Ipswich Antiques Roadshow

According to legend, the earliest a Roadshow queue ever formed

was in Northallerton, when a gentleman flung down

his sleeping bag sharp on the stroke of midnight.

I don't know how early the queue started in Ipswich,

but it was a long one and produced some most interesting items.

We've already seen some of them, now let's have a look at some more.

As far as I'm aware, on the sitting room floor of our front room,

I tried to open it to see how the clockwork motor went.

But that was in...when I was five.

-Right.

-In 1921.

-Right.

-But I rather think he bought it

in his teens or later on, in around 1902-3-4, something like that.

It's an Edison Standard Phonograph, which you're well aware of.

Yes, the name is clearly on the front.

And it was patented, this particular last variety, in 1903.

-Oh, yes.

-So your dad would have bought it in 1903.

-Yes.

-And then presented it to you a few years later.

-Yes.

-This gadget predates the 78 flat disc by a good ten years.

-Yes.

What was exciting to people was that they could,

relatively inexpensively, have a record-playing device that played their favourite tunes quite easily.

-And it was a revolution really, in its way.

-Yes, of course.

Would you like to show me how we insert

-this extraordinary cylindrical record into the machine?

-Yes, be delighted.

First of all, one ensures that it's wound up, the clockwork motor is wound.

-And how far do you wind it?

-Until it won't go any more.

Oh, right, as simple as that. Good, so it's fully wound.

Then one puts ones fingers so not to touch the outer surface.

One makes sure that this...

-is not riding on the cylinder. Open the gate.

-Open the gate.

-Slide it onto the solid cylinder there.

-Yes.

-Close the gate.

-Hm-mm.

-Put the horn on.

-Brilliant.

And we might give the thing a bit of a whiz and see what happens?

-Yes. You start the motor...

-Hm-mm.

..Lift this,

lower it gently so that the reciprocator

-and the diaphragm lands on the record.

-Right.

FAINT SCRATCHY VOICE SINGING

# The taxi meets a car. #

-It's great, isn't it?

-You can hear that, can you?

-Absolutely! Well, it's a brilliant machine, I have to say.

-Yes.

One of the things I really like about it is you've got

-the original horn that hasn't been tickled up.

-We haven't painted it.

An awful lot of people paint them and restore them, which is a mistake.

We didn't get round to that. It's got a few knocks, as you can see.

-But all charming, that's a delightful part of it.

-Yes, of course.

-The fact that it's been yours since 1921 is delightful.

-Yes.

And my daughter used to play it to her children as well.

-Did she?

-She did.

-It's in jolly good condition.

What's extraordinary is, you'd think the records would be difficult to get hold of,

but there's quite a few of them about and they're terribly cheap.

-Really? Good.

-The expensive thing is the phonograph itself.

I think this is worth probably between £350 and £500 or even £400-£600.

Well, the fact that it's here and giving enjoyment to people is a great satisfaction to me.

-It's a good tune.

-Yes, of course.

SCRATCHY RECORD # It's better than taking a trip to Spain

# Or having a honeymoon over again

# If you're out with your sweetheart, your mater or your pa

# Do it in style, at sixpence a mile

-# A taxi beats a car.

-#

Where did you find it?

I was given this clock by my mother who was given it by her great-uncle.

Well, I have never seen one like it.

Er, I've seen THINGS like it, I know where it was made but I've never exactly seen one

this shape and I've also never seen a box of this extraordinary complexity.

The man must have spent for ever actually making all the little bits, making the lid, making the catches.

One amusing thing about the box, before we get onto the clock... Sorry, I've got a thing for it!

The one thing you can't make miniature to fit this tiny box and the tiny clock,

is the hooks, because otherwise you could never use them, your fingers are too big.

So the hooks actually look out of proportion with the gold work and tooling and inlaying.

Yes, I suppose so. It hadn't struck me before, but now you mention it.

If they made them doll's house size, your fingers would never be able to open the box.

-Yes.

-Enough of the box, the clock.

This is a Swiss-made object. It's made in about 1900-1910.

That was a period when they had very high-quality craftsmanship and almost not enough to do

with it, so you got a complete mixture of different techniques.

The object is made of silver and it's enamelled in what we call opalescent enamel.

And this was done using particular glass compounds

that enabled you to get an opalescent effect, so...

-And you understand what an opal, the actual stone...

-Yes, I understand.

..You get that sort of... Well, you actually get the effect on this case and indeed...

The light, as the light passes through, you get a different tone and you also get,

through the engraving underneath that they've done, striated-lined effect. It's very unusual.

Then they've enhanced it with these little half-round columns at corners.

They've engraved and inlaid them with what is called champleve enamel.

So this is a piece of silver, they've scalloped out the line.

-Yes.

-They've filled it with white enamel, ground it off and polished it.

In fact, when you get up to the top here with this little garland,

you're almost looking at something of the work of Faberge.

Now, it's not Faberge. It has got a name, it's not Faberge.

But this technique of using this kind of opalescent enamels, engraving,

garland work, gold work, applied work, was practised by Faberge, to some extent by Cartier.

And in this case by a man called Dreyfous whose name is on the bottom.

From France, they were quite a well-known jewellery retailer.

The piece was made in Switzerland for them.

But they're not in the same league, I'm afraid, as Cartier or Faberge.

Do you have... have you ever had it running?

Yes, well I wound it up last night, actually.

And how long does it go for?

I don't know because I... Um, I'm sorry.

No, I hoped you could answer the question because if it goes for a week we'll be here a long time.

It won't go less than, for less than a day, or a day and a half.

-The reason I ask is I've taken the bottom off.

-Yes.

-The movement of the clock is in there.

-Yes, I know that.

And it's reasonably...reasonable size and of course the dial is

absolutely minute. Nobody could have used it to tell the time, come on!

No, it's just a decorative thing.

I can tell you that... it would not be less than £2,000.

But I've never seen one quite like it, and it is collectable

to the right marketplace and so it could be worth double that.

-I'm sorry not to be more specific.

-No, that's all right.

-I've no intention of getting rid of it anyway so...

-Excellent.

-We enjoy it at home.

My godmother left it to me.

I never even saw it till she left it in her will so she didn't

talk to me about it or show it to me. And that's all I can tell you.

Well, you can immediately see, or at least I can immediately see

the quality of this little piece. It's all beautifully made, it's got

this lovely two-colour gold border round here, little diamond in the centre, diamond thumbpiece.

As you turn it over you can see this beautiful guilloche enamelling.

It's all engine-turned underneath the enamel, which is translucent.

And opening it up...

we might, I hope, get a little surprise. And inside is...

I rather wish I'd got my specs on. Yes?

-I'll tell you, because I've got my specs on.

-Yes.

-And this one says Faberge.

-I daren't believe it, I...

-Well, it's...

-I'm absolutely amazed, I really am. Absolutely dumbfounded, actually.

-That's a wonderful surprise?

-Yes, it is. Incredible.

This little mark here, "MP",

which is a little bit rubbed, is the work master, Michael Perchin, who was

the head of his workshop at the time that this was made.

-How exciting!

-This little mark at the top tells us it was made in

St Petersburg between 1896 and 1908.

I'm delighted! I'll give you a big hug.

Well, I'm delighted you're delighted. We seldom find a piece of Faberge on this programme.

It is so sought-after and the nicest thing is it's in such terrific condition.

-Yeah.

-It hasn't got a bash on it.

-It sits on my dressing table. It's not in a box.

-You'll have to be careful.

Would you like me to tell you what I think you should insure it for?

-Yes, yes.

-About £5,000.

-Yeah, um...

Right. I never considered insuring it, it's only with household goods.

Well, I hope it won't take the pleasure of owning out of it.

-It often worries people when they have something that's valuable.

-Yes.

No, it won't take the pleasure. I look at it every day when I brush my hair.

Good. It's a pleasure to see. Thank you for bringing it along.

Well, thank you very much. I'm very excited by that news. Thank you.

OK, we've got the first Constable of the day I see here.

Interesting. I always look at the back of the picture not the front to see the provenance.

We've got Winter Landscape, John Constable.

A bit of provenance "Bought on this day from Lady Dewing", it looks like.

Now, if we look at the front...

It's a bit of an "Oh, dear", because in fact Constable died in 1837.

When we look at this picture, stylistically, this is post-1850.

It's almost...it's got a bit of a Smythe feel to it.

So I think it's probably painted 1850-1860s, so after his death. So what's it going to be worth?

-I would think, as it's not by Constable, but it's a very pretty picture...

-Yes.

..Probably painted 1850-60s, £200 to £300.

Oh, well, very nice. Thank you.

I love samplers, I don't have any, but I think they're wonderful things.

What they tell us about their period. But you've got so many, where are they from?

-From a

-car-boot sale. All of these have come from car boots?

-That's right.

-Over how long a period?

-Only about 18 months.

-So you've bought all these in a very short time?

-I have.

And do you pay large sums?

Um, between £65 and £120 each.

-That seems very reasonable.

-I thought so.

-I'm amazed that, you know, things of this quality are still there at car boots.

-So was I.

This is an interesting group because they're all the same sort of date.

-The 1880s.

-They seem to be.

-In sampler terms, fairly late.

-Yes.

The really desirable, expensive ones are late 18th, early 19th century.

But I don't think that matters. You've got here all the classic sampler details, the houses,

the alphabets, the mottoes, the messages. Wonderful images, I love...

Whoops! Mustn't start a cascade...

I love this one because of all the gardening details.

-Yes.

-The dogs, the plants, the woman with her chickens, you know.

It has a lovely sense of the late Victorian cottage garden, doesn't it?

-Yes, doesn't it?

-I think that's great.

They're all slightly faded, which is inevitable. But they're not bad at all.

The other I think is, I suppose is MY favourite, is this one.

I've never seen such an immensely personal, emotive sampler.

"I, Victoria Preston worked this in memory of my dear father,

"lost at sea, in the year of our Lord 1881, rest in peace."

-I mean your...

-Plucks at the heart strings.

-It really does.

It makes me go all funny because...

Maybe he was in the whaling trade? You've got the whale, the ship.

-He was 30 when he died.

-Yes.

-It says so much and she's put a black border on it.

-Yes.

-Most people that buy at boot fairs say "Oh, I only paid 50p".

-Yes.

-So you're paying serious money.

-Yes.

-Because you want the samplers.

-Yeah, I wanted them, I appreciate them, I like them very much.

-Yeah.

Now, in terms of value, I think you're still getting bargains.

We're looking at things that would be normally in the span of £150 to £250.

-Right.

-In commercial terms.

-Hm-mm.

If you can get a late-Victorian sampler like this for £60, just go and buy it.

-Yes.

-It's still a great bargain.

-Yes, right. Thank you.

I was going to ask...

whether YOU sat for this, when, er, you were younger?

Actually, I think it's more likely to be my mother-in-law than me.

I think it might have been your grandmother-in-law.

This lovely young lady was made in Czechoslovakia.

At the Royal Dux Factory.

Now, we know precisely when she was made

because on the bottom we have lots of information.

We have the triangle for Royal Dux,

and there we have "Made In Czechoslovakia".

I couldn't quite make that out.

And Czechoslovakia only came into existence

after the Treaty of Versailles at the end of the First World War.

Now apart from the fact that she's a very attractive young lady,

showing all her advantages, she's unusual.

Because normally these Royal Dux figures tend to have

sort of healthy peasants and people like that.

But how did you get her?

Well, she's been in the family since the early 1940s.

A relation went to a house clearance in Bournemouth

and bought her there and as I say, she's been with us ever since.

One thing I do have to draw to your attention...

You think she's suntanned, do you?

-Well, I did wonder whether she had actually been painted.

-She is absolutely filthy!

-Yes, we were told...

-...Look at that!

..Not to touch her because we could damage the, er, surface.

I mean what rubbish people do...

I mean all she needs is, is a bath.

-Quick shower.

-I mean she is... Quick shower would do it, yeah...

But she is very, very, very dirty.

Now, that dirt, actually, in a way protects the surface.

-Yeah.

-But I would, I would get the dirt off. I mean she is dirty all over, give her a nice bath.

What would you suggest using?

Well, it's like my nanny used to say - "Soap and water never does anybody any harm".

So soap and water's not going to do her any harm.

-Right.

-Actually, the best thing to do is get a plastic bowl, put some sponge in the bottom,

lay her down in and then sponge her all over with...with mild, green or whatever, you know...

-Yes, I know.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Then she'll come out and you'll be able to see all the little bits

of gilding and everything that are there and she'll come out in her full, full glory.

And, er...

Then, when you've got her all clean, I'm afraid you'll have to insure her.

And I think you should insure her for £1,800.

That's what it would cost you to replace her if anything happened.

-Right.

-I mean she's in lovely condition and will be EVEN better once you've given her a bath.

Thank you very much, that's lovely.

I think for me, this is the icing on the cake,

right down here at the bottom, I love this shape, this sort of...

-It's called an akratira...

-Oh.

-It's a Greek emblem

-usually on the top of buildings, not down at the base of something.

-Right.

It's got this wonderful lyre here, this lyre shape, like a musical lyre.

Then the anthemion or honeysuckle, which is repeated time and again,

-copying Greek Classical Architecture in the early 19th century.

-Right.

There's a lot of quality to this piece. If we just travel up here,

lovely slender fluting here and this wonderful bit of leaf carving.

I'm a bit nervous about the leather book binding.

I think that was probably done before my grandfather bought it.

So you're not embarrassed if I tell you, I think they're later.

-No, no, no, no, no.

-Right.

I think it was just silk there, folded, pleated silk.

-Yes.

-You've probably seen... those wonderful drawings by Ackerman's Repository.

-That's right.

Wonderful drawings of silk-pleated doors, and I'm sure it was like that.

-We've got leather in here?

-Yes.

-Is this in the same sort of...?

Ah, yes. Now, that's very unusual.

You see this leather here is clearly redone as well.

-I love playing with things... What's here? Nothing secret, just...

-No, no.

It's unusual to have this angled writing flap, they're normally flat with baize or leather,

without compartments underneath, so it's commodious and capacious.

Aren't these lovely? This is a fun thing...

You could take that home with you, or the foot, one or the other...

-I could anyway, it's just a beautiful little object, isn't it?

-Hm-mm.

This certainly does reek quality. Is it a family piece?

It is. My grandfather bought it in, well, '54. Well, he had it on approval to start with.

-On approval. I won't mention the antique dealer's name.

-No, no.

-He's still going strong, at the same address. This is 1954.

-Yes.

It's a very good, very, very good antique shop.

-It's a family piece and you inherited it, when was that?

-Ten years ago.

-I'll give you that back.

-Thank you.

-Ten years ago.

-Did you have it valued at all?

-I did - £1,500 to £2,000.

-Right, did they give an idea of the date?

-No.

It's interesting in the letter there it says 1805.

Circa 1805 and I think that's more of a selling rather than a buying thing.

If we just close it up and have a look, I think that it, it's... 1805 is still George III...

I think this is 1810-1820, so critical.

I don't think it matters now in the 21st century,

but in the 1950s, 1805-1820 was quite a difference, socially different, so...

It wouldn't have been terribly acceptable to have a piece of 1820.

-You know, it was frowned upon, but 50 years later, nobody cares.

-Yes.

I think if I was doing an auction value today, instead of £1,500-£2,000,

I would say £8,000-10,000.

Yes. Thank you.

Insure it for £15,000.

Mmm-hmmm.

So this is a pretty wacky object, tell me about it.

Well, this is a domestic water filter that I assume was made somewhere around about the 1900s

and it would have been used in the local area.

-Why are you such an expert about this?

-I spent 20 years in the water industry.

-You're the water man.

-I'm the water man, or used to be the water man.

I took early retirement from the water industry in the year 2000,

and this was given to me by one of my customers somewhere around about 1994.

How brilliant. Well, the thing is made of stoneware,

as I'm sure you're aware, in a Doulton style of ceramic.

It's fired to a very high temperature in a kiln

and then salt is thrown into the kiln and you get this hard,

almost metallic, glaze on the outside of the material.

It was used a lot in the sanitary industry in the 19th century,

making sewers and basically things that need to be kept pretty clean

and smooth-flowing. So, stoneware is the material.

I actually think it's pretty decorative, too.

I can see it as a filter system in a late-Victorian kitchen.

The patentee has sorted this one out, I guess, so that the piped supply -

and it may not be mains water,

it could just be coming through a lead pipe from a spring up the valley -

would arrive and there'd be a float system to stop the supply and adjust it,

depending on what's being drawn out. There's the lovely old glass float.

And then he's got some sort of filter here... What do you call that filter?

We would call that the coarse filter so the larger of the solid material

in the water supply would have been trapped there.

The finer material would pass through.

-Doesn't look terribly savoury, does it?

-Doesn't look very savoury at all.

And then you go into this, this reservoir,

and what's this sort of slag heap of stuff inside here called?

This is the actual filter media, it's a spongy filter media,

which means that a percentage of the water that's put into the filter will be absorbed into the media,

and then the remaining clean water, minus its solids, would flow out the bottom.

-OK, and that pulls out like a... It's heavy, isn't it?

-Very heavy, yeah.

So, that's full of this slag stuff, which has done the filtering

-and then the gin clear water is in the bottom of this, is it?

-Yes.

That's the theory anyway. And you'd normally have a tap...

I'll just take that cork out.

Ooh, yes, lovely. So there we go.

Well, after you, then.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

So glad you've got some confidence in your water board.

-Mmm, marvellous!

-Very nice.

-So, what's it worth, then?

-I haven't got a clue.

It's not an easy thing to value, I have to say,

but it's a particularly complete example.

All it needs is that Victorian brass tap and I think you could get maybe around £300.

Very nice, thank you very much.

Well, that's a handsome-looking pint pot.

It's more than a pint, actually,

but, of course, in actual fact, it's a jerry - it's a chamber pot.

At the moment it's a trophy at our sailing club for the Boxing Day race,

but I bought it some 20 years ago.

My son was killed in a car accident after a Boxing Day race

and we thought if only we could get a really good trophy to replace the china chamber pot,

and that's what we found in a London antique shop.

Now, it was originally made, so I'm told, for the Duke of Connaught in 1874.

-Some marks on the bottom there, but...

-On the bottom, there?

That's right. It's made by Elkingtons.

It seems to have had a little use.

Oh, yes, I'm sure it's had some use, for what it was really intended for,

but, of course, we use it to stick champagne in on Boxing Day.

So, it gets presented every year now for the Boxing Day race.

A poignant potty.

Well, the person in this picture was Isabella Clive,

and we think this picture might have been taken on her wedding day,

-and we're not really sure how she got the chain...

-Mmm-hmm.

..And the cross, but we do know that she was born in 17...

-1786.

-..1786...

We think she probably got married about, erm...1806.

-Something like that.

-She's quite young in that picture, isn't she?

Yes, 18 or 20-years-old, which was probably a good age to get married in those days.

-Originally the chain was a lot longer.

-Yes.

And she wanted to divide it between her two daughters,

so the chain was shortened and it was divided into two.

So, I've been left the shorter chain and the cross itself

and it's come down the family and it will go to my daughter here when she's older.

How exciting, so is this the same chain as here?

-Yes, that's right.

-Much longer.

Mm, but it's very interesting.

-The cross is quite early for this type of ware. This is called cannetille work.

-Right.

And it's made by lots of little scrolls which are joined together

and soldered together. Very, very delicate work,

and here, of course, a little hair locket in the middle.

And this is stamped...

It's quite interesting the way it's made.

What you would have had is a long strip of gold

that is rolled out and stamped with this design.

As far as I can see, they've made it in three sections,

so they've cut it up, bent it round and soldered it.

It's most delicate work.

And here on the back I see that there was a butterfly,

but a little bit's got broken off.

It's just in the back, in the velvet.

Yes. Well, being all-gold that would be relatively easy to repair.

What do you think of it? Do you like this?

I've only ever seen it once before. I think it's really pretty.

It IS really pretty, yes.

Do you know who actually made it?

Well, I don't know who made it, because very few makers used to sign their work in those days.

The chain's a lovely chain, as well.

It's really a completely different style

-and so I suppose they were possibly bought at different times and put together.

-Right.

It's very cleverly done because it gives the impression of bulk and thickness

and yet it is quite light and pleasant to wear,

especially if it was three times the length.

Anyway, it's a lovely piece of jewellery and...

I estimate the value of this cross at around...

-oh, between £3,000 and £4,000.

-Oh.

And these chains are always terribly, terribly popular and...

this is probably worth somewhere also between £3,000 and £4,000.

-Wow!

-So £6,000 to £8,000 for the 'tout ensemble'.

-They belonged to my father-in-law. You see the photograph there.

-Yes.

-And that was my father-in-law. He had a team with his brothers.

-Right.

They had a business in the town.

They decided to manufacture table tennis or ping-pong bats, as part of that.

-Right, so these are the actual bats that are featured in the photograph?

-That's right, yes.

OK, the photograph is dated 1904, which is interesting enough,

-but these bats have a registration number on them.

-Ah, yes.

And the registration number that is stamped on them is RD3824,

and it's a registered design number. That accurately dates them to 1901.

-I can see these are stamped Wootton and Sons, so...

-That's right.

..Your family, Wootton, and these people obviously had these specially manufactured.

That's right. They were manufactured by the shop and sent away as well.

So they were a sort of worldwide, world famous table tennis or ping-pong bat, were they?

-That's right.

-Now, the origins of ping-pong are a little bit cloudy,

-but apparently there was a kind of Oriental connection there.

-Ah.

Some people thought the game may have originated in China, hence the word ping-pong.

And also that they made that noise. That was the noise the ball made when it was hitting the bat.

-Indeed.

-So it became ping-pong.

Now, table tennis is a name that we later called it, in fact.

-That's right.

-And, these are very...

-They have a very exotic, Oriental look to them, in some ways.

-They do.

Sort of palmette-shaped, maybe Indian, even, I don't know - they're very exotic.

They have sandpaper-covered faces on them,

and obviously they won lots of tournaments, these particular bats.

Yes, there are all the trophies. That's right.

In terms of actually attributing a value to something like this,

I think it's very difficult. There's obviously a bit of local history.

-That's right.

-Bit of family history.

-In terms of their value as ping-pong bats - I don't think a remarkably high value.

-No, no.

-But the way it all ties together...

-That's right.

-..That makes it such a perfect little thing, really.

If they were put into a proper sporting sale, they might be worth £200 or £300, something like that,

-but I think it's the history behind them that is most interesting.

-That's right.

And thank you for bringing them.

Oh, that's fine. I like table tennis myself, so it's rather nice to....

-Do you still play table tennis?

-Oh, I do. Yes, indeed.

-They're a far cry from the modern bats.

-That's right.

-No doubt they make a much nicer noise than the more modern ones.

-Oh, they do.

We've got here an ordinary wardrobe.

Difficult date to define, but you know, pretty standard.

Every house in Britain had one of these.

But when you tap the top and the sides, it's made of tin.

Now, I have never in my life seen a wardrobe, which is partly made of wood and partly made of tin.

-Did you find that curious?

-Yes, very.

-And what did you think about it?

-I thought it was a little bit odd...different.

Different? Certainly different.

Now, why should somebody make a tin wardrobe?

I think the answer is as follows -

after the Second World War, there was a great shortage of timber

and also there was a lot of companies who'd made military equipment out of metal -

-aeroplanes, whatever, lorries - coming out of that business.

-Yes.

And a number of those aeroplane companies went into making furniture, kitchen units and so on,

using aluminium and using their industrial techniques.

I think in this case, what has happened is that a furniture manufacturer had -

left over from the 1930s - a huge stock, a warehouse full of doors and other wardrobe bits and pieces

and then he thought, "Hell, I need to get these out on the market, what can I do?

"I can't get the wood for the frame."

So he knew a friend who said, "Don't worry. We can sort that out. We can make them out of metal."

Some factory, we don't know where, for a very brief time, made metal frames,

inset into them 1930s quite smart Art Deco doors until, by the late '40s all that had gone,

because rationing began to end, and materials became available again.

So I think it tells a great story.

Now, having said that, that is a complete guess and I may be very wrong,

but I can see no other way where it makes sense.

-You bought it as a wardrobe - what did you pay?

-Probably under £10.

Well, don't get excited.

-No.

-I think today it's such a curiosity, it's so extraordinary.

But even with all that, I doubt if someone would pay more than £50,

unless they were really fanatical about having possibly the only wood and metal wardrobe in Britain.

That's right.

I bought them over the last couple of years or so.

Basically because an aunt of mine died, left me a few pounds,

and I wanted something to remember her by. They're rather nice.

This one is interesting, because as you know, perhaps, it's called a Pepperbox revolver.

Now, this was purchased by a man, who may be subjected to violence.

I always say a rent collector or something like that.

-Right.

-Because if he was cornered, it is a defensive weapon, really,

-with the six barrels.

-Yes.

-But you've also got to remember

that when the Pepperboxes came out, it was rather revolutionary,

because gunsmiths used to...

although they made them...

they used to view it with a little apprehension that they made these,

because it is a violent thing, after all's said and done.

-Yes.

-And often, they didn't put their names on them.

-It's rare you'll find a pistol without a maker's name.

-Right.

-But you often find Pepperboxes with no names at all, although the craftsmanship is very good.

-Right.

So there you are, so that's a six-shot Pepperbox.

And that would be... What date would that be?

-This would be about 1840-1845, somewhere around there.

-Yeah.

-Now, the value of this one, in the region of £200.

-Yes, yeah.

This is a little surprise. Now, that, that is nice.

This is Colonel Colt's revolver, a pocket model,

would be carried around the 1850s into the '60s and so forth.

But again, the type of man that would want this,

is a man that's doing a lot of travelling on the stagecoaches.

But if he wanted to feel secure,

then he would buy one of these for personal protection.

I notice it's got a stagecoach emblem on the...

-Absolutely.

-Curiously enough...

Indeed. There's a stagecoach engraving of being held up.

Yes, so there you are. Yes, indeed.

-Now, the navy model has ships on.

-Oh, right.

-You see, that's the way they did it.

-I understand.

But this particular revolver was made in America,

but, of course, Colonel Colt came over here and he bought the Pimlico factory from the government.

-And that's where the English Colts were made.

-Right.

-And now you've got your flask.

-Yes.

-Typical American flask with a little eagle on.

-Yes.

But you see, so often you find these Colts have been re-cased,

that's all the original mahogany case and it's really nice, a really nice thing.

Now...

value...

I think if you put this in auction today,

-you could be assured, certainly, of something over £2,000.

-Right.

Monday, July 21st 1969, incredibly exciting headlines.

"2am - Man is on the Moon." Where were you when man was on the moon?

I was watching the television and I remember staying with...

-If you remember they landed on a Sunday night.

-Yes.

They were about to walk late Sunday, early Monday,

and they kept putting the walk back and back. I should have gone to bed,

but I stayed up and it was about 4am when they actually walked.

Yes, and you've got the other Daily Express - Monday, July 21st and "Man Steps on to the Moon".

At 4am they stayed for two hours inside and then stepped onto the moon.

-That's incredibly exciting and what's even more exciting is that you've got them signed.

-Yes.

-And you've got Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and...

-Michael Collins.

-Michael Collins, who nobody...

-Forgotten man of the venture, really.

-The man that waited in a craft for them to link up.

-Absolutely wonderful.

-So, you're very interested in moon exploration.

-I think most people were at that time.

Today, it seems old-hat to the younger generation,

but for those of us of that generation then, it was such an exciting thing.

I remember watching the television until the early hours,

collecting these newspapers and I had them for about a year

and decided that I'd like them signed, so I got the addresses from the American Embassy in London,

sent them to the States three times. I was very excited.

-Well, I think it shows tremendous sticking power, staying power there. You've also got these.

-Yes.

Rather fun, a signed photograph of Buzz Aldrin, the very famous image.

-And this one, which is signed by...

-Neil Armstrong.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, again that picture, but on a newspaper.

Now, the problem with newspapers is how you store them. Where do you store them?

-I keep them in a plastic wallet and I keep them out of the light.

-Right.

-This one, as you see...

Neil Armstrong signed this. It's fading, he signed it to me, written my name, but it's fading badly.

-That's very important. I have to say an acid-free acetate pocket would be better...

-Right, mm.

-..Than the plastic folder that you've got.

-Right.

Because that is not acid-free.

Those two, the two signed by all three,

I estimate to be worth £1,500 for the pair.

This one just signed by two, I think would probably go to about £500-600.

-Really? Amazing.

-That Buzz Aldrin... Such a pity about the other signature there,

I think £300-£400, because it's such a good image and it so typifies

that whole trip, as it were, doesn't it?

Not a bad investment. Five pence for the cost of the original newspaper.

-And a little bit of investment in the post office.

-Indeed, indeed.

And you've got a memorable collection.

Well, it actually belonged to my husband's great-aunt Eva and she gave it to us,

not long after we got married. We don't know very much about its origin really,

but I know she'd had it for quite a while and we think it was one of a pair.

There was also a young lad as well, a young man of a similar style.

But, you know, that's as much as we know about it.

Now, you say "style". There's the magic word. What style is this?

Well, it's very unusual, isn't it?

I know it's a porcelain picture, but the frame looks very Gothic.

You hit the right word spot-on.

Well, the picture is a celebrated portrait of a lady

in 16th/17th century costume

and I think the original is a Rubens, but I'm not sure, I'm not a paintings expert.

-It's beautifully painted onto porcelain from Berlin.

-Right.

If you took the back off this, you'd find a little mace impressed,

or a little blue mark of a mace and the magic initials KPM -

Koeniglich Porzellan Manufaktur.

OK? That's what it is and it contrasts beautifully,

this lovely, glossy finish contrasts beautifully

-with this Hammer House of Horror...

-Yes.

-..Frame.

I think this was probably carved somewhere in the Black Forest region,

Schwarzwald, and you hit the word - I mean it's Gothic, isn't it?

-Mmm.

-It's slightly scary.

-Yes.

-Was your aunt scary?

No, no, she was lovely.

She was a real character and she was quite well-known in Oxford, where she lived.

She did a lot with the Women's Institute and yes, so she was a real character, not at all scary.

The thing I love about it is that the plaque has survived with the original frame.

The Germans were wild for reliving the Gothic period.

We think of Wagner, we think of High Gothic, of turrets and ruins,

gargoyles screaming out of the ruined walls and ivy crawling up,

the sort of Grimm Brothers' fairy-tale columns.

What I particularly like, and I have to congratulate you on bringing it,

-it's even got the original cobwebs up in the turret.

-Yes.

I was going to ask you about that, because I wasn't quite sure how to clean it,

-without damaging it, so I just run a cloth over it.

-How to clean it?

Well, having complimented you on the cobwebs,

I don't know whether I ought to show you, because it does look

as though the occasional flash of lightning would bring this to life.

-But if you want to know how to clean it, shall I show you?

-Mmm.

-Stand back!

Oh, right.

-I think I've given you the idea.

-Yes.

I mean to get into the crevices, just blow or use a floppy brush.

For the porcelain plaque, just use a very light detergent,

a light solution of detergent and it'll clean up beautifully,

and you'll get that lovely contrast between the porcelain and the wood, it's great.

I'm not a massive fan of KPM on its own,

that plaque is probably only worth somewhere in the region of £600-£900.

Oh, my goodness!

But with the Gothic horror, that is rather a good Gothic horror, and the gargoyle,

I think I'm going to put a value somewhere between £1,200 and £1,800.

Oh, my goodness. We had no idea what it might be worth.

It's just got real sentimental value for us, coming from Auntie Beth,

I think that's lovely.

This little object is a salt chair. It's quite an unusual little object

and I'm quite intrigued as to how you came by it.

I got it at a school fair when they were doing a white elephant stall,

-and I bought it for 50p from there.

-And what made you go for it?

It just looks quite nice and wasn't that expensive.

Well, the purpose of this, it's sort of a little ceremonial object

because salt's got a lot of significance for Russians,

giving someone salt on their bread is an indication of hospitality.

So you see these made in lots of different materials.

But this particular one is silver gilt,

although the gilding has more or less disappeared in the 100 years or so, since it was made.

And then it's what's called cloisonne enamel,

where the enamel is in little cells, or cloisons,

made, formed by little bits of twisted wire which are soldered on.

Then the enamel powder is filled into the cloisons

and it's fired and that's the result you get.

It's very nicely decorated on the back too, a beautiful little object,

and underneath are the Russian hallmarks.

There's a maker's mark which I haven't had a chance to identify,

and the silver mark for St Petersburg,

and this was in use between 1899 and 1908,

so we can date this quite carefully, quite accurately in a short period.

They're quite rare little objects and I think your 50p has done well.

-Have you got it insured?

-No.

-Where does it live?

It just sits on one of the window sills in our house.

Well, it'll probably stagger you to know that you should insure this

for something in the region of between £1,200 and £1,500.

That's what it would cost to replace today, so I think the boy done well.

Can I have my 50p back?

The boy's certainly done well. I would say he done good!

I should keep a much closer eye in future on those white elephant stalls. Until next time, goodbye.