbroker, one would imagine you would collect used fivers,
0:18:21 > 0:18:22but you are a Dinky man.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24What an array! How many have you got?
0:18:24 > 0:18:265,000.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28- 5,000?- 5,000, yes.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31- And how many have you brought along today?- About 500.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33And how did this obsession start?
0:18:33 > 0:18:37When I was 5, so I've been collecting for 55 years.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39How did... Who put you onto them?
0:18:39 > 0:18:41My grandfather, he just said,
0:18:41 > 0:18:44"Christmas, David, and we'll pop down to the toy shop
0:18:44 > 0:18:50"and I've got ten shillings - you can choose whatever Dinky toys..."
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Because he knew I was fascinated by transport.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56"..buy any Dinky toys you want for ten bob as long as you don't go..."
0:18:56 > 0:18:58So I bought four,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01four of those little ones down the front there -
0:19:01 > 0:19:03which is my own collection.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Those are your first boyhood toys?
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- Yes, they were half a crown each. - That's a lot of money.- It was.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11I think it was probably his week's wage.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13And do they remain your favourites?
0:19:13 > 0:19:18In a way, at the time. But of course they became a lot more sophisticated.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Then I discovered there were older and rarer ones.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Which is the oldest one here, then?
0:19:22 > 0:19:24The little red sports car.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25- Ah.- That one, yes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27That's the oldest one?
0:19:27 > 0:19:29That's the oldest one here.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31And is it one of the oldest ever made?
0:19:31 > 0:19:35Yes, it is the first one that Dinky ever made - number 22A.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40That was the number of it, and it was issued in 1934.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42And this, I have to say, has a personal...
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Rings a personal bell for me, because that's my local store.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47- Yes.- Is this a special one?
0:19:47 > 0:19:49That is a reproduction,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53because an original would set you back, Michael...
0:19:53 > 0:19:56- £12,000.- 12,000?!
0:19:56 > 0:20:02£12,000. There are only three known in the world,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06and it's reckoned that they made about 100 of them,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09just for Bentall's store in Kingston-on-Thames.
0:20:09 > 0:20:10This Foden here,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13in a different colour - in the maroon colour with that design -
0:20:13 > 0:20:15that sold for £12,000 last year.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- 12!- A mint, boxed one and that is quite rare
0:20:19 > 0:20:22because they only made it for nine months.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25What is the greatest triumph you've had, as a collector?
0:20:25 > 0:20:28The year my son was born, in 1972,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31we went on holiday to Snowdonia - stayed in a cottage.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36One day it was raining, we went to Conwy and found an old toy shop.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41In the toy shop was that Bedford coal truck down there, the bright red one,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45The toy shop was called Gilbert Emery.
0:20:45 > 0:20:50I think it was 35 pence or something like that.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53I filled the boot of my car with these Dinky toys
0:20:53 > 0:20:57because they were all, at that stage, obsolete.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58Sounds like a mirage.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01It was wonderful! I was in heaven.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Well, when you started collecting,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05could it just as well have been cigarette cards?
0:21:05 > 0:21:09You didn't know these were going to be worth thousands of pounds.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11I'm not only a collector, I'm a hoarder.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13I collected cigarette cards too
0:21:13 > 0:21:18and I've still got my cigarette card collection, but this is my passion.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21You've mentioned some astonishing sums of money here today.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Which is the most valuable of all these you've got?
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Well, I think it's this Weetabix van, here.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Why?
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Because it's the factory prototype.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34You may look on the other side -
0:21:34 > 0:21:36you can see "Weetabix" on that side -
0:21:36 > 0:21:38if you turn it round, it's blank.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It was prepared for the directors of Meccano,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46to ask them if they thought it was a good model to make, to manufacture.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48So what does that mean, if this is unique?
0:21:48 > 0:21:52It is, absolutely. There's not another one in the world like it.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54And what does that mean in terms of its value?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58- Its value is priceless, Michael. - Priceless?- Priceless.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00How interesting.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Michael, Michael...
0:22:05 > 0:22:08When I saw them bringing this in... four men carried this in.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10- It's obviously part of the whole suite.- It is.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13When we bought it, we moved it in ourselves,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and I've certainly still got the bad back from that!
0:22:16 > 0:22:19- How long ago was that? - Seven years ago.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22I mean, four men carried it in - without the drawers -
0:22:22 > 0:22:25but what they probably hadn't realised...
0:22:25 > 0:22:26is this.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28As you know - your secret wine cellar.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30We couldn't find any wine to put in there...
0:22:30 > 0:22:33And this idea of a lead-lined - or in this case zinc-lined...
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Oh, OK, yes.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- For bottles, so you put the ice in there.- Ice in there.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41To keep the champagne, in your case, or cheap white wine in mine...
0:22:41 > 0:22:42Water.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43Water, yes...
0:22:43 > 0:22:47That's what these were made for and what's interesting is,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50- it's a 1920-1930 suite of furniture. - OK.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53But this is exactly how they made them in the 18th century
0:22:53 > 0:22:56So the ideas carried on for 200 years.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59But the sheer quality of this is amazing.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02It's got a mixture of the Gothic -
0:23:02 > 0:23:04because it's a sideboard for keeping the wine -
0:23:04 > 0:23:07the vine and grapes there, the vine leaves
0:23:07 > 0:23:09and then here the Elizabethan...
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Rather a mixture, Elizabethan, Jacobean-type decoration,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15it's very eclectic, very muddled in its style.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16But my gosh, it's well made!
0:23:16 > 0:23:20And, you know, it's obviously by a very good maker.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22- Right.- Do you know who it's by?
0:23:22 > 0:23:26- Waring and Gillow I understand. - Right, there's a label somewhere?
0:23:26 > 0:23:28In the top drawer.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30This one? Left-hand side.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33- Lift up the...- Oh, yeah.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37So it's Waring and Gillow, Lancaster factory.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40So, we know it was made in Lancaster.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Most of their furniture was made in Lancaster.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45And shipped down to wherever, normally London -
0:23:45 > 0:23:47where they had a big shop in Oxford Street.
0:23:47 > 0:23:48OK.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50And the whole thing is made of oak -
0:23:50 > 0:23:54solid oak drawer linings, handmade dovetails.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57That's just incredible workmanship.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59When we do go round researching the furniture,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02we do see suites like this quite commonly.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07- Right.- And people often say to us "Why don't you have a suite like this on the Antiques Roadshow?"
0:24:07 > 0:24:10We see too many and they're often not of the very best quality.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12There is a dividing line,
0:24:12 > 0:24:13and here is the zenith,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17the summit of the best quality of this type of dining room suite.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20- It just fitted what we wanted. - What's interesting about this...
0:24:20 > 0:24:21I mean, when you bought this,
0:24:21 > 0:24:25it was slightly sort of at the tail end of being old-fashioned.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27I'm not being rude about your taste
0:24:27 > 0:24:31but generally, it was very much Granny's old-fashioned furniture.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34But it's now coming back into fashion -
0:24:34 > 0:24:38slowly but surely, people appreciate this sort of craftsmanship.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41And that's why, if you can afford it, always buy the best,
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Granny always knew best, I think.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Knew what she was spending her money on, didn't have money to waste.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51I think that this is 1930ish, part of the suite
0:24:51 > 0:24:54and I think that the chairs are probably even later,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58probably post Second World War, even as late as 1950.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00And made to match?
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Made to match or made by the same company, the same factory,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- in a similar style, so they may never have been together.- Oh.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Till we bought them as...
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Until you bought them, or possibly somebody had these in the 1930s.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17After the war they wanted some more chairs for whatever reason.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- And they went back...- Back to the shop.- ..to the same shop.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23- How many of the chairs do you have? - Four chairs, two carvers.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25You bought it seven years ago,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28obviously you're going to know what you paid.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- Do you remember? - I paid £1,500 for it at the time.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- Well, I think in this country it's undervalued...- Right.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- ..today, at £5,000.- Right.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42When you go around the USA, North America,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46this is always in a very popular style, very popular indeed.
0:25:46 > 0:25:52I can see this in US dollars being up to 20,000, 25,000 US dollars.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54So, certainly double the price it's worth here.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Oh, my God!
0:25:56 > 0:25:59- You've got to ship it over there. It's not worth it...- No.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02It makes it difficult to know what to value it for
0:26:02 > 0:26:04or what to insure it for.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09But I would expect today, as I said, £5,000 in a shop and going up.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13That is a surprise. A very big surprise.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14It was my mother's -
0:26:14 > 0:26:18my father gave it to my mother on the occasion of their wedding.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- Right, when about would that have been?- That's 1948.- Right.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24But my father said it was old then.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27- Yes.- And quite valuable, but he didn't tell me how valuable.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- Yes, yes. - He bought it in Ipswich, didn't he?
0:26:30 > 0:26:34He bought it in Ipswich, yes. It's still in its original box.
0:26:34 > 0:26:39The colour combination of white, green and purple
0:26:39 > 0:26:43indicates that it was a suffragette piece.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45- Oh.- Oh, really? Oh.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48And the story goes that it's
0:26:48 > 0:26:53"Green, Violet and White" - "Give Votes to Women"
0:26:53 > 0:26:56or "Green, White, Violet"- "Give Women Votes".
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- Right.- So this was produced during the suffragette period
0:26:59 > 0:27:05and, of course, Emmeline Pankhurst was the great suffragette.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07It was a brief and fairly violent period,
0:27:07 > 0:27:12I think just up to, and during, the First World War.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's really quite comparatively rare.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17But it's something that you do see,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20but people don't very often appreciate the significance of it,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and there's another interesting facet of this -
0:27:24 > 0:27:26it could be a bit like the school tie.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Women would recognise other women
0:27:29 > 0:27:31who were wearing this type of jewellery -
0:27:31 > 0:27:33they'd all be members of the club.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36- Right.- Oh, right, yes.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39There might have been some manipulation involved here -
0:27:39 > 0:27:42women at this period didn't buy their own jewellery.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45They'd have to tell their husbands that they really loved the colours
0:27:45 > 0:27:49and they'd be ever so pleased if he would buy it for them.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53It's very, very pretty Edwardian design.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Without the particular combination of stones,
0:27:55 > 0:28:00I would date this anyway, to around 1910.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03The suffragette thing adds some interest.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It doesn't really increase the value a lot,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09it's just one of those curious little things that one likes to know about it.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10Yes, yes.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14So you've got peridots, which is a very pretty green stone,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17amethyst as you say, and pearls - representing the white.
0:28:17 > 0:28:2215 carat gold, quite delicately made on the back.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Yes, yes.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28And value...
0:28:28 > 0:28:30I would say a necklace like this today,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33should be insured for about...
0:28:33 > 0:28:35£3,500.
0:28:35 > 0:28:39- Oh, gosh, as much as that? Really? - Yeah, absolutely.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41This is a nice photograph.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Is this elegant lady a member of your family?
0:28:43 > 0:28:45No. She killed my mother's dog.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Oh, when was that?
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Around about the 1920s, I believe.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55My mother was taking her dog for a walk outside Buckingham Palace,
0:28:55 > 0:29:00and she was riding past in her Rolls-Royce with her chauffeur
0:29:00 > 0:29:05and she ran the dog over and then afterwards she sent my mother -
0:29:05 > 0:29:07she was very sorry obviously -
0:29:07 > 0:29:09and she sent my mother some money
0:29:09 > 0:29:11and this picture of herself with her own dog.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13Her own dog, who was well and alive.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17- Yes.- She meant well, but it kind of makes you think of...
0:29:17 > 0:29:22Yes, it made... I think it's a funny thing to send a photograph of yourself with your own dog
0:29:22 > 0:29:26- when you've killed somebody else's dog.- To a bereaved owner!
0:29:26 > 0:29:29The words "insult to injury" spring to mind, don't they?
0:29:29 > 0:29:31It is, yes, yes.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34It came from New York, and it was brought over by my great-grandmother
0:29:34 > 0:29:37when she married her English husband,
0:29:37 > 0:29:41to the horror of her family, because they were Dutch.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43And they'd lived in New York for some time?
0:29:43 > 0:29:47- Yes, it's an old Dutch family.- Right.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Well, it's one of these great puzzles.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52If you actually do investigation into the American Flag,
0:29:52 > 0:29:56you come up with all sorts of fascinating rules and regulations.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Laws were passed in 1777,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02which gave you 13 stripes and 13 stars.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06- Yes.- 1794 it changed again, 1818 it changed again,
0:30:06 > 0:30:09almost every President got his hands on the flag and changed it.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11I'm pretty jolly certain,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14looking at the silk and looking at the stitching,
0:30:14 > 0:30:16that it's a piece of 18th century work.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18- 18th century?- I think it dates from 1777,
0:30:18 > 0:30:22we'll never know for sure without doing proper tests in a museum,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25but I think it's a very old piece of hand-work.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Tiny stitches - they simply weren't done by a machine.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30The most important thing is to conserve the silk,
0:30:30 > 0:30:32It needs to go to a conservator.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Somebody needs to de-acidify it -
0:30:34 > 0:30:36that's what's causing all these holes,
0:30:36 > 0:30:38and the little discoloration there.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40You could then reframe it on acid-free board,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44put a proper frame round it, and it will give you pleasure for years.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47Something like this, in an auction in America,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50given the wild enthusiasm for American Folk Art that there is...
0:30:50 > 0:30:54I think you're talking upwards of 5,000 dollars.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57- Really?- I think it is a major piece of American Folk Art history
0:30:57 > 0:31:00and I think it could go through the roof if it came up for sale.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- Good heavens! - It's a very exciting thing.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07There are probably two which we've used in my time,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10as minister at the Unitarian meeting house, which is these two.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17The reason why it's difficult to use them a lot is because we can't keep them on the premises,
0:31:17 > 0:31:19we have to keep them in a secure place.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22It's a question of how easy the access is.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Right, this is fascinating,
0:31:24 > 0:31:29because what we can see here is the secularisation of plate.
0:31:29 > 0:31:34The fact that we've got what are essentially domestic drinking cups,
0:31:34 > 0:31:38- being used for religious purposes. - Yes, yes.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42And particularly so, of course, within the Non-Conformist churches.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44That's right. Well, of course the Dissenters
0:31:44 > 0:31:48were the people who had been excluded from the Church of England.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52So, as it were, they no longer had access
0:31:52 > 0:31:55to their own historic church plate.
0:31:55 > 0:31:59And so they had to come up with a new set, as it were.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03And so for people to actually gift would have been...
0:32:03 > 0:32:06I think it's lovely and we've got that here -
0:32:06 > 0:32:13"the gift of Mary Beaumont January 13th 1786".
0:32:14 > 0:32:18That's also interesting, because what we can see here is a cup
0:32:18 > 0:32:21which, in fact, doesn't date from that period at all.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25It's something that clearly, they've had in the household,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28they've been using it as a domestic drinking cup
0:32:28 > 0:32:31and then decided to gift it to the church.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Because this actually dates from the reign of Queen Anne.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36It's a much, much earlier piece.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38- Interesting.- Which is your favourite?
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Well, my favourite is this one.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44The one with the...palm trees on it
0:32:44 > 0:32:47and the rather strange little bird there with...like a crown.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Looks like a kingfisher, see?
0:32:50 > 0:32:53- A bird with a crown, so it's a kingfisher.- Absolutely.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54It's very intriguing.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Is it something to do with Ipswich's maritime history?
0:32:57 > 0:33:00There were people trading far and wide from Ipswich in those days.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04It would be fascinating to find out whose coat of arms that is.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08- Yes.- And see whether that ties in with one of the early members of the congregation.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12- It would be very interesting. - I have to say it's my favourite.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16These are very splendid but they're pretty standard cups of the period.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20But this is the very special one.
0:33:20 > 0:33:26The decoration here was highly fashionable in the 1680s.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28It's actually known as chinoiserie.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32The extraordinary thing about chinoiserie
0:33:32 > 0:33:35is that very rarely is there anything much Chinese about it.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37This is such a mishmash, really.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39Everyone thinks of it as Chinese
0:33:39 > 0:33:44- but you've got all these elements coming in from all sorts of places at this time.- Exotica.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47Well, you've got it, that's the very word.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49In fact, from Turkey - that sort of area.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50You would get elements...
0:33:50 > 0:33:52There are Indian elements,
0:33:52 > 0:33:54there are even Italian Renaissance elements.
0:33:54 > 0:33:59The fountains are generally based on Italian Renaissance fountains.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04It's wonderful because it's tying in with what we're seeing in Ipswich,
0:34:04 > 0:34:06with the very international nature.
0:34:06 > 0:34:11The maker's mark there - which you can see, just that one.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14RC - now we know that he...
0:34:14 > 0:34:18Known pieces by him date from the early 1680s to the early 1690s.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20Of course one of the London makers,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23as indeed they all are London pieces.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28It's not surprising, because London would have been supplying this area.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32But value-wise, I mean if we just sort of run through them...
0:34:32 > 0:34:34This one's Queen Anne.
0:34:35 > 0:34:41That, I would think today, you would have to insure for about £3,000.
0:34:41 > 0:34:42Oh.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45These two...
0:34:45 > 0:34:48This one's by Francis Garthorne,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50he was one of the royal goldsmiths.
0:34:50 > 0:34:51Really?
0:34:51 > 0:34:54It's not actually such a good cup as that one,
0:34:54 > 0:34:56but again, a similar sort of figure.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00This one's a little earlier,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03this one's end of the 17th century.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Just that plainer form there,
0:35:06 > 0:35:08but that, you would have to insure for about...
0:35:08 > 0:35:12£4,000, £5,000.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17This one - any thoughts?
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Well, if that's £4,000, I suppose that one will be...
0:35:21 > 0:35:25I suppose another thousand on top of that?
0:35:25 > 0:35:28We're talking a wee bit more than that.
0:35:28 > 0:35:34I would reckon at auction you'd be lucky to buy that under £50,000.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Really?!
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Good heavens.
0:35:38 > 0:35:39Is it Dr Who?
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Well, he used to frighten me when I was younger.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45- Do you think this is the cybermen, perhaps?- Could be.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46Looks quite like it.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Instrument of torture?
0:35:48 > 0:35:50- Possibly.- Neck manipulation?
0:35:50 > 0:35:52- Could be.- All of those.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Could be anything.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57But where do you think we're going with a machine like this?
0:35:57 > 0:36:00It's a very strange device. Give us a clue.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02- It's a hair dryer.- A hair dryer?
0:36:02 > 0:36:04I wouldn't like to have mine...
0:36:04 > 0:36:06Look what happened to me, that's when I used it!
0:36:06 > 0:36:08So let's have a look.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11- So, what you do is, you sit inside, do you?- That's right.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Then the hot air comes through the tube.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17That's right, and you have a towel placed over the top,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21so that then it keeps the heat inside to dry your hair.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24It's not for setting your hair, it's just a dryer.
0:36:24 > 0:36:25No, just a dryer.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28I used it even up to 1970
0:36:28 > 0:36:29because I was born in '61.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31I used it in 1970.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Sit down and show me what happens.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Sit underneath and then...
0:36:36 > 0:36:37- Then bring it down.- Bring it down.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Now, madam, what would you like today?
0:36:40 > 0:36:41- Wash and set, please.- Right.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44I can't do the wash, but I can do the setting,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46so I now turn the knobs, off we go, full heat.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49And meanwhile you're sitting there. Now, how long did it take?
0:36:49 > 0:36:51- Half an hour.- Half an hour?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54- Mm.- Did you have lots of hair then? - I did, I did.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57And what does it take you now to dry your hair?
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- Five minutes. - Exactly, so technology has moved on.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03- Has moved on.- Now OK, you were using it in the '60s and '70s,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06it's obviously much, much older than that.
0:37:06 > 0:37:10- Mm.- This sort of styling takes us back, certainly, to the 1930s.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14At that point hair dryers were becoming the things they are now.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16There are lots of early metal and Bakelite ones
0:37:16 > 0:37:19which are the same sort of circular shape.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21But they are, obviously, hand held.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24This is obviously a commercial application of that.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28At that point people did have very complicated hair arrangements -
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Marcel waves and all those sort of things.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33I can see you'd need a complicated machine.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36What I like particularly about it is the design.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40It's very aerodynamic and it looks like something, not out of space - it's pre-space.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44It looks as though it should belong to an aeroplane or something -
0:37:44 > 0:37:46this wonderful sort of round form...
0:37:46 > 0:37:51You can see it as part of a piece of 1930s streamlined engineering.
0:37:51 > 0:37:52And then this!
0:37:52 > 0:37:55You know, I'm still overcome by this,
0:37:55 > 0:37:57it's so sort of... It is outer space, isn't it?
0:37:57 > 0:38:00- That's right. - You're sitting under there...
0:38:00 > 0:38:04- Are you actually having your brain re-joggled rather than your hair? - That's right.
0:38:04 > 0:38:05Well, value.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13- Oh, God.- I think, in the right market, we're looking at sort of £200, £300 to a collector.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15- When are you going to see another one?- Right.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18So, where's the perch?
0:38:18 > 0:38:21It never had a perch.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Where did it fly from?
0:38:23 > 0:38:27It flew from the loft of an elderly relative.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31When we were clearing out her house, we found it in the loft.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33- So, it was just found?- Yes, yes.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35And now it lives with you?
0:38:35 > 0:38:36Yes.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40But it just lives on the sideboard, and we don't know what it is.
0:38:40 > 0:38:41- Well...- Apart from a whistle.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45I was going to say you know that it's a whistle, of course you do.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47HE MAKES BIRD CALLS
0:38:47 > 0:38:51That tells you it's foreign - that isn't an English "cuckoo".
0:38:51 > 0:38:53No, no, it's an "uck-coo".
0:38:53 > 0:38:56Yes, well, it is a foreign bird and the material is porcelain.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58It's a very grey porcelain.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01if you look where the glaze meets the foot of the piece,
0:39:01 > 0:39:03very grey, it's got lots of little specks in it.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05Yes, very spotty.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07It's quite crude, quite primitive porcelain.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Any idea where that's from?
0:39:09 > 0:39:11Well, I should say China, but...
0:39:11 > 0:39:15Well, we think of blue and white as being Chinese, principally.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19But we shouldn't forget that other parts of Asia also followed suit eventually.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22The Koreans eventually produced their own porcelain,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25as did the Japanese in a much cruder lumpier form.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28I think there's no doubt that this is actually Korean.
0:39:28 > 0:39:33- Korean? That does surprise me. - So, it's come an awfully long way.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35It has, it has.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38And it explains the Oriental accent.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40Well, as far as I know, she never went to Korea.
0:39:40 > 0:39:43No, but she went to auctions, presumably.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Well, her mother did.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48- Do we know how much she might have paid?- I haven't a clue, no.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50If you saw that in an auction, what would you pay?
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Perhaps £200, I don't know really.
0:39:52 > 0:39:58- £200! Well you'd have a very good nose for a bargain.- Oh.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I think it's a very rare object, it's almost certainly 18th century,
0:40:01 > 0:40:04although Korean porcelain's quite difficult to date.
0:40:04 > 0:40:0618th century? Korean.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09It's crisp as the day it was made.
0:40:09 > 0:40:10Yes, it is.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12Shall we do a proper...?
0:40:12 > 0:40:15HE MAKES CUCKOO NOISES
0:40:15 > 0:40:16- That's better isn't it?- Yes.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18OK, and...
0:40:18 > 0:40:21- Would it have just been a novelty in those days?- Yes.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Or would it have been to attract another bird?
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- I don't think it's a lure, no.- No.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30- I think that was a toy intended mainly for a young person.- Oh.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32And your £200 would be quite well spent
0:40:32 > 0:40:34because I think in today's market
0:40:34 > 0:40:36that would fetch between £3,000 and £5,000.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40No! I don't believe this.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Honestly? I don't believe it.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46It's a lovely Georgian leather-covered box.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48It's Rundell, Bridge and Rundell,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51the royal jewellers and silversmiths
0:40:51 > 0:40:55and I thought these steel rimmed spectacles were particularly boring,
0:40:55 > 0:40:59but you've got a bit of family history to tell me about them...
0:40:59 > 0:41:03They've been handed down from three great-great-grandfathers.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07We have a note saying they probably belonged to Napoleon.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10Now looking through our family history,
0:41:10 > 0:41:14we know that one of the Bunburys worked in the War Office
0:41:14 > 0:41:17and certainly came into contact with Napoleon.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21- Yes.- In 1815.- Well...
0:41:21 > 0:41:26That is absolutely riveting because I've recently been to St Helena,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29and I've been tracking down some of Napoleon's artefacts.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34I also have discovered that Sir Henry Bunbury -
0:41:34 > 0:41:37your ancestor -
0:41:37 > 0:41:43was told by the War Office to go to Plymouth in 1815
0:41:43 > 0:41:47and tell Napoleon that he was going to be incarcerated on St Helena.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50He went in July 1815 and he told Napoleon that,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52and Napoleon immediately protested!
0:41:52 > 0:41:54He said, "I don't want to go to St Helena",
0:41:54 > 0:41:58"if you send me to St Helena I shall be dead in three months".
0:41:58 > 0:42:00And Sir Henry Bunbury -
0:42:00 > 0:42:03your ancestor - resisted that plea.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08On the 7th August 1815, Napoleon was shoved on HMS Northumberland
0:42:08 > 0:42:14and was sent 4,500 miles to St Helena.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18So if your family history says
0:42:18 > 0:42:24that this boring pair of steel spectacles belonged to Napoleon...
0:42:24 > 0:42:28that means these boring steel spectacles are rather important.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Well, I must say I have used them on occasions.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- Have you?- They're far better...
0:42:33 > 0:42:36than my specs which I normally wear.
0:42:36 > 0:42:38What I suspect had happened, therefore,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41was that your ancestor was on board Her Majesty's Ship
0:42:41 > 0:42:43and Napoleon, for all we know,
0:42:43 > 0:42:47could have flung these on the ground
0:42:47 > 0:42:50and been hysterical about being sent to St Helena.
0:42:50 > 0:42:51I suppose Sir Henry Bunbury
0:42:51 > 0:42:53picked the steel spectacles up
0:42:53 > 0:42:57and went off with them as a little trophy of his day out to Plymouth.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00I hope people don't think too badly about the family, in that case.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01Well, there we are.
0:43:01 > 0:43:06Here we've got a pair of steel spectacles...
0:43:06 > 0:43:11that, ordinarily, would be worth probably about £50. £30 to £50.
0:43:11 > 0:43:16A few months ago I saw a shard of wallpaper
0:43:16 > 0:43:18which was sold in an English auction house
0:43:18 > 0:43:23that had been taken from the wall of the house he lived in, in St Helena.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27- and that shard of wallpaper had sold for £1,500.- Yes.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29Just a little sliver of paper.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33So, I have a funny feeling that this pair of spectacles,
0:43:33 > 0:43:37ordinarily worth £30 to £40 -
0:43:37 > 0:43:40but because they've been on Old Boney's hooter -
0:43:40 > 0:43:43are probably worth somewhere in the region of £1,000.
0:43:43 > 0:43:44Really?
0:43:44 > 0:43:46- Really.- Oh.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50Well, I won't take them to the office in future.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Well, it's quietening down a bit here now
0:43:53 > 0:43:56but it really has been the most amazingly busy day.
0:43:56 > 0:43:59Someone worked out that 2,000 people came through the doors
0:43:59 > 0:44:04and between them they brought more than 15,000 items for our experts to consider.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08But for now, from the Corn Exchange in Ipswich, goodbye.