0:00:42 > 0:00:46This week the wheels of the Roadshow have rolled to a halt in Birmingham.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49Looks like another busy day as the visitors file in
0:00:49 > 0:00:51with their mysterious bundles.
0:00:57 > 0:01:03Birmingham was known as the workshop of the world - busy, prosperous and highly respected.
0:01:03 > 0:01:10Pretty well at the centre of that world was Soho House, home of the legendary Matthew Boulton.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Boulton made his name as a pioneer of 18th-century industrialism.
0:01:14 > 0:01:20Talk about hive of industry, Boulton's busy bees made buckles, buttons and snuff boxes,
0:01:20 > 0:01:26gilded clocks, candelabra and silverware fit for the poshest of dinner tables.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29There was even a mint for pressing coins.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Boulton catered for all your metallic needs.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Birmingham's jewellery quarter was another frantic scene of activity.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42At one time, 70,000 people were engaged in the business and there's still a thriving community
0:01:42 > 0:01:44of craftspeople here today.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Birmingham also did well for toy enthusiasts.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Remember Chad Valley? Hope you kept the boxes.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57Another whole area of town was given over to the Birmingham Small Arms Company, BSA.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00In fact, the whole bewildering variety of products is what counts.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03They even invented the whistle here.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08At which point our tour ends
0:02:08 > 0:02:12because we've arrived at today's venue - Birmingham's Symphony Hall.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16Symphony Hall, by the way, is reckoned to be the finest of its kind in Britain.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20It certainly is an acoustic marvel.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21SNAPS FINGERS
0:02:22 > 0:02:25You could drop a pin and it would clearly be heard from any seat.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29Imagine what a cough would sound like at the wrong time.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31- HE COUGHS - Sorry.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36After all that, we're holding the Roadshow in the atrium of the Symphony Hall.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Well, it's good enough for the likes of us.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49Well, this is a very artsy craftsy necklace, isn't it? Can you tell me anything about it?
0:02:49 > 0:02:56Well, it belongs to my daughter and it was made for her grandmother, for grandmother's 21st birthday.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00And she handed it on to my daughter when she was 21
0:03:00 > 0:03:04and as far as I know it's moonstones and little pearls and...
0:03:04 > 0:03:06And it's obvious that it's made
0:03:06 > 0:03:10- by the Gaskins.- The Gaskins, yes. - Arthur and Georgie Gaskin.- Yes.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12And they were absolutely at the centre
0:03:12 > 0:03:18of arts and crafts jewellery here in Birmingham, weren't they? In the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I can't think you could ask for a better example.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24It's very subtle, the use of the moonstones. Do you find it easy to wear?
0:03:24 > 0:03:30Well, I've borrowed it once or twice but as it's not mine really... I think it's lovely.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36- Certainly.- It's very pretty.- They were self-conscious the Gaskins, going out of their way to use
0:03:36 > 0:03:39- precious stones that weren't very precious.- Yes, yes.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43They weren't interested in intrinsic value, only artistic value.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47The artistic value's very high. Have you thought about the design?
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- It's called Sweet Charity, I think. - Sweet Charity?
0:03:50 > 0:03:54- Well, that's absolutely fantastic. - Yes.- And actually lurking
0:03:54 > 0:03:57amongst this foliage here are the usual emblems
0:03:57 > 0:04:01of love. Here a stylised forget-me-not flower with pearls.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05- What about these green ones? Have you thought about them?- No, we never
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- knew what they were. - They're quite stylised
0:04:07 > 0:04:11but I actually think that they are ivy leaves
0:04:11 > 0:04:15and so I was surprised to hear that it was a birthday present and not a wedding gift.
0:04:15 > 0:04:20- Ivy is emblematic of marriage in the Victorian language of flowers. - No, I think, no, it was definitely...
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- We were told it was a 21st birthday present.- And it's like a picture in its original frame.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29It says "The Gaskins" in the lid. They did terribly well.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32They were married in the late 19th century and began to work together.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37It's quite difficult to know who was responsible for which particular technique.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41But what we do know is that they made a necklace for Queen Alexandra
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and that's quite a strong claim to fame, isn't it?
0:04:43 > 0:04:47- Oh, yes.- And this silk is very, very beautiful because although
0:04:47 > 0:04:50it's now very old and slightly worn, its colour is perfect, isn't it?
0:04:50 > 0:04:56- And very tight French silk which you simply can't obtain today. - Right.- And then
0:04:56 > 0:05:00a silk lid satin. A beautiful thing from the centre of Birmingham arts and crafts.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03So you can imagine my excitement, can't you?
0:05:03 > 0:05:07And we've got to try and measure that excitement in some way
0:05:07 > 0:05:11or another and value is very often a very false barometer of interest.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I think, to be perfectly frank, this thing is really rather undervalued
0:05:15 > 0:05:20at £3,000 but that's my personal view.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24- Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it. - I did, very much, thank you.
0:05:28 > 0:05:34Working on the miscellaneous table, I get to work with what you might call the weird and the wonderful.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35You do.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39And I've got to say that your cabinet qualifies in both cases.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42- Thank you.- There's something in a word because I said
0:05:42 > 0:05:45"weird and wonderful" because I know
0:05:45 > 0:05:50that this type of object is peculiar to one part of the British Isles in particular,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53- and that is "Weird-dale". - That's correct.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56I should say Weardale to be more precise, shouldn't I?
0:05:56 > 0:06:00A spar case. I'm assuming that the terminology comes from the fact
0:06:00 > 0:06:03that you've got a lot of fluorspar in there, is that correct?
0:06:03 > 0:06:09- That's right. Spar was the word that the miners used simply to describe crystals.- Let's have a look inside.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- It's like a fairy kingdom in there. - It really is amazing.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16First of all, all these minerals are the sort of things
0:06:16 > 0:06:20that would be picked up by miners in that part of the world.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26Correct. In Northern England, in two areas in particular - Weardale but also the west coast of Cumbria.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- Oh, really?- There were iron mines there that produced some magnificent crystals
0:06:30 > 0:06:34so you'll see these pointy ones are aconite
0:06:34 > 0:06:38and the black ones are specular haematite.
0:06:38 > 0:06:45- Specular haematite? Sounds more like a disease.- Yes. It's an iron ore and those are from West Cumbria
0:06:45 > 0:06:50but the brighter ones - the yellow, the green and the blue cubes - are fluorite or fluorspar.
0:06:50 > 0:06:55- Yes.- The quartz, calcites, various other types of minerals are from Weardale.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- It's a mixture from the two areas. - And the use of the mirrors in there, very clever.- Very.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Because you've got this effect of going on and into infinity.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Indeed. You can look in and see chamber after chamber,
0:07:05 > 0:07:09each one lined with crystals and it gives a magnificent view inside.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13You like this, don't you? Your face is lighting up talking about it.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17I've been keen on these for many years and I've spent a lot of time tracking them down,
0:07:17 > 0:07:23- just to build a photographic record of them because, as you say, there aren't very many about.- Good for you.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27And this one I actually saw about 15 years ago, it was in private hands
0:07:27 > 0:07:34and I kept in touch with it, and eventually it was inherited by a person who was prepared to sell it.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36So fortunately for me, I was able to acquire it.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I mean, to make a work of art like this is quite special.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43It is special, considering when it was done.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Back in the late 19th century there was a fashion for building these.
0:07:47 > 0:07:53- I think along with the Victorian fashion for displaying all sorts of natural history in the home.- Yes.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57You see the birds and the animals and the butterflies and the fish in their cabinets.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Well, in the mining areas they used their natural history -
0:08:01 > 0:08:05the minerals - to create these boxes in the same way.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07We have to come to price, obviously,
0:08:07 > 0:08:12and I've got to say that it's tricky because I don't have very many precedents.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18You know, it's around about 1900-1910, so I'll stick my neck out here.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22An object like this, if it came onto the open market, I don't think
0:08:22 > 0:08:26that I would be able to buy it for much less than £3,000.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29Now, put me out of me misery, how much did you pay for it?
0:08:29 > 0:08:33- I paid 2,000.- Oh, did you? Ooh, that was a near one, wasn't it?- Yes.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36- But if I offered you 3,000, would you sell it to me?- No.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40- If I offered you 4,000, would you sell it?- You'd have to go higher than that I think.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Your wife's nodding over your shoulder by the way. I'm not going to say any more.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48- I've put a value on it, but it's worth more to you.- It is.
0:08:48 > 0:08:54- I think it's a treasure.- Thank you. - Thank you. We'll leave you alone now, fairies, OK? Bye.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Well, as I look at this, I'm catapulted back to my childhood
0:09:03 > 0:09:08and my grandfather telling me the most wonderful fairy stories.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12But what better fairy story than Peter Pan? It is the best.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15And, as we look here, we've got the most wonderful
0:09:15 > 0:09:18hand-painted, hand-decorated jigsaw.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21But where's it from, and how do you come to own it?
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- Chad Valley.- Ah.
0:09:23 > 0:09:31In the mid '60s, I worked at Chad Valley as an artist and one day there was a new manager installed.
0:09:31 > 0:09:38So the chairman of the company cleared out the whole department and the workshop alongside it,
0:09:38 > 0:09:44left a huge pile of stuff in the middle of the room with the words, "Help yourselves.
0:09:44 > 0:09:51"Take what you want. Take what you want because whatever's left tomorrow, it'll be burned."
0:09:51 > 0:09:53- Really?- And it was.
0:09:53 > 0:09:59So this was the result of my endeavours in that pile of rubbish.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02- Was it complete when you found it? - No, it was all in separate pieces.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04- All over the floor? - All over the floor.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08Well, I notice that we do have a couple of pieces missing,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11so with that tale told, I think I'll forgive you.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13I certainly hope so.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15I think you've done a wonderful job.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Now maybe you'll enlighten me a bit but looking at it,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22looking at the style, the way it's been decorated, it feels very 1920s,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26very 1930s, is there any indication you can tell us?
0:10:26 > 0:10:31- Well, there is, on the reverse of, I think, the ship, there is a date.- Of?
0:10:31 > 0:10:341926.
0:10:34 > 0:10:391926. Well, that for me, fits in beautifully.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44- It does, perfectly with the story. - This was one of the peak times for Chad Valley and you working there,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48you'll know they were absolutely at full steam.
0:10:48 > 0:10:55They could do no wrong. They were making everything from tinplate toys, to soft toys, to jigsaws
0:10:55 > 0:11:00and this really, for me, has got to be a prototype but you said "studio", you said "artist".
0:11:00 > 0:11:04In my recollection, I've never seen this jigsaw out on the market
0:11:04 > 0:11:08as a printed finish because it wouldn't have been painted commercially.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13- It would have been...- It would have been printed.- Exactly. Paper printed, cut on and laid out.
0:11:13 > 0:11:18To my knowledge, it was never actually put into production. I've never been able to trace it.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23If you have to put me on the spot, and that's what we're here for,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28my gut instinct is that an auction estimate, to start things off,
0:11:28 > 0:11:33would be maybe, I don't know, £600-£800.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35But, to be honest,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38where do you go from there?
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Maybe I'm spot on there, but the other thing that sort of comes to my mind
0:11:42 > 0:11:45is something that my dad used to say to me, "Go and get me another."
0:11:45 > 0:11:48- Absolutely.- And I can't.- No.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52But the one thing is, appeal will always be appeal when it comes to childhood.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Thank you ever so much for bringing it on. Thank you.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57It's very special to me.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01I can honestly say
0:12:01 > 0:12:04that I have never seen anything
0:12:04 > 0:12:09quite like this and I feel it's a real family treasure.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Tell me who this lady is.
0:12:11 > 0:12:19That is my aunt and she was Matron of the First Southern General Hospital
0:12:19 > 0:12:20which was in the
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Great Hall of the University of Birmingham
0:12:22 > 0:12:26in the 14-18 War.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31- So the Great Hall was made into a hospital during the war?- Yes.- Wonderful.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34So these are the patients in bed?
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- That's right.- In the hall?
0:12:36 > 0:12:39She had a lot of soldiers there for some time convalescing.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43- Right.- She had to keep them happy, so she thought she'd get them
0:12:43 > 0:12:45busy on some embroidery.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48Incredible, what a resourceful woman.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Well, she was very practical.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54It just shows the absolute depth of her character to come out
0:12:54 > 0:13:00with such a brilliant thought, to get them working together in groups,
0:13:00 > 0:13:05and also to do something that required an immense amount of concentration
0:13:05 > 0:13:11and application because, you know, in their very unwell state,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15the detail and the attention, because they're sewn quite
0:13:15 > 0:13:21beautifully, I mean, there's no missed stitch if you like.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Then at some point, obviously,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26the large panels were put together.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31Yes, each group of soldiers did their own regiment.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36I mean, I would like to imagine that by doing something like this,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38they were really able to take their minds
0:13:38 > 0:13:44off what they'd been through and to produce something that they could feel truly proud of.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48So having sewn it, what happened to it then?
0:13:48 > 0:13:52When it was finished, they gave it to her and then she gave it my mother
0:13:52 > 0:13:57because they got on very well - my mother and Aunty Kathleen.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02- And then when my mother died, it came to me.- Do you keep it and show it to your friends when they come?
0:14:02 > 0:14:06No, we had it in our house - when Aunt Kathleen died it came to us -
0:14:06 > 0:14:11and it was in our house for some time doing nothing, so we have now given it to Birmingham University
0:14:11 > 0:14:14because they are planning to set up a permanent exhibition
0:14:14 > 0:14:21of articles to do with the First World War and this will obviously stay in their exhibition.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25That is... That is... I mean, that is such a good place for it to go
0:14:25 > 0:14:28because very often things like this languish
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- in people's cupboards.- Yes.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33It never does them any good.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Putting a value on something like this is very difficult.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40Commercially, I think you would put £600 on it.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45But to the University, to Birmingham
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and to your family, it's absolutely priceless.
0:14:53 > 0:14:58A ginger jar too. And so these are all things that you've found at boot fairs?
0:14:58 > 0:15:03- All from car boot sales, apart from that which was from a charity shop. - Right.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08- And so you're quite a regular at the boot fairs, then? - I am, yes. Yeah, yeah.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Well, what sort of money do you pay for these things? What do they cost at boot fairs?
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Well, there's nothing here more than £5.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20- It's typical in a way of the sort of odd selection you can find at boot fairs.- Yes.- Isn't it?
0:15:20 > 0:15:26- Yeah.- You've got quite a mixture. Some of things probably aren't worth much more than you've paid.- No, no.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28But you've got a little paperweight here
0:15:28 > 0:15:35- from the Far East, a Chinese reproduction paperweight.- Yeah. - That's only worth £3 or £4.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Yeah, yeah.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41A ginger jar here, the reign mark of K'hang Hsi, that's sort of...
0:15:41 > 0:15:45The reign mark tells us it was made in around about 1700 in date.
0:15:45 > 0:15:51- Oh, right.- Except it wasn't. I mean, that piece is a Victorian copy. - Yeah.- So, it's still nice,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54- but £10 rather than £500 for the real thing.- Yeah, yeah.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58So, I mean, a lot of these things aren't what they seem.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02A Japanese bowl is from Satsuma and we see lots of Satsuma.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07- Some Satsuma is worth a lot of money.- Yeah. - Others are more everyday.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11This is a nice piece from 1920 and that's probably worth £40.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17- Right.- But then, what else? You've got the few bits that are older.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- What was this? What did you think you had here? - I thought that might be Worcester.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- Right.- But, having no marks on, I wasn't sure.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Yeah, I mean it looks very much like a Worcester one.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31- Yeah.- But this is again a copy.
0:16:31 > 0:16:37But this time, a contemporary copy. This was made as an imitation of Worcester but made at Lowestoft.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- Oh, right.- It's an East Anglian one.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- Yeah.- Lowestoft, little cream boat.
0:16:41 > 0:16:47That was made in, what are we looking at, 1760-1762.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52- Really?- An early Lowestoft, a nice little piece, quite rare.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54One's looking there at a cream jug, lovely condition.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59- In a boot fair little things are put out there...- For a pound.- A pound? - A pound.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03I mean, there, one's looking at a jug worth £1,000.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Really? Blimey.
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- A winner there, definitely. - Good grief.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16- And the little medallion here. What did this one cost you?- That was £4.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I mean, a simple little head of one of the Caesars.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24"Illustrious Greeks and Romans" they were called, when Wedgwood made the set of these...
0:17:24 > 0:17:30- We're looking here, early Wedgwood, it's 1780.- Right.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34And not a huge amount of money for the period but £150.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36Really?
0:17:36 > 0:17:38- Not bad.- Not bad. Not bad at all.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42And another local piece, what about that?
0:17:42 > 0:17:44That was from a charity shop.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45And?
0:17:45 > 0:17:49Obviously I know it's Ruskin because it's got the mark on the bottom.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54Look at the colours and the glaze. That's the thing, the charity shops really ought to find out before...
0:17:54 > 0:17:56What did they sell it for?
0:17:56 > 0:17:59£4.95.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03I mean, a classic piece of locally-made stone ware,
0:18:03 > 0:18:09because Ruskin of course were Midlands based at Smethwick, they made some amazing glazes.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14- Yeah.- And the joy of Ruskin... I mean, this is so different from the early porcelain, a modern design
0:18:14 > 0:18:20- from... We're looking at 1920s. But what a glaze?- It's lovely, isn't it?
0:18:20 > 0:18:24- It's tactile isn't it? Yeah. - It is, it's gorgeous.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29And so a vase like that is going to be what these days?
0:18:29 > 0:18:31- £1,200-£1,500.- Really?
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Very nice. Very nice.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- So, not a winner every time.- No.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41- But you've got quite an eye.- Yeah. - So are you going to keep going back to these boot fairs?
0:18:41 > 0:18:42Definitely, yeah. Yeah.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51When I first looked at this, I must say, I loved the legs.
0:18:51 > 0:18:58They are superb examples of 1815-1820 turned legs.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Absolutely, that's the date of this little square piano.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06- So how did you find it, how did you come by it?- Well, I went to
0:19:06 > 0:19:10a local farm on a business trip and I was in the barn with the farmer
0:19:10 > 0:19:14and when we'd finished I saw this at the bottom end
0:19:14 > 0:19:18but it had two bales of hay on top of it and some old hydraulic pipes
0:19:18 > 0:19:20and it was its lovely legs I saw.
0:19:20 > 0:19:27- Ah!- And I said, "That's something old." And he said, "Oh, it's French, a bloody old piano."
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And I said, "Well, you can't leave it like that."
0:19:30 > 0:19:34He said, "Well, you can have it." And I said, "Oh, I can't take it away."
0:19:34 > 0:19:37"Well," he said, "I don't care." And I said, "Well, £50 then."
0:19:37 > 0:19:42But we'd been talking about a bathroom he was doing up and I'd got an old shower suite
0:19:42 > 0:19:46so I said, "Well, you can have the shower suite as well."
0:19:46 > 0:19:48But when he came to fetch the shower suite he said,
0:19:48 > 0:19:53- "Oh, I think I've overcharged you, have a couple of dozen eggs." - Oh, wonderful.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Oh, what a marvellous story, but I notice here you've got photographs.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- Yes.- Let's have a look. This is how you bought it.- Yes.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04There are the lovely legs. Well, well, well!
0:20:04 > 0:20:05That was some mess, wasn't it?
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- Oh, full of straw.- Well spotted and there it is inside the...
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Inside the back of the car.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15That's remarkable. That's a labour of love.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17So what restoration did you have to do?
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Well, there was a little bit of fret here that wanted replacing
0:20:20 > 0:20:23but the main thing was that it didn't have a foot pedal.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27So I found out that the local stately home had a Broadwood.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33I went along, sketched the foot pedal, took it again to the same cabinet maker and he made that.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Well, he made a good job of that too. Excellent.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Well, it's fortunate you've done all this because...
0:20:39 > 0:20:41for a long time they were unfashionable.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45And they're actually a nightmare because there's a wooden box frame
0:20:45 > 0:20:48and, of course, you would have to have it tuned fairly regularly.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51If there's a wet day, it goes out of tune.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53If it's too warm, it goes out of tune.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56And I'm ashamed to say that, while I wasn't personally responsible,
0:20:56 > 0:21:01many antique dealers used to take the insides of these out and make them into drinks cabinets
0:21:01 > 0:21:07or toilet tables or dressing tables or anything other than the piano. So it's quite rare to find one
0:21:07 > 0:21:11where there's enough of it left actually to restore.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15Broadwoods made literally thousands of these.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19They were THE instrument of the early 19th century.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24An unsophisticated basic musical instrument, a joy to play
0:21:24 > 0:21:29and great sound and of course fitted into any salon or drawing room.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32And if you did want to transport it, you could unscrew the legs.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35It all comes to bits and put it in a box and over it goes.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38You can take it abroad with you, as they did.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Well, in working condition, as it is,
0:21:41 > 0:21:46today I think your £50 and actually your shower suite and a dozen eggs
0:21:46 > 0:21:50turned into somewhere between £1,200 and £1,500.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53- Oh, that's very good. - But you don't play?- I don't play.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56The wife doesn't play but my grandchildren do.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Then that's absolutely marvellous.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03- Yes.- And actually, of course, we've brought it to the perfect place to see what it does sound like -
0:22:03 > 0:22:09- the Birmingham Symphony Hall. - PIANO MUSIC PLAYS
0:22:18 > 0:22:23This is a lovely picture of a little girl holding primroses
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- and bluebells and this lovely title Spring Flowers.- Beautiful.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29Where did you get this from?
0:22:29 > 0:22:36- From an antique shop in Combe Martin when I was on my honeymoon. - Oh, that's lovely.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41- Yes, yes, these are the receipts. - And how much was it then?
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Er, five guineas.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- Well, and that was when? Oh, 1963. - 1963,
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- yes.- Well, quite a lot of money then.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55Walter Duncan is quite an interesting artist but this is the best one I've seen by him
0:22:55 > 0:23:01because most of the pictures I see were painted in the early 1900s, those sort of street scenes.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Of course he was the son of quite a famous marine artist called Edward Duncan.
0:23:05 > 0:23:11- Yes.- But it's so fresh, the colours are so strong.- Yes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:19Well, having got that on your honeymoon for five guineas, today that is so desirable,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23I would expect it to make somewhere in the region of £2,000 to £3,000.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Never?! Really?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- Oh, I'm amazed. I'm amazed. - So it's a good honeymoon.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32Yes.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40You know, this collection amazes me because I've been a radio fan since birth.
0:23:40 > 0:23:46I mean, there wasn't any television when we were small but I never got into, or knew about, clubs,
0:23:46 > 0:23:51broadcasting clubs for children and you've got this whole mass of badges about it.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Yes, yes, each individual station around the country
0:23:54 > 0:24:00produced membership cards and certificates.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04Now here, for example, to show hold old it is, this little badge here from Manchester
0:24:04 > 0:24:07saying "The British Broadcasting Company",
0:24:07 > 0:24:13- so that must go back to, what, 1927 or something?- Absolutely. Yes, yes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17Were you a child listener and applied for your club membership?
0:24:17 > 0:24:19In fact, no.
0:24:19 > 0:24:25The reason I collected those was that as a youngster
0:24:25 > 0:24:29I was really amazed at the fact that Marconi
0:24:29 > 0:24:36had managed to solve the mystery of how to send messages
0:24:36 > 0:24:41through the air without a cable, without pipes or anything like that.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And, to me, that was absolutely marvellous.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- Well, it still amazes me.- Yes.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49And then we whiz ahead some years.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Here we've got Blue Peter Locomotive Society.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55So we've come into the, what, the '60s here, '70s?
0:24:55 > 0:24:56Yeah, '60s, yes.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Blue Peter badges. Did you own these yourself?
0:24:59 > 0:25:04No, no, no, no. They're all ones really that I've collected
0:25:04 > 0:25:12from collector's fairs over a period of, oh, 20-30 years.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16So many different radio stations, one would never have imagined
0:25:16 > 0:25:19every single part of the country had its own little station,
0:25:19 > 0:25:24its own club - Belfast, London, Scottish, Plymouth, Nottingham. And I've suddenly seen this,
0:25:24 > 0:25:29- and I can't believe my eyes, a This Is Your Life badge.- Yes.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32I never knew there was such a thing. Where does that date back to?
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Er, probably in the '60s.
0:25:36 > 0:25:42Eamonn must have handed those out unless they were sent with the big red book with the photographs in.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48Now, I don't know if this quite qualifies for your grand collection but I wonder if you'd like to accept
0:25:48 > 0:25:52- this little number from the Antiques Roadshow.- Oh.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54A mere key-ring but a work of art.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58- Well, that's really nice of you, thank you very much indeed. - Our pleasure.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Thank you.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03Do you play?
0:26:03 > 0:26:07- Not any more. I used to play to a moderate standard a long time ago. - Did you?
0:26:07 > 0:26:11- Batter or bowler? - Military medium.- Military...
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You've hit the right spot with me here.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20I've got cricket on the table which is marvellous for me, my love, really.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23It's quite an interesting mix of items.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26Have you collected them yourself?
0:26:26 > 0:26:31Well, my mother bought the Wisden for ten shillings in about 1970
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- when it must have been worth considerably more. She was proud of that.- Yeah.
0:26:35 > 0:26:42The other stuff was given me by a great aunt who despaired of her own sons ever being interested in cricket
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and gave them to me when she discovered I was a teenage fanatic.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51And the autograph book there, she went to Lord's as a little girl.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55- Really?- I think quite a little girl. - With her father?- I don't know.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59But the gate keeper, I think, used to collect the autographs for her.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03She's written her name and dated it inside, it starts in 1903.
0:27:03 > 0:27:10How interesting to have a single lady, girl, going to a cricket match, being interested in cricket.
0:27:10 > 0:27:16- Yes.- Then! I mean, there are precious few ladies interested in cricket now. That's marvellous.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20You've a photograph here. Does history relate to who took the photograph?
0:27:20 > 0:27:23I've no idea where that came from.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27And of course it shows right in the centre, the great WG Grace,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- I suppose THE most famous cricketer of all time.- Yes.
0:27:29 > 0:27:36Enormous man, huge black beard. Bit like Rasputin I would have thought.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40But it's tremendous. It's the first original photograph
0:27:40 > 0:27:46I've seen of WG Grace, I think, other than in the Long Room and places like that.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50It's wonderful. Perhaps we could open the autograph book
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and...
0:27:53 > 0:27:56the great thing about these
0:27:56 > 0:27:57is the age of them.
0:27:57 > 0:28:02Countless numbers of people have got autographs,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05post-war autographs, of cricketers.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09And here we've got very early 20th century.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13One or two names I'm recognising there - Warwick Armstrong,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Clem Hill, Rhodes, Lilley.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19It's a "Who's Who", an early "Who's Who" of cricket.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21It is. It goes from 1903 to 1906.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24It's the best collection of early ones I've seen.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27You see the odd one dotted around in an album and, as I say,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31you see countless from the '50s and '60s. I think they're just marvellous.
0:28:31 > 0:28:36- I don't suppose you'd think of selling them?- Absolutely not. - I wouldn't allow you to.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I might have to change my will, depending on what you're going to tell me...
0:28:39 > 0:28:43- Have you thought? - I have no idea, absolutely no idea.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Well, I would say... I mean, I think the Wisden is worth a few hundred pounds.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53It's not worth thousands but it's a hard back, it's in pretty good condition. I think the photograph
0:28:53 > 0:28:57also is worth a reasonably substantial amount of money.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59The other things are of interest.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04That autograph album, I think with that collection of names,
0:29:04 > 0:29:08- could well be worth in the order of £4,000 to £6,000.- Blimey.
0:29:08 > 0:29:11But it's just priceless.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16Sounds a silly word to use about autographs but, needless to say, you won't be getting them again.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21And to have them all in one album that is in good condition, I just think it's marvellous.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27- OK, I give in.- You give in?
0:29:27 > 0:29:31I've not a clue. I've never seen anything like it.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34Well, it's called a Chinese ring puzzle
0:29:34 > 0:29:38and the puzzle is to get the rings off the stick,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41which has got this loop.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43And actually, you wouldn't believe it,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46but to get them all off
0:29:46 > 0:29:48there are over 300 moves.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51- And you have to do them sequentially?- You have to, yes.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55This one, being smaller, is easier to show you
0:29:55 > 0:29:58because that's only 28 moves.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02This was at home when I was young and I got very good at it. It was my thing that I could do,
0:30:02 > 0:30:08like later on it was Rubik's Cube. I used to have it under the bedclothes and see how fast I could do it.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10- What, in the dark?- In the dark.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Do you want me to show you how to do it?
0:30:12 > 0:30:17- Absolutely.- As you're completely astonished by it.
0:30:17 > 0:30:21You can get the second one off while the first one is on.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25But that's no good because you've got to have the second one on
0:30:25 > 0:30:28to get the third one off.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31And only when you've got the third one off,
0:30:31 > 0:30:36and you're left with the last two, can you get the last one off...
0:30:36 > 0:30:38like that. So, then,
0:30:38 > 0:30:43in order to get the second to last one off, you've got to get that one on again.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45So you go in reverse.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48But didn't it drive you completely mad trying to work this out?
0:30:48 > 0:30:53Well, it's a bit like Rubik's Cube, you know, I mean, it does. So that's 28 moves
0:30:53 > 0:30:57- just to get five off. So then you have to put them all...- Genius.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01- And one of the rules in our family... - Look at that. - ..is if you take them off,
0:31:01 > 0:31:05- you have to get them on again. - And are you a very patient person?
0:31:05 > 0:31:07- Well, obsessional I think. - Obsessional.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11I think they're terrifically good fun and, of course, you know,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14it's the sort of thing you'd have in a Victorian cabinet of treasures.
0:31:14 > 0:31:20- I think this is the oldest one and I think it dates from the middle of the 19th century.- Right.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25I like it because it's got a very simple handle and you can relate it to other things
0:31:25 > 0:31:29like bone hairbrushes and things like that, which were very popular,
0:31:29 > 0:31:32- and I think it's probably worth about £250.- Really?
0:31:32 > 0:31:35- You don't think that is nicer with the carving?- This is the one.- Really?
0:31:35 > 0:31:42I think this is a little bit later, although it's got a much more intricate decoration on its handle.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47I think this dates towards the turn of the century and worth about £150
0:31:47 > 0:31:49and this one a little bit less.
0:31:49 > 0:31:55You have given me so much pleasure bringing these in. I love things that I've never seen before.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Now, would you like to try putting those back on?
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Over to you.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11This is an incredibly deep cameo. I mean, tell me, what do you know about it?
0:32:11 > 0:32:16- I don't know much about it. It was given me two years ago. - Two years ago?- Yes.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18It said quite a lot to me because it's a stone cameo
0:32:18 > 0:32:23and it's the goddess Flora and there are three levels of colour here which have been cut down
0:32:23 > 0:32:26to reveal not only her beautiful face
0:32:26 > 0:32:33and her skin, but also the flowers in her hair which are her signal, one of her attributes.
0:32:33 > 0:32:38And beneath it is a sort of pale pink background colour too but quite a tour de force
0:32:38 > 0:32:43- of lapidary work and it's the first sign that this is a very, very distinguished jewel indeed.- Yes.
0:32:43 > 0:32:44Tell me about it.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47It was given to me by my daughter-in-law.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50I looked after her mother a bit and I was with her when she passed away
0:32:50 > 0:32:54and she says, "My mum would want you have this," and she gave it to me.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00How marvellous. And it is a very sort of, you know, sort of imperial looking jewel, isn't it?
0:33:00 > 0:33:04- It is.- The gold mount is as significant as this hard stone cameo.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09- Oh, right. Is it gold all the way round?- It's gold all the way round and it's a very distinctive pattern.
0:33:09 > 0:33:14- These are the Doves of Venus walking through a sort of field of flowers. - Right.
0:33:14 > 0:33:20And it derives from a classical jewel, a Greek jewel, a rather famous one,
0:33:20 > 0:33:26but actually this is a 19th century jewel and I would like to think that it was made by
0:33:26 > 0:33:29one of the most famous Italian jewellers of the 19th century.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34So here we have a neo-classical hard stone cameo in a neo-classical
0:33:34 > 0:33:38hard stone mount which I think we can attribute to Castellani.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43So it makes it very interesting indeed. I think it's quite a noble background, really.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45I think you have to be quite something to go there.
0:33:45 > 0:33:51He had the most fantastic clientele and Napoleon III went there, Robert Browning went there,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55Princess Alice - Queen Victoria's daughter - went there.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57So it was a very, very special place indeed.
0:33:57 > 0:34:02- Now, I can't prove this is Castellani but I just feel it in my veins that it is.- Yes.
0:34:02 > 0:34:07And I've handled quite a lot of those things and I do believe it and that's very, very good news.
0:34:07 > 0:34:12The slightly sad news is that the condition at the back isn't quite mint
0:34:12 > 0:34:17and that is a great sadness in a way because had it been in perfect condition this would be, you know,
0:34:17 > 0:34:22- a great masterpiece of Revivalist jewellery, Italian jewellery.- Yes.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25And, I think, without any hesitation at all,
0:34:25 > 0:34:30- it would have been worth £10,000 to £12,000.- You're joking.- I'm not.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35Fully attributed to Castellani, but it's the good news and the bad news slightly.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39The attribution to Castellani I'm less worried about than the condition.
0:34:39 > 0:34:44- That takes the value off? - It does take the value off and we have to say it.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47You see the brooch fitting's been torn off and repaired.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51It might be possible to tidy it up a bit and make some delicate restorations.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55But, having said that, I think there's absolutely no doubt
0:34:55 > 0:34:59- that this thing is worth £5,000. - Really? Oh, I'm gobsmacked.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Oh, she was ever such a nice lady.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07And I'm sure she wanted you to treasure it and it is a great masterpiece
0:35:07 > 0:35:10of 19th-century jewellery design and I'm thrilled to see it.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12- Oh, thank you.- Thank you.
0:35:14 > 0:35:15Well, you've certainly got
0:35:15 > 0:35:19an incredible group of photographs here.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Here we've got Anthony Curtis,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23Piper Laurie,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Ann Blyth,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28Peggy Dow,
0:35:28 > 0:35:30Maureen O'Hara,
0:35:30 > 0:35:35Jeff Chandler, all the stars. Look, Abbott and Costello,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Jimmy Stewart. It gets better and better this. Look at this,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Gregory Peck. How come you've got so many of these signed photographs?
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Well, in the 1950s I was employed by GFD, General Film Distributors,
0:35:47 > 0:35:51which was the distribution section of the Rank Organisation.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56- Aha.- My job was organising film star appearances,
0:35:56 > 0:36:01mainly British film stars, and I even went backstage at the Hippodrome
0:36:01 > 0:36:05down the road when Ava Gardner was there in the dressing room.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08- Really? That would have been interesting.- Oh, very interesting.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12- Many would have liked to have seen Ava Gardner in the dressing room. - Exactly.
0:36:12 > 0:36:18- How many photographs have you got altogether, do you think?- Well, do you know, I haven't counted them.
0:36:18 > 0:36:23- But this is just a small part, isn't it?- There must be about, oh, 20 to 30 there.- Right.
0:36:23 > 0:36:29And I have other ones, personal ones, in the studios and on tour and so on.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34- So when Frank Sinatra came to Birmingham, did he present you with this picture?- Oh, yes.
0:36:34 > 0:36:40- I would say invariably, "It's nice to have been of service," cos it was my job.- Quite.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43Invariably, "Thank you for looking after us." "May I have a souvenir?"
0:36:43 > 0:36:47- So you'd say to Frank, "How about a signed photograph?"- Yes.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49And I had a nickname.
0:36:49 > 0:36:57My initials are James Anthony Monk, JAM, my boss was J Arthur Rank, JAR, so some called me Jimmy Jam Jar.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59That's quite true.
0:36:59 > 0:37:04Well, that's fantastic because the problem for most people
0:37:04 > 0:37:09with signed material of this type is, how authentic is the signature?
0:37:09 > 0:37:14And it's extremely difficult because the studios produced large numbers of these images.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Of course they did - these people are major stars.
0:37:18 > 0:37:23Very often the signature that's on the photograph is absolute rubbish
0:37:23 > 0:37:28because they had a signer in the studio who simply did the necessary.
0:37:28 > 0:37:33But if you're saying to me that when Frank Sinatra came to Birmingham
0:37:33 > 0:37:37- he presented you at the end of his visit with this signed photograph... - Which he did.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40..and you saw him sign it, so to speak,
0:37:40 > 0:37:44THAT is copper-bottomed provenance.
0:37:44 > 0:37:45And it's extremely important.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48As a result, because you're able to say that,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51some of these images, particularly for the bigger stars,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54I have to say, will be worth a considerable amount of money.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58- Thank you.- If you take that image, though, one of your glazed ones.
0:37:58 > 0:38:04- That's Joan Collins when she was 18. - That's Joan Collins when she's 18. - Yes, and I was 32.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Ah, that puts you in your place then, doesn't it?
0:38:08 > 0:38:12- So Joan Collins, aged 18, did she sign this for you?- Oh, yes.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15- Yes.- And here we've got Dickie Attenborough.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19- That's right, Lord Attenborough now if I may say so.- I'm so sorry.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24And even he says "Bless you, Jimmy, for looking after us. Yours, Dickie Attenborough".
0:38:24 > 0:38:29- That's right. - Well, that's a wonderful series of memories for you.- Invaluable.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34- You'd never want to sell them, would you?- No, just want them valued. - Just want to have them valued.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39So many of my friends have said to me, "They must be worth thousands." I said, "Oh, steady on a bit."
0:38:39 > 0:38:41It's difficult to value, quite frankly,
0:38:41 > 0:38:46but the fact that you've got this copper-bottomed provenance makes an enormous difference.
0:38:46 > 0:38:52So a really good photograph of the youthful and extremely good-looking Frank Sinatra
0:38:52 > 0:38:56- is probably worth around £1,000. - Really?- Yes.
0:38:56 > 0:39:03If you take Gregory Peck, looking immaculate as only Gregory Peck can, £600 to £900 probably for him.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07Jimmy Stewart is worth £800 to £1,200.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Abbott and Costello -
0:39:10 > 0:39:13they didn't sign very much during their lifetime,
0:39:13 > 0:39:18and this photograph is probably worth £1,000 or £1,200.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20So if you take this lot as a mass,
0:39:20 > 0:39:25I hope you'll feel that all that work that you did at the time,
0:39:25 > 0:39:30schmoozing them, "Can I please have an autograph?" you'll find worthwhile. Do you?
0:39:30 > 0:39:35To be honest, I thought something in the region of about £3,000 for this lot alone.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39- Well, it would be more than that. - Definitely. Now you've told me, I believe you.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41Good. So you should!
0:39:41 > 0:39:43- You should know.- Millions wouldn't.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50And with that, the wheel of good fortune comes to a halt
0:39:50 > 0:39:55and we hop off, bidding farewell to the glorious surroundings of Symphony Hall.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59Until the next time, from Birmingham, goodbye.