0:00:40 > 0:00:43Do you remember those shows we recorded in Australia last year?
0:00:43 > 0:00:47We came to Sydney then we went on to Melbourne and struck gold.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51The Roadshow is so popular in Australia that the turnout at both venues was among
0:00:51 > 0:00:56the highest we've ever had anywhere, and the pickings were rich indeed.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Hold on. You are not going to get away with these two.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03This is part of the keel of Captain Cook's ship Endeavour.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Isn't that incredible? That's the longest one I've ever seen.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Well, I've come halfway round the world to meet
0:01:11 > 0:01:16- the strongest monarchist in the country.- God Save the Queen.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19This is the making of Australia.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22- A pair of them, for 30 dollars?- Yes.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27- Shouldn't be allowed. - No less than 120,000 dollars.- Oh!
0:01:27 > 0:01:30That would be 7,000,
0:01:30 > 0:01:328,000 dollars.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Oh. Sorry...
0:01:34 > 0:01:37- Quarter of a million Australian dollars.- Good grief!
0:01:37 > 0:01:41In a country where some said we'd struggle to find any antiques.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46In fact, it was such a rich vein that we've kept a few nuggets back for you, so here they are,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50unscreened gems from our days down under.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07- This girl would have been more at home in the Folie Berger.- I think so.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13Because it goes without saying that she's a Mademoiselle and it also goes
0:02:13 > 0:02:19without saying that when you see a willowy maiden of this type,
0:02:19 > 0:02:23the one name that shouts at you is Rene Lalique.
0:02:23 > 0:02:30Datewise around about 1930, maybe 1932.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Your example is actually called Tahisse.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37How long have you been living with this hoofer...
0:02:37 > 0:02:39can I call her a hoofer in Australia? She would be in America.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43- Oh, yes, yes, I think you could. About 30 years.- Right.
0:02:43 > 0:02:49Now I know she can be illuminated and I know that you're holding the switch, so let's turn this girl on.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Now this is made that little bit more interesting because in between
0:02:53 > 0:02:58the figure and the light bulb is obviously a coloured glass filter.
0:02:58 > 0:03:03Consequently, she almost certainly looks like hot stuff,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07to use a well-known Anglo-Saxon phrase.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- Exactly.- Do you want to just turn her off for a minute so...
0:03:10 > 0:03:13while I gather me thoughts because it's too distracting.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- I'm sure, I'm sure.- I'm only human.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18She's lovely, she is lovely.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24If I wanted to go out and pick up this French floozy,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28I would have to reach into my pocket
0:03:28 > 0:03:34- and pull out the best part of 12,000 Australian dollars.- Oh, Eric.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- And that's £5,000 sterling. - Oh, how wonderful.
0:03:37 > 0:03:43- So she may be a floozy but I'll tell you what, she's an expensive floozy. - She's beautiful.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48She is beautiful and you'd better take her away quick before I grab her and make a run for the door.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50All right.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Are you passionate about William Morris?
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I am. I'm actually a textile designer but at the time that I
0:03:56 > 0:04:00purchased this, I honestly didn't know it was William Morris.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05- But you knew who he was.- Oh, yes, I knew who he was, but when I actually purchased it, we'd actually
0:04:05 > 0:04:10gone into a deceased estate and my husband said, "What do you think about this tapestry on the wall?"
0:04:10 > 0:04:14and I said, "Mm, it's a very nice piece of wool"
0:04:14 > 0:04:16then as we were getting closer to the car...
0:04:16 > 0:04:18- it cost 50.- It cost 50, right.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21And my husband said, "Mm, this looks very familiar."
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And I said, "Yes, it does."
0:04:24 > 0:04:28So we got home and we laid it out in the bedroom and we looked at it, and I said, "Oh, my!"
0:04:28 > 0:04:31and my husband said, "I think it's William Morris."
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and I said, "I think you're right.".
0:04:34 > 0:04:38This is a woven textile called "Bird",
0:04:38 > 0:04:43typical Morris colours, earth colours, natural dyes,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46hand craftsmanship, all that sort of thing
0:04:46 > 0:04:52but it was a machine-produced fabric, you know, it was made by traditional methods but using
0:04:52 > 0:04:55up-to-date technology and using his design.
0:04:55 > 0:05:02It also co-ordinated with wallpapers and also with printed fabrics, so you got the full range if you wanted to.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04So what do you do, do you hang it?
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Well, we've contemplated it. Unfortunately, we don't have
0:05:07 > 0:05:12- very high ceilings and we put it in a few rooms and it's just still not the right...- It's too strong.- Yes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15In a sense, do what you like with it, but don't cut it up.
0:05:15 > 0:05:20No, no, from the moment that we realised what it was, we weren't going to do that.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Right, 50.- Yes.- Now you know that was a bargain.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- Yes, yes, definitely. - Do you know how much of a bargain?
0:05:27 > 0:05:29I have absolutely no idea.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34OK, well, it's my job to tell you, and I'm going to tell you that
0:05:34 > 0:05:38in the right sort of sale, probably in here as well as in Britain,
0:05:38 > 0:05:45you are looking at £3,000 or 6,500 dollars.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Really? I didn't expect it to be that much.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52For someone who bought fabric they didn't know was William Morris...
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- No, that's right.- Even though you're a textile designer,- Yes.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- It's pretty good.- That's wonderful, thank you very, very much.- Thanks.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07The sewing box was a gift from my husband and it started the collection.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09- So it's all your fault?- Yes, yes.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11An anniversary present.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Put in chain a series of events I could never have foreseen.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Exactly, which had an impact on your lives and your wallets.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18That's right, exactly.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21- And you bought this in Sydney? - In Sydney.- In Sydney, yes, yes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23So that was a good buy.
0:06:23 > 0:06:28It's a lovely rosewood case inlaid with these mother-of-pearl decorations and it is in
0:06:28 > 0:06:32wonderful condition, isn't it?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36And as you say, complete with all its mother-of-pearl accessories.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42The box itself dates from the middle part of the 19th century, so that is just gorgeous.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47So you got this as your anniversary present
0:06:47 > 0:06:51and at what time did you start getting the collecting illness?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54That would have been about 1979.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57- Yes, '78-'79.- Yes. '78-'79.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Were you able to pick things up relatively cheaply?
0:07:00 > 0:07:05Yes, compared to today's prices, yes, much better.
0:07:05 > 0:07:12So a wonderful tower like that which is gilt-bronze, an incredible piece of...
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- it's almost a piece of architecture, isn't it?- It is, yes.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18It's a skyscraper for cotton reels.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22At the top you've got the holders for the pins and then further down you've
0:07:22 > 0:07:28got these great crystal drops and spikes for the cotton reels
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and wonderful lion claw feet.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- That came from Brighton in England on a trip.- Yes.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38And we saw it in an antique market.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42But of course one can't talk about the objects themselves
0:07:42 > 0:07:45without putting them into context with
0:07:45 > 0:07:49actually what they produced, and is a terrific example
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- of English domestic needlework.- Mm.- This...
0:07:52 > 0:07:55was this another Brighton buy?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- No, this was found in an auction in Sydney.- Oh, good!
0:07:58 > 0:08:05And it was wrapped on, around a piece of cardboard and covered in a bit of plastic and it looked...
0:08:05 > 0:08:07- Very dusty.- Very dusty, yes.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Did anybody else spot it?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12I think... no, they didn't, really,
0:08:12 > 0:08:15and I was ecstatic when I was the closing bid.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17What was the final bid?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19250 dollars Australian.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Yes. So I thought that was fabulous.
0:08:23 > 0:08:29- It represents, of course, Apollo and Daphne and as he gets to her, so she turns into this tree.- Yes.
0:08:29 > 0:08:36And it was typical of the subject matter that was used in the middle part of the 17th century,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41- a lot of allegorical scenes, scenes of mythology, scenes from the Bible and so on.- Yes, yes.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45And it's lovely to have a mythological text here.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Now at the moment there is, certainly in Britain, there is
0:08:49 > 0:08:53an enormous interest in all kinds of sewing accoutrements...
0:08:53 > 0:08:56an object like this, this lovely sewing box,
0:08:56 > 0:09:01as a box itself, retail in a shop I would have thought
0:09:01 > 0:09:06we'd be talking about 2,500 to 3,000 dollars, which is in the region of £1,200.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Yes, really?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10And with the embroidery here,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15again as a retail price, I would have thought we'd be talking about, um,
0:09:15 > 0:09:20quickly doing my conversion, it would be about 6,000-7,000 dollars.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Really?- It would be about £2,500 to £3,000.- Right, thank you.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27So thanks very much for showing me what you managed to capture.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35I acquired it from my father who bought it, I think, in Melbourne.
0:09:35 > 0:09:40He lived in Ballarat but he bought it in Melbourne in the late '30s or early '40s, I think.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42- Mm, do you know who the artist is? - Yes, Margaret Preston.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Correct. Margaret Preston.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- Yes.- Probably one of Australia's most celebrated female artists.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- Yes.- And the flowers, what are they called?
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- Cinerarias.- Cinerarias.
0:09:53 > 0:09:58This, this work is actually quite rare in that
0:09:58 > 0:10:03my understanding is that it was done in 1928, approximately.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07There is one in the National Gallery but there's never been one
0:10:07 > 0:10:10appeared in the sale room before, there's never been one at auction.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It's a wood block print and it's printed with ink, and then
0:10:13 > 0:10:17the artist, Margaret Preston, has hand-coloured it with watercolour.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21- With watercolour? Oh. - And it's really, it's one of the best I've ever seen.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24- Oh, I'm so pleased. - It's beautifully signed down here.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27- Yes.- Both outside the image in pencil
0:10:27 > 0:10:31and also with her initials, MP, in the actual print
0:10:31 > 0:10:36and she's really put a lot of work, and I see here that this, it looks like it's the tenth, I think.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39- Yes, tenth print. - So this is a nice early one.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41I think if this came up
0:10:41 > 0:10:44at auction in Australia,
0:10:44 > 0:10:46it would probably make up to 20,000 dollars.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Truly? Wow, mm, delighted.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- Does that surprise you?- Yes, it does. I'm delighted.- 20,000...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54about £8,000.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58We have an expression that something like this would sell "in a barn at the back of
0:10:58 > 0:11:02- "Burke", which of course, you know, Burke is way out in the desert.- Yes.
0:11:02 > 0:11:03Because these days,
0:11:03 > 0:11:10these sorts of works will fetch the money wherever they turn up.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15Well, that is definitely metal and it says here "tin made in Australia"
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and it says it three times, so it looks like a tin that's been
0:11:19 > 0:11:26flattened out and it's got this shell symbol, so I can't help but feel that this might be
0:11:26 > 0:11:30an oil can or a kerosene can or something like that.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35I don't usually think of this coming to the furniture queue I have to say,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38but hey presto...
0:11:38 > 0:11:44a piece of furniture made out of tin on the sides, but certainly not tin on the front.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48And there is this pattern on the inside, which
0:11:48 > 0:11:51is rather nice, I like that, but not on the other side.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55I found it in a little place in Jugion,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59called Jugion in New South Wales, in a shed,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01in the back of a house,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04covered in dirt
0:12:04 > 0:12:10and it's been just put together by somebody out of the pieces of wood
0:12:10 > 0:12:14that they've had about the place, plus pegs.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19This is great, isn't it, because you see on the inside
0:12:19 > 0:12:21that it is, in fact, a clothes peg,
0:12:21 > 0:12:27wedged to make the little handle, and the wood looks like recycled floorboards or something like that.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Mm, I think that's probably likely.
0:12:29 > 0:12:36- And I think this is exactly what they call salvage furniture, or depression furniture.- That's right, yes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38The kind of thing that was made
0:12:38 > 0:12:42- by people who really had very little, I think.- Yes, yes.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44During the '30s, perhaps.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48It's amazing how even though they've had so little, they've tried to decorate it.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52- And create something like the sort of traditional...- I like it.
0:12:52 > 0:12:57It's great, and you know the finish that you've got on this would be to die for...
0:12:57 > 0:13:03Lots of people spend an enormous amount of money trying to create this sort of distressed finish.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06- Yes, yes.- And I think this is one of the most attractive
0:13:06 > 0:13:09elements of the whole thing.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12This sort of thing is still very collectable,
0:13:12 > 0:13:18it's folk art, it's part of the social history, I think, of Australia and having this "made in Australia"
0:13:18 > 0:13:20with the tin on the side, is great.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24I think you're looking nowadays at 2,000 to 3,000 dollars.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28- Really?- Which translates as £850 to £1,300 sterling.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33So for something that you salvaged yourself, it's a pretty good result.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36I found it at a garage sale.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39- Really? Just in a garage sale?- In a garage sale, yeah.- How long ago?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42- About 15 years ago. - And you just thought...
0:13:42 > 0:13:44And what did they think it was, the sellers?
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- They had no idea. I just asked how much it was.- And how much was that?
0:13:48 > 0:13:52- 25.- 25 Australian dollars, 15 years ago.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55- Yeah. I took it to the art gallery in New South Wales.- Yes.
0:13:55 > 0:14:01And they have another copy of this one and it's the Queen of Sheba at the court of King Solomon.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- Absolutely. - And that's all I know, really.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06You're ahead of me in some respects.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11Yes, it's a drawing by Sir Edward John Poynter, very well-known in England as an academic
0:14:11 > 0:14:15painter, senior member of the Royal Academy, I think he was President.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Now, the painting you're referring to is a finished painting.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23It's absolutely enormous and it's in the art gallery of New South Wales and you've seen it?
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Yeah, this is the Queen, apparently.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28- This is actually the Queen?- Yeah. - Really?
0:14:28 > 0:14:29Yeah.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- Looks like a boy.- I know.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Well, do you know, that raises an interesting point, because Poynter
0:14:36 > 0:14:43liked to paint women a lot, but there were laws in the late 19th century about using
0:14:43 > 0:14:48underage girls as models for paintings, and so they couldn't
0:14:48 > 0:14:52pose in the nude, so you'd often use young boys and then he would...
0:14:52 > 0:14:58just for the studies... and then by the time the finished painting was made, he'd turn them into women.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- Oh. That's interesting. - Just for the arrangement of the limbs and the muscles and just to,
0:15:01 > 0:15:07you know, just to be a clothes horse as well for the props, it was just a studio way of working.
0:15:07 > 0:15:12You have to remember it is a working drawing, towards the construction of the painting.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16He never really expected people like me would be standing here talking about it.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19But looking at it, it's beautifully modulated, isn't it?
0:15:19 > 0:15:21I think the features are very, very fine
0:15:21 > 0:15:25and although that headgear, that strange band around his or her head,
0:15:25 > 0:15:28is quite brief, it's very attractive.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30The whole thing really works,
0:15:30 > 0:15:34there's a wistful expression to it and it's beautifully drawn.
0:15:34 > 0:15:41If this was sold in London it would probably be worth between 4,500 and 7,000 Australian dollars.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Oh, that's good news.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45- It's a very beautiful drawing.- It is.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48- That's between £2,000 and £3,000. It's a good one.- Oh, thank you.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56This is a relatively plain box, but I think maybe it has exciting things to tell me.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00- It has a lot of hidden secrets inside it.- Can we know them?
0:16:00 > 0:16:02We can, if you like to open the lid.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- Right, tool box. - This is a squatter's tool box.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Ah, different.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09The squatters were very unique to Australia,
0:16:09 > 0:16:15about the 1830s when they first started going into the hinterland in Australia, off the coast.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20And somewhere along the line, Briscoe and Co invented this thing called a squatter's tool box
0:16:20 > 0:16:23designed to give the squatter the tools he needed to build his house.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25So, wait a minute, when we mean "squatter",
0:16:25 > 0:16:28do we mean somebody who's claiming the land or has bought land rights?
0:16:28 > 0:16:31No, they didn't have the rights, that's why they were called the squatters.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35- That was another story.- So, you could go to the hardware store...
0:16:35 > 0:16:38- and say, "I want one of them boxes". - That's right. This is what you got.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40You got this tool kit and,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44you know, all the things that are supposed to be in it are written on the list.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47I've never seen such a thing. Are they common?
0:16:47 > 0:16:50I wouldn't have thought so. This was in my father's shed.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55He was using it as a tool box but putting his own old tools in it.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00When he died, I inherited this box and I said to my son, "It would be fun to do it up
0:17:00 > 0:17:01"and find the tools".
0:17:01 > 0:17:03We had the list, all we had to do is find the tools.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Took us two and a half years to find them all.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10- And where did you get them?- We went to tool auctions, tool shows,
0:17:10 > 0:17:16antique shops, all over the place, the last one actually was the axe, and people who have axes tend to...
0:17:16 > 0:17:18- Which one... there's three? - That's the axe, that one.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Yeah.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- That's the old American axe. - So this was the last?
0:17:22 > 0:17:25That was the last piece, and it took us a long time to find
0:17:25 > 0:17:30somebody who would actually give us an axe because they're very rare.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32Yes, it's a conflict, because people collect tools.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- That's right.- So you were up against the tool collector.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38I mean, I think the funniest thing I found was this little one which...
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- The glue brush.- Which I thought I'd never find,
0:17:41 > 0:17:46- because they get used and thrown away, like a paint brush. - They wear out.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51And here I found one sitting in an antique auction in Corfield, and it was just sitting there.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- That was a great day. - That cost me two dollars to buy.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58- I was thrilled.- I'm not going to value the tools. You know their cost.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01They're collectable. I mean, what is so good about this...
0:18:01 > 0:18:05if that label had been lost, it would be meaningless. You've got the...
0:18:05 > 0:18:07probably the retailer's label, or maybe the manufacturer.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11You've got that wonderful list, you know, this is real history,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and so many times that must have come off, been scraped off.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17How many of these boxes are lying around unnoticed?
0:18:17 > 0:18:19- Unnoticed, yes. - Many of them.- Probably, yes.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23This is magic, and to me, as I say, that brings to life that whole vision
0:18:23 > 0:18:28of the opening up of Australia, unofficially.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30- Unofficially. - Never mind, we got there.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Look what it's come to, you know, this is Melbourne today.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35- I haven't said the date. This is certainly not 1840s.- No.
0:18:35 > 0:18:40- We're looking at 1880s-1890s... it's quite late.- Yeah, it is.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46And I'm going by the style of the box, I'm going by the labels, those are very late Victorian.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49If I said something like
0:18:49 > 0:18:535,000 to 6,000...
0:18:53 > 0:18:56£2,000-ish,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- does that make sense?- Yes.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02I think it's a great thing, a great achievement and what are you going to do now?
0:19:02 > 0:19:05Well, it makes a lovely coffee table.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Oh, well, that's fine. What more do you want?
0:19:07 > 0:19:10It's a talking point and something my son and I enjoyed
0:19:10 > 0:19:14putting together and that made us a bit closer so we had a lot of fun.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- I've loved it as a talking point. - Thank you.- Thanks very much.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22I'm looking at the cocktail bar of the Southern Cross Hotel in about, I don't know, 1964.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24Yes, that's right.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Which was, of course, the scene of complete hysteria
0:19:27 > 0:19:31back on 17th June 1964, which is when the Beatles were there.
0:19:31 > 0:19:39My father was actually an employee at the Southern Cross and on the day that the Beatles decided to stand
0:19:39 > 0:19:45on the awning of the Southern Cross and wave to the crowds in Exhibition Street, my father actually took me
0:19:45 > 0:19:49upstairs into the hotel, up onto the first floor
0:19:49 > 0:19:54and from there took me into behind where the Beatles
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- were actually standing so I was... - Looking at all that pandemonium.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59- And how old were you?- I was three.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03I remember quite a large crowd.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06There seemed to be a lot of hysteria,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10people waving, chanting, there were placards
0:20:10 > 0:20:12and as a three-year-old, to me it was very frightening.
0:20:12 > 0:20:16With all that screaming you must have thought there was a panic.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20- Yes, I certainly did not know where we were going at the time.- Sure.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24But when I was eventually told we were going into the hotel
0:20:24 > 0:20:28where my father worked, and to see the Beatles, I did...
0:20:28 > 0:20:30even as a three-year-old...
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- I did know who the Beatles were. - That meant something even then?- Yes.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38How interesting. So the Beatles came to Australia just that once and I
0:20:38 > 0:20:44think they did six gigs in Melbourne on the 17th and 18th June '64
0:20:44 > 0:20:46and then what happened?
0:20:46 > 0:20:52Because what I'm looking at are little squares of cotton. One says...
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I can't believe this "John slept here",
0:20:55 > 0:20:58"Paul slept here", "Ringo slept here"... We're missing George.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01Ah, that's... Oh, George is here, George is on the back,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04so we've got a full set of sheets, bits of sheets?
0:21:04 > 0:21:08- Yes, that's right.- Hang on, there's the explanation here.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10"I've been asked by a number of staff for pieces of sheet
0:21:10 > 0:21:15"that the Beatles slept in, I am enclosing a couple of pieces to give away or throw away".
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Yes, basically, there was...
0:21:17 > 0:21:21the head housekeeper of the Southern Cross, I believe her name was Phyllis Roberts.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26- Right.- She actually each morning removed the bed sheets from
0:21:26 > 0:21:33each of their beds, she kept track of whose was whose and they then proceeded to actually cut them up.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36They made rubber stamps,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39or these have since been stamped.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40I have to say,
0:21:40 > 0:21:46- small bits of Beatles bed sheet don't come up for sale very often in Britain.- No.
0:21:46 > 0:21:53If these came into London, I would be quoting about 1,200,
0:21:53 > 0:21:551,500 dollars, about £500 on that.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59And then this postcard has got a secret to reveal, hasn't it?
0:21:59 > 0:22:00Yes.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Because on the back
0:22:02 > 0:22:08we have the names of the four boys, and I have to say
0:22:08 > 0:22:13that one sees a lot of these, but there's a problem with this one.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16It's not been signed by the Beatles.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18- Did you know that?- No.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Am I breaking bad news?
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Probably, yes.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26The Beatles had a number of folks behind the scenes
0:22:26 > 0:22:30who did the majority of the signing for them,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35and the person who signed this was one of their back staff guys, a chap called Neil Aspinall.
0:22:35 > 0:22:42The good news is that because the Beatles didn't have to sign 200,000 cards, it did mean that they were
0:22:42 > 0:22:47able to give six performances instead of sitting in their hotel rooms and wearing out a biro.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51So these are great.
0:22:51 > 0:22:58As a collection and as a group of souvenirs, together with your memories, it's actually invaluable.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10But we didn't come all the way to Australia just to plunder one city.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Welcome to the main quadrangle of Sydney University.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16School is open.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21"Endeavour under full sail with the fleet", which presumably would refer
0:23:21 > 0:23:27to Captain Cook, his ship Endeavour and under sail with his comrades when they were out on one of his voyages.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- Yeah.- Did you know that?
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Not when I bought it, no. I didn't realise until I brought it back.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36I bought it in the UK, brought it back here and it was
0:23:36 > 0:23:39only when we were putting it back together that I first saw it.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43That's fantastic! I'm going to say that I'm surprised that the owner,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47- or if you bought it from the trade... - That's right, didn't point it out.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Didn't point it out, and was it restored when you got it?
0:23:49 > 0:23:52- It was, yes.- Right. - I had it cleaned here in Australia.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55OK, but it had actually been overhauled.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- Yes, yeah.- Well, it looks a little bright at the moment.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59Give it a few years...
0:23:59 > 0:24:04The painting has been retouched and one can see that the lacquer,
0:24:04 > 0:24:12the original lacquer, has crackled and has been fixed and over-lacquered again so it's an old painting.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15And William Pridgeon of Hull is the maker.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20I'm not familiar with the name but I almost certainly think he's towards the end of the 18th century.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25So Cook went off on his voyages, he left what, from... his first one...
0:24:25 > 0:24:28About 1768, something like that.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31One tends to think now of Captain Cook as being
0:24:31 > 0:24:33very famous in his day, but he wasn't initially.
0:24:33 > 0:24:41But he was obviously, because of his mapping and the difference that made,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44that became popular knowledge,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48and somebody in Hull, because the Endeavour was built in Whitby, I think.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50That's right, just up the road.
0:24:50 > 0:24:55Just up the road, but somebody in Hull, fairly contemporaneously,
0:24:55 > 0:24:59around about what we're saying this clock could date from
0:24:59 > 0:25:011780-1790, something like that,
0:25:01 > 0:25:09has chosen to make a clock and celebrate his voyages already.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Now, I don't think that signature looks fake.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- No.- I mean the writing looks OK.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19It's stuck on there, it's written in an old style hand and if
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I'm sure that if you bought it and the gentleman didn't even tell you...
0:25:23 > 0:25:26That's right. He would have made something of it if he...
0:25:26 > 0:25:30If he'd been busy in his back yard with an old quill pen...
0:25:30 > 0:25:33So it looks as if it's been on there all that time.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38And it opens up an interesting question too about how does one value
0:25:38 > 0:25:42- what is effectively a very standard long case clock.- Yes.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48Forgive me for saying so, but in England this is a fairly common clock and in England it would be worth,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50let me see, something of the order of, say,
0:25:50 > 0:25:56three, about 4,000 Australian which is what £1,500,
0:25:56 > 0:26:00- £1,800 UK pounds.- Yeah.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04Over here, with this history,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08I think you could easily double that, so we'd be looking at 8,000
0:26:08 > 0:26:15perhaps even 10,000 or so Australian, and £4,000 or £5,000 English pounds.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17- Fascinating!- Thanks very much.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Well, he obviously was a very
0:26:21 > 0:26:25handsome young man at one time, but unfortunately he's been touched up.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Who is he?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29This is my great, great, great grandfather, John Wills,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34a sea captain in Massachusetts and he was one of many...
0:26:34 > 0:26:38all in all they owned 250 ships at one stage.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40That's quite a lot. A fleet.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42They were churning them out on the eastern seaboard
0:26:42 > 0:26:44of Massachusetts, doing the three-cornered trade -
0:26:44 > 0:26:47- Spice Islands, India, that sort of thing.- Yes, yes, yes.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51And he was, at this stage, 18 years old, a little later in this
0:26:51 > 0:26:58- life when he was 26 he took part in a very famous incident in Boston Harbour.- Oh, the Tea Party.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Yes, he was one of the "Sons of Liberty" they called themselves.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06- Yes.- Sons of Adam, Sons of Liberty, who dressed themselves up as fake Indians, Mohicans.- Yes, yes.
0:27:06 > 0:27:12And turfed tea into the harbour to protest against the British taxation that was taking place.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16And this was all leading up to the War of Independence, wasn't it?
0:27:16 > 0:27:24Yes, this is in the 1770s and at that time, men like John, who had a lot of money
0:27:24 > 0:27:30invested in shipping between Britain and America, were losing a lot of money to taxation and they
0:27:30 > 0:27:34felt that, without representation in the British Parliament, that they shouldn't have to pay tax.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Absolutely, absolutely right.- So...
0:27:37 > 0:27:38I can just see him.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- He's got that slight sparkle in his eye, hasn't he?- Yes.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46You can see him with a head-dress on, or something like that.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48That's quite remarkable.
0:27:48 > 0:27:54Historically, this is a very important picture and I can tell you,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57any American library,
0:27:57 > 0:28:02any American museum or whatever, would give their eye teeth for it
0:28:02 > 0:28:09and I could see that making somewhere in the region of what £50,000.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13That's 100,000 to 150,000 dollars.
0:28:13 > 0:28:20- Gosh!- Now, I don't know if there are any other portraits of the Boston Tea Party people, but that is incredible.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23It was a great secret so only people who were in the family,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27I imagine, would know the identities of some of the men.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Well, there you are, now the whole world knows.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34This is a useful size of circular table.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37Do you use this all the time?
0:28:37 > 0:28:43Well, I have done, yes, every day up until the last two years and since then I've had it in store.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45So it's been side-lined a bit.
0:28:45 > 0:28:48- Not particularly fashionable at the moment, I think.- No.
0:28:48 > 0:28:54No, I think that's true generally that in a sense dining tables have lost place a little bit, because
0:28:54 > 0:29:00people are living in family rooms and things like that, but this is a very attractive example, I think.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04I like particularly the pedestal base. It's very pretty.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07I mean how many people could you sit round this?
0:29:07 > 0:29:11- Well, normally, that was just for four.- Right.
0:29:11 > 0:29:15But extended, I've had up to 16 at it.
0:29:15 > 0:29:20So let's have a go at seeing what happens on the inside.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Oh, right, how far does it go?
0:29:26 > 0:29:29Oh, it goes on and on and on
0:29:29 > 0:29:34and these here are clearly legs, so they must drop down.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Mm-hm.
0:29:39 > 0:29:44So you've got extremely pretty little baluster fluted legs.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50One of the things that is intriguing me is also the timber,
0:29:50 > 0:29:57because at first sight it's very much an English pattern of table, 1840s,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01but the timber to me doesn't actually look English.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06- Do you know about its background? - I was under the impression from the ladies from whom I purchased
0:30:06 > 0:30:13- the table that it was South American mahogany.- Right.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15This is where I have a problem,
0:30:15 > 0:30:19because there's something about the timber here
0:30:19 > 0:30:26which to me doesn't quite look like mahogany and when I saw the underneath of one of the leaves,
0:30:26 > 0:30:31it also has a grain and an action, a figure, that reminds me
0:30:31 > 0:30:37actually much more of red cedar, of an Australian timber rather than, than mahogany, so I'm wondering if at
0:30:37 > 0:30:44some point the story has got perhaps a little bit mixed up, and the table was in fact made in Australia.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47And it originally had benches, not chairs.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50Well, that also is very un-English, to be honest.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52- Is it?- Actually,
0:30:52 > 0:30:56if it was made here and is red cedar it's worth probably more.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59We could be looking at 20,000,
0:30:59 > 0:31:0630,000 Australian dollars, which is around £10,000, £12,000.
0:31:06 > 0:31:12- So a fascinating story and one day perhaps you'll get to the bottom of it.- Yes.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14I don't think so. Everybody's dead!
0:31:19 > 0:31:24- We've got an autograph book.- That's nice, I've been signing all day, I hope it'll be better than that.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26What have we got?
0:31:28 > 0:31:33It belonged to Bill Prior, who was the editor of The Bulletin
0:31:33 > 0:31:36from about the 1930s to the 1950s.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38Oh, good old Migzie!
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Isn't that amazing?
0:31:41 > 0:31:45- A bit of Australia there, isn't it? - So, this has come from whom?
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Well, it came down through the family.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50It was put together by Bill Prior.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54He had access to all these people because they were written up in The Bulletin.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Ah, now there's a treasure.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02- Billy Bluegum.- Is that his name? - Billy Bluegum from the Magic Pudding.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05- Right.- You know, he bet a lot of people at The Bulletin
0:32:05 > 0:32:10that food was more popular than fairies, and this is a very, very good watercolour.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14Let me tell you, they are very hard to get.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19- The women that he's known for, which are the nudes, but the animals... - Yeah, I've seen plenty of them.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23The animals are actually quite hard to come by.
0:32:23 > 0:32:24Terrific stuff.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Menzies, my goodness.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29- Robert Menzies, the Prime Minister. - There's two letters.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32- From Menzies.- Goodness, this is a treasure trove, isn't it?
0:32:32 > 0:32:38- Yes.- Would I surprise to say if it was in excess of 10,000?
0:32:38 > 0:32:40Well, we wouldn't have thought that.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44Which is equivalent to about £4,000.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46That's a surprise.
0:32:48 > 0:32:50This is a remarkable doll for many reasons.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53it's in fantastic condition but it's got the bolt in the head and
0:32:53 > 0:32:58when you turn it, she turns from Little Red Riding Hood, obviously, you turn it through...
0:32:58 > 0:33:01- up comes Grandmama.- Grandmama.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Yes, and turn it one more time and...
0:33:04 > 0:33:07the wicked wolf. Extraordinary.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11That transforms something that initially looked like something quite simple.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- A boring little doll. - Into something quite exceptional.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18I've managed to determine a German manufacturer.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22It dates from the beginning part of the 20th century, maybe 1905-1910.
0:33:22 > 0:33:27- Oh, yes.- So it's a very good age. It is in remarkably fine condition.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Collectors would give an arm and a leg to acquire this, because...
0:33:30 > 0:33:33- Oh, really?- You very rarely ever see a three-faced doll.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36Certainly at auction we'd be talking about a figure of
0:33:36 > 0:33:38probably between 4,500 and 6,500 dollars.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- Oh, really?- Which is between £2,000 and £3,000.- Yes.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46So initially I didn't love your doll, but now I like it her quite a lot.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48How wonderful.
0:33:48 > 0:33:50Her stockings are a bit tatty!
0:33:53 > 0:33:56I'm absolutely amazed, looking at this service, which is nearly
0:33:56 > 0:34:01200 years old, what wonderful condition you've kept it in. How did you manage that?
0:34:01 > 0:34:06I haven't done much to it because I've only been in charge for about three years.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10But it has been sitting there looking at me all my life,
0:34:10 > 0:34:15but I know my mother was taking care of it, and it gets used very rarely.
0:34:15 > 0:34:22This was made in Derby, in England, in about 1810
0:34:22 > 0:34:26and there it is, the gilding is unrubbed, unscratched,
0:34:26 > 0:34:29and the painting here, this painting, this still life,
0:34:29 > 0:34:34which is done by somebody called Thomas Steele,
0:34:34 > 0:34:36- is quite extraordinary.- Yes.
0:34:36 > 0:34:42Now here you've brought three pieces, but there's a lot more, is there?
0:34:42 > 0:34:44Yes, it's a full set.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48- You've got two of these?- Two. - And they have stands to stand on.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52- Yes.- And then there are shaped dishes, are there?- Yes.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54And then a lot of plates like that?
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- Yes.- And how does the service come to be here in Australia?
0:34:58 > 0:35:02My great grandfather sent it out of England
0:35:02 > 0:35:05during the war. He shipped it to New York
0:35:05 > 0:35:09and the boat was torpedoed, actually,
0:35:09 > 0:35:15and the captain of the boat put it in his lifeboat and
0:35:15 > 0:35:20got it to New York eventually and was warehoused there and came out here after the war.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24I hope somebody bought the captain of the ship
0:35:24 > 0:35:28a large drink or some equivalent for saving the service.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Yeah, I think a bottle of rum was posted over.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33Oh, I should hope so, because
0:35:33 > 0:35:38nowadays a pair of tureens like that, and their stands, are probably worth 4,000 dollars.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43You've got your dishes worth 1,500 each, quite a few of them
0:35:43 > 0:35:49and you've got 18 plates at least 1,000 a throw
0:35:49 > 0:35:54and if you add that all up we get to somewhere between 30,000 and 40,000
0:35:54 > 0:35:57Australian dollars, which is let's say
0:35:57 > 0:36:01£15,000 to £20,000. So you should think of the ship's
0:36:01 > 0:36:04captain every year when you gaze fondly on the service.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09Just drink a little toast to him and say thank you very much for allowing me to enjoy this.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14- I think I should.- It's your duty and thank you for sharing them.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16It's a pleasure.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23"Dearest Nanny B, I am sending you a little wrist watch from us both and I hope that whenever you look
0:36:23 > 0:36:29"at the time, you will think of us there, here, who are so fond of our dear Nanny B."
0:36:29 > 0:36:34And we turn over... "I want you to promise that if the wristlet
0:36:34 > 0:36:37"part is too tight,
0:36:37 > 0:36:40"to send it back to me to be enlarged,
0:36:40 > 0:36:45"they can add any amount of links and it may be a tiny bit narrow for your
0:36:45 > 0:36:52"wrist, it only takes two days or so to add and you must have it to fit.
0:36:52 > 0:36:58"Just off to St Paul's for a day or two. Yours, Elizabeth."
0:36:58 > 0:37:01Well, obviously Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03- Yes.- But who is Nanny B?
0:37:03 > 0:37:08She was my maternal grandmother's cousin
0:37:08 > 0:37:16who was nanny to the Queen Mother when she had Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19Oh, that's splendid! The lovely thing is that
0:37:19 > 0:37:22you still have the little wristwatch and here it is.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25- Yes.- Isn't that lovely? Absolutely enchanting.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26It still works.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30"Nanny B from E and A."
0:37:30 > 0:37:32- Elizabeth and Albert.- Yes.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34And Albert later became George VI.
0:37:34 > 0:37:40- Yes.- So you've got another 17 letters in here, in this folder.- Yes.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42- All to Nanny B.- Yes.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44In quite intimate terms, really, haven't you?
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Absolutely amazing, and here
0:37:47 > 0:37:51is a signed portrait of the Queen Mother with Princess Elizabeth,
0:37:51 > 0:37:55later to become our Queen, which is absolutely lovely.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- Yes.- And here are some more, these are unsigned,
0:37:58 > 0:38:01but they're all sort of christening type photographs, aren't they?
0:38:01 > 0:38:05- Yes, yes.- Or just mother and baby type photographs
0:38:05 > 0:38:08of the Queen and the Queen Mother.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Yes, yes, there are some beautiful photos.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14- The Queen Mother was very, very pretty. - Well, she was very pretty there.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18- Yes, very.- And she looks very well on having a baby.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22- Yes, she does.- And there they are, looking at each other and smiling.
0:38:22 > 0:38:27- Each other, yes.- I think that's absolutely wonderful. That's a very unique album to put together.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30Right, well, let's have some values. This gold watch,
0:38:30 > 0:38:32it still works, as you said,
0:38:32 > 0:38:38and it's in good condition, and is worth about 1,200 dollars,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41which is about £500,
0:38:41 > 0:38:44but I reckon that with the inscription,
0:38:44 > 0:38:46is worth
0:38:46 > 0:38:493,200 dollars,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53that sort of area, about £1,500.
0:38:53 > 0:38:59Now, 18 letters here,
0:38:59 > 0:39:06I reckon we can put 12,000 dollars on those, about £5,000.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09This unique collection here
0:39:09 > 0:39:17- is worth what, I suppose 2,200 dollars, about £1,000.- Yes.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20- But you're not interested in the money?- No, I'm not.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22It's just sentimental
0:39:22 > 0:39:26and I just hope they're always looked after by someone.
0:39:26 > 0:39:31If I could hand out a gold medal today, I'd give it to you for
0:39:31 > 0:39:34having the thought to bring this along to our Antiques Roadshow,
0:39:34 > 0:39:36but there again, having a look at
0:39:36 > 0:39:41the actual construction that's been erected by our technical people,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43I think they deserve one as well.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45But bring me up to speed
0:39:45 > 0:39:49on your fascinating mirror console table,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52whatever you want to call it.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Well, it was very heavy to carry here.
0:39:54 > 0:40:00- Yeah.- As you've alluded to, I bought it in an old warehouse in Paris.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03I had to bargain very hard for it.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06I fell in love with these beautiful women.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09- It was an instinctive buy. - Absolutely.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Most people would think, "How on earth am I going to get that home?"
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Most people in Britain would think how on earth am I going to get that
0:40:17 > 0:40:20home, but you were living in Australia for goodness' sake.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23- Let's have a look at it, shall we? - Please.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27OK, because you know, stylistically
0:40:27 > 0:40:30this shouts Art Nouveau,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34it's got all the elements you could possibly expect.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38You've got these sort of diaphanous draped,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42semi-naked, very sensual, quasi-erotic,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46if I can use such language, maidens, or are they nymphs, we're
0:40:46 > 0:40:50not too sure, but she's standing on this large iris flower.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53It's a real concoction, it's almost a confection.
0:40:53 > 0:41:00- The mirror dominates, obviously, and what I like is, it's a useful piece of furniture, OK.- Absolutely.
0:41:00 > 0:41:04And then, I mean, this is supported upon...
0:41:04 > 0:41:09- it almost seems like a rock work base, doesn't it? - Yes.- It seems to be.
0:41:09 > 0:41:16As for the mirror itself, I'm sure that it's period, it looks as though it dates from around about 1900.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20Now I've done a lot of business in France, in Paris in particular,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22and they are a breed on their own, are they not?
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- I'm not being anti-French. Not being anti-French.- I love the French.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Yes, so do I, one at a time.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32- But either way, when you were doing your arm wrestling, this is Paris, is it?- Yes.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35So it's hardly even France. The Parisians are a breed on their own.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40So what, come on, you're doing a bit of arm wrestling, what did you start off at?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Well, I don't speak French.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46- I can, um greet and thank but I do not speak French.- Yes, yes.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49So when it comes to bargaining I have a little pad, a notepad.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52- Yes.- And I ask them to write it down,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56they write it down and I cross it out dismissively...
0:41:56 > 0:41:58- Yes.- And then I write something else.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- It's ridiculous.- You showed your disgust, did you?
0:42:01 > 0:42:06- Yes.- Good.- And so with this, we went down the page
0:42:06 > 0:42:10and over the next page and then,
0:42:10 > 0:42:15I succumbed, because I'd pushed it as far and fast as I could.
0:42:15 > 0:42:21- Good.- And I bought it for 1,200 Australian dollars.
0:42:21 > 0:42:271,200 Australian dollars. OK, well, it's a very fickle market.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32- I know who this sort of piece would appeal to, and we're talking rock'n'roll, OK?- Oh, right.
0:42:32 > 0:42:38And I would say that today, certainly if that turned up
0:42:38 > 0:42:41in the area I work, which is London,
0:42:41 > 0:42:47well, I would expect that to be nearer sort of 12,000 Australian,
0:42:47 > 0:42:52possibly 14,000 Australian, so we're talking, in good old British
0:42:52 > 0:42:56pounds, somewhere in the sort of £5,000 to £6,000 bracket
0:42:56 > 0:42:59because it's big, it's decorative
0:42:59 > 0:43:03and, you know, it's here in Sydney but it says
0:43:03 > 0:43:07"next stop is almost certainly Bellaire, Hollywood".
0:43:07 > 0:43:11Oh, thank you, that's fabulous but it won't be going to Bellaire.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14- No?- Won't be going to Elton John or anyone else.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Now I wasn't name dropping, but you were, OK.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20So do you want Rod's telephone number before you go?
0:43:20 > 0:43:23- It wouldn't be a bad idea.- OK.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Thanks again to all our friends in Australia for
0:43:26 > 0:43:29playing the queueing game and for showing us their treasures.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32Until the next time, goodbye.