0:00:36 > 0:00:40Not for the first time in Roadshow history, we've come to a place which
0:00:40 > 0:00:45has close links with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47She wasn't born here, she didn't
0:00:47 > 0:00:50spend her childhood here - she owned it.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51Let's go through the keyhole.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02This blue mac on the back of a chair,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05her wellies under the table.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10Photos of her favourite corgis and her collection of sea shells.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12The Queen Mother's presence is everywhere.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14We're at the Castle of Mey
0:01:14 > 0:01:18at Caithness, six miles west of John O'Groats.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22At the age of 101 the Queen Mother still climbed these stairs unaided,
0:01:22 > 0:01:27perhaps pausing to appreciate the overflowing jardiniere of flowers.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30The Queen Mother saved the 15th century castle from ruin
0:01:30 > 0:01:35soon after her husband, King George VI, died in 1952.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39It took three years to repair, and every summer for almost 50 years
0:01:39 > 0:01:42she entertained family and friends.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Guests would often pop along to
0:01:46 > 0:01:49John O'Groats and the Orkneys and bring back the tackiest souvenir
0:01:49 > 0:01:53they could find, which their royal host found very amusing.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57It was left to members of staff to find a good home for most of
0:01:57 > 0:01:59the items. A few escaped.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Note the late 16th century Flemish
0:02:02 > 0:02:07tapestry adorned by a late 20th century Scottish Nessie.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10So that's where that got to!
0:02:10 > 0:02:13When she was in residence, the Queen Mother's daily ladies
0:02:13 > 0:02:17helped look after the castle, and they still come in every day.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Now they're tour guides, recalling life at the castle
0:02:20 > 0:02:25and discreetly spilling the beans - plus the occasional lemon.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27And here's the proof, a telegram to her daughter
0:02:27 > 0:02:31who was on the royal yacht Britannia which was close by.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33"There is a grave shortage of lemons.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36"Could you possibly bring a couple with you?"
0:02:36 > 0:02:41The young queen arrived, vital fruit in hand, and disaster was avoided.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47The Queen Mother's passion for animals is evident throughout the
0:02:47 > 0:02:50estate, whether rendered in oils or in the flesh.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54And there's plenty of that on her prize-winning Aberdeen Angus cattle.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59Being so far north, the winds can be severe for animals and plants. Hence
0:02:59 > 0:03:03the turreted great wall of Mey, which protects the royal garden.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08We checked the charts and discovered
0:03:08 > 0:03:13that in the whole of Britain today, there is just one tiny area of rain.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17And that, I'm proud to say, is here, just around the Castle of Mey!
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So this is our very own weather.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25We shall wallow in it and soldier on.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's what the Queen Mother would have wanted.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I was given them as a wedding present, about
0:03:33 > 0:03:3950 years ago, by a lovely old man who lived in a tiny village in Suffolk.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41- Right.- Thorns Corner, it was called.
0:03:41 > 0:03:47And old Mr Wright lived in a wee shed of a house.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51And all the way round it, he had junk of every kind.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Even old violins and things, all piled up.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55And this was part of his junk?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Well, yes, he gave me these as a wedding present.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00- Wonderful.- And that's about 1950.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Cos of course, you realise they're shoe buckles?
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Are they shoe buckles?- Oh, yes, yes.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Silver buckles on your shoe.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11- Oh!- They're fascinating actually, because they
0:04:11 > 0:04:13actually copy cut steel.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- Are they?- No, they're made of silver.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19- They're made of silver?- They're made of silver, they're George III and
0:04:19 > 0:04:23they date from about 1780.
0:04:23 > 0:04:29What most people don't realise is that cut steel was more expensive
0:04:29 > 0:04:31in 1780 than silver.
0:04:31 > 0:04:32Was it?
0:04:32 > 0:04:40- And so this was actually a cheaper version.- No!
0:04:40 > 0:04:42I can't find a single mark on them.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44So they're English?
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Oh, I would say they were English, yes.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51And I think we're looking at a value of about £400.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Oh, how lovely.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Do you know anybody who'd buy them off me?
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- Well, there are some avid buckle collectors.- Oh, wonderful.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04But what about the spoons, what can you tell me about these?
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Well, the spoons are my son's.
0:05:06 > 0:05:07They were
0:05:07 > 0:05:11given to a great aunt.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14We had a Great Aunt Matheson, Auntie Flo Matheson.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17- Right.- Who lived to 103, I think.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20And she gave them to a cousin of my husband's, Brian Kelly.
0:05:20 > 0:05:26- Right.- And Brian Kelly has given them to my son, Jamie.- Wonderful.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Can you tell me, what are they? I mean, they've a funny sort of a mark.
0:05:29 > 0:05:34You know, this morning somebody, when we were having breakfast
0:05:34 > 0:05:38before the programme, said "What would you most like to see today?"
0:05:40 > 0:05:43And I said, "A piece of Wick Silver would be
0:05:43 > 0:05:45"very nice, from just down the road.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- "Or I'd be very happy with a piece of Tain Silver."- Tain.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53- And that's exactly what we've got here.- Look at them.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56So what we've got, the maker's mark.
0:05:56 > 0:06:01Maker's mark there, HR conjoined. That's Hugh Ross of Tain.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Oh, Hugh Ross of Tain. Yes.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- Mid-18th century.- Really?
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And that funny mark there,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10it's actually St Duthac.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14St Duthac of course, who's on there, is the patron saint of Tain.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18- Is it?- With SD on either side.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20So, how much are they worth?
0:06:22 > 0:06:27- I think you're looking at... - Half a crown each?
0:06:27 > 0:06:29I think a little more, a little more.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I think we're looking at at least £500.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35For four of them?
0:06:35 > 0:06:37- Each.- Each?
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Each.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43I must get round my son to leave them to me in his will!
0:06:43 > 0:06:45LAUGHTER
0:06:45 > 0:06:47What wonderful...!
0:06:47 > 0:06:49That's even better!
0:06:53 > 0:06:58I'm looking at a photograph of a very upright-looking lady here.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- Is she a relative?- Yes, she's my grandmother's mother.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05And she looks as though she's in one of these dresses.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- This particular dress here. - Yes, this one with the roses.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And so I take it then that it's an inheritance?
0:07:11 > 0:07:15- Yes, they were left to my grandmother by her mother, in her will.- Yes.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20Here it says, "My clothing and furs, including two dresses, one with gold
0:07:20 > 0:07:22"embroidery, the other with pink roses, formerly
0:07:22 > 0:07:26"belonging to my great-grandmother, Elizabeth, Duchess of Rutland."
0:07:26 > 0:07:29So they've come all the way from there,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31which is quite a long time!
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Fantastic!
0:07:33 > 0:07:39What we have here are some wonderful examples of embroidered dresses.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41We have to work out the date.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46The one behind you with its lace and little...
0:07:46 > 0:07:52They look as if they're made of chiffon, these little flowers at the waist
0:07:52 > 0:07:54and down at the bottom there,
0:07:54 > 0:08:00wonderful detailing all on this netting.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Here we have one which I think
0:08:01 > 0:08:05was the one that your great-grandmother was modelling.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Because they did have this sort of central corsage, didn't it?
0:08:08 > 0:08:13And, again, it has this wonderful embroidery on netting.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17This is a very high-waisted dress, this is not so high-waisted. This is
0:08:17 > 0:08:22much more what I call empire line, coming just under the bust there.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25And then this one
0:08:25 > 0:08:28is completely spectacular, isn't it?
0:08:28 > 0:08:32With its gold embroidery and, again, on netting with
0:08:32 > 0:08:35a sort of satin ground underneath.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40They have Regency shouting all over them.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45But, looking at it closely, I wonder whether these may
0:08:45 > 0:08:48have had some work done to them.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52And the reason that I'm saying that is, looking
0:08:52 > 0:08:57at the underskirts, we can see that, in fact,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00- the stitching is done by machine.- Right.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04To me, what I think has happened is that
0:09:04 > 0:09:07these dresses have been so loved,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and because, in a way, dresses like this are always
0:09:09 > 0:09:15popular, particularly the gold one, which can be worn in the evening,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18that I think that they have been renovated over the years
0:09:18 > 0:09:19so that successive generations...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23- Could keep them. - Could use them, exactly.
0:09:23 > 0:09:24So, those are the clothes.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28But we've got another little treasure here which sort of
0:09:28 > 0:09:32links in, doesn't it? Because although these, I don't think, were
0:09:32 > 0:09:37pieces of domestic embroidery, this is a little workbox, which is what
0:09:37 > 0:09:41the ladies of the time would have used for their domestic embroidery.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43I'm not even going to open this box yet
0:09:43 > 0:09:46because I want to enjoy the outside of it.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48That is wonderful, the handle there with the
0:09:48 > 0:09:51clasped hands and then the snake
0:09:51 > 0:09:54curling round and into the top.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56The case itself is made out of some
0:09:56 > 0:10:00burr wood, burr birch perhaps, with these lovely little brass fittings.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05Definitely French, dating from about 1810.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08But it's this which is, to me, the ooh-ah moment.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It's quite beautiful, isn't it?!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16I'm actually getting shivers going up my spine when I open that.
0:10:16 > 0:10:22Because you never see these boxes in really beautiful condition.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Isn't that fantastic?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28And also complete, it's absolutely glorious.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Wonderful.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35- Well, let's talk about value, because that's what we do.- Yes.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39I would have thought the group of dresses that we have here, we're
0:10:39 > 0:10:42going to be thinking about perhaps
0:10:42 > 0:10:46£800 to £1,000 for the three.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Had they been original from the Regency period, you'd certainly
0:10:49 > 0:10:52have been talking about £1,000 plus each. But it's this which
0:10:52 > 0:10:57I think everybody can appreciate as being something really special.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02And I think that at auction we'd be talking about
0:11:02 > 0:11:03£1,500,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05£1,800, without any question at all.
0:11:05 > 0:11:11I think that is just like a little jewel in its own right. Fantastic.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13- Thank you very much.- Pleasure.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19On a very wet day, how nice to see a dirty picture.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26No, really, she could do with a little bit of a clean, couldn't she?
0:11:26 > 0:11:29- Yes.- So, who's it by?
0:11:29 > 0:11:33As far as we know, it's by William Etty.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37- Yes.- And she's been in the family for several generations.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40She was kind of hidden away because she's a bit bare.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43She is a bit bare, isn't she?
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Fondly known as Bare Bertha.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47- Bare Bertha?- Yes.- Great name.- Yes.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51- Do you like it?- Yes, I remember it hanging in my granny's hallway.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55It originally came from their house, they downsized recently into
0:11:55 > 0:11:59a new house. It's much smaller and that's when we got Bare Bertha.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- We inherited her then. - I remember from being a small child,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04seeing her on the wall.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06So, Granny didn't mind her at all?
0:12:06 > 0:12:09She maybe was embarrassed about her, I don't know!
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Well, I wouldn't be embarrassed about her.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13I think she's lovely.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17Well, the story goes that it was given to my husband's grand-aunt
0:12:17 > 0:12:22by the painter Lowry, who was visiting Wick at the time.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24But it may just be a story.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28No, that would make perfect sense. Lowry loved Victorian pictures.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31He owned a very, very grand Rossetti, for example.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35- Right.- Which he kept in his tiny lodgings for all his life.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38- And for him to have owned this makes perfect sense.- Oh, right.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42And I think they struck up a friendship and that's supposedly how
0:12:42 > 0:12:46it came into the family. But, as I say, I'm not 100% sure about that.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50No, but it does have the ring of truth. How very interesting.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54So this is a William Etty, a painter originally from the city of York.
0:12:54 > 0:12:55But did you know that Etty knew
0:12:55 > 0:12:58- Constable, the great landscape painter?- Uh-huh.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02And did you know that Constable occasionally painted nudes as well?
0:13:02 > 0:13:05- Did he?- Well, Etty found him the models.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08And I saw a transcript of a letter
0:13:08 > 0:13:11that Etty wrote to Constable, recommending one particular model.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13And I remember the words very well,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17describing her, "All in front, memorably fine."
0:13:20 > 0:13:22I think she's all behind!
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Exactly!
0:13:24 > 0:13:27That was on the other side of the letter!
0:13:27 > 0:13:30He was an obsessive nude painter, he really was.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33He was might you call a nympholept.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Lovely word, isn't it? Don't you think?
0:13:35 > 0:13:39But he couldn't stop painting the nudes. But as a young man he was
0:13:39 > 0:13:42supported by his brother and sent to Venice to study the old masters.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46And you can see that here, because there are these colours from Venice
0:13:46 > 0:13:50really, these reds from Titian and Veronese, that he learnt at.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53I personally think that the thigh bone is wrong.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55This is really... The waist isn't quite
0:13:55 > 0:13:58in the right place and it makes her thigh bone look much too long.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Don't you think?
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- When you look and notice it. - She's quite a hefty girl.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I'll say so!
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- Well, it's good for the climate, isn't it, you know?!- Yes!
0:14:09 > 0:14:12It's a shame that we couldn't show you this picture
0:14:12 > 0:14:15cleaned, because then you'd see the highlight and sheen on her bottom
0:14:15 > 0:14:17and going down the thigh.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20And this little pink tinge to the back of the thigh.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22And it would be really beautiful.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26- Right, uh-huh.- Well, it's about 1830.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Victorians were often scandalised by this kind of study.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Whereas his larger set pieces, which were on
0:14:34 > 0:14:36classical allusions, really,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38that seemed OK to the Victorians.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Because nudity was all right if it was if it was from a classical
0:14:41 > 0:14:43- myth or something.- Yes.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48But this kind was a little bit too domestic, a little bit too nude.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51But would it surprise you to know that, even in this condition, it's
0:14:51 > 0:14:54probably going to be worth about...
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Between 3 and £5,000.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59- Oh, right. Uh-huh.- Definitely.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02And worth every penny, it's an absolute beauty.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Well, this is what life is like on an outside broadcast.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07When the weather gets rough, we get going,
0:15:07 > 0:15:12finding whatever cover and protection we can for our visitors,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15their belongings, anything that we can do to just keep on filming.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Now, rain has driven us into the Castle of Mey.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20We all know the late Queen Mother was
0:15:20 > 0:15:22fascinated by local history.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26But I'm willing to bet we're holding two things here that she never saw.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29I have no idea what I'm holding.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- You tell me.- Well, some people find
0:15:32 > 0:15:35it hard to take as an object of beauty.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40But that is a very useful item if you were fishing.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44And that actually was once a dog and is now a dog-skin buoy.
0:15:44 > 0:15:49So this is a dead dog? So what has happened is, it's died, presumably
0:15:49 > 0:15:53it's been hollowed out, the legs have been chopped off and sealed,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56the apertures - I think that's the anatomical term - have been sealed up.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58And how is it made waterproof?
0:15:58 > 0:16:05Well, this black or dark brown shiny substance is actually Archangel tar.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07And that was used for waterproofing
0:16:07 > 0:16:11before rubber, before tarmacadam, and all those kind of things.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Let's imagine this is floating in the water.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15So what happens? Here you've got...?
0:16:15 > 0:16:17The net would be attached to there,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- there would be some cord, and fish filling up the net gradually.- Yes.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23There would be others of these, let's
0:16:23 > 0:16:27say six, seven or a dozen of them, depending on the size of the net.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30As the net got heavier, so this would be pulled round.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32So you mean this actually goes erect in the water?
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Exactly, it's like an indicator.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- So they're all bobbing about on the tide?- Absolutely.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41There wouldn't have been one, there would have been a whole herd of them?
0:16:41 > 0:16:44This was good news. It mean there were good catches there.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48- And they would say, "Oh, the dogs are dancing."- The dancing dogs.- Yes.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51So, "The dogs are dancing" means you're in luck?
0:16:51 > 0:16:55You're in luck and they're bobbing up and down, so it's a funny phrase,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58but it was also a joyful time for the fishermen.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01So, this is a dead dog. Did they use other animals or are dogs waterproof?
0:17:01 > 0:17:05They chose dogs because the skin has no pores in it.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09And it was easy to polish it and it was easy to make them airtight.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11This must be incredibly rare. How many have survived?
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Well, I think there's about three that we know of.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Although they were common objects 150 years ago, 200 years ago.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19So, this is a remarkable survival.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23Let's have a swap. That, at least, I know is a boat.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25I think this is a terrific object.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29It's so primitive, it's so crude, it has the most wonderful simplicity.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32It's almost as though Picasso or someone made it.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33This is great, but what is it?
0:17:33 > 0:17:37I can read here it says, "St Kilda Mailboat.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40"Please open tin." Now, tell me.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Well, originally, the people who lived on St Kilda could not
0:17:43 > 0:17:46get off the island for the whole of the winter.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49Should we explain? This is the most remote Scottish island.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51It's on the edge of the
0:17:51 > 0:17:53continental shelf, in actual fact.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57So, the only way that they could get a message off the island was to make
0:17:57 > 0:17:59a very simple boat like that.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03Probably in the early days they would have used a bottle of that kind
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and tie it firmly and throw it off the cliff.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- So, this in effect was a cocoa tin or something?- Exactly.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11The letters are put in there,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14it's sealed up, and into the sea, and sit back and wait.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17After that it was chance, which way the wind would take it.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20It could have gone to Norway, anywhere.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22It could have gone back the other way.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24So, how rare are these?
0:18:24 > 0:18:28Well, the tradition is that they sent one of those out every year.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32- They must be incredibly rare. How many survived?- Not very many.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35They do just turn up, you know, they're kind of legendary objects.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38Right, well, I think this is wonderful, I love it as an object.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42History is another matter, but this must be hundreds of pounds.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Find me another one. However,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47there is no way on the Roadshow I'm going to value a dead dog.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50No, it's just totally unique.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Are you a motoring man?
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- I am, yes.- Do you collect the cars as well as the mascots?
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Cars as well as mascots, yes.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02And what do you particularly like about the mascots?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04I like the way they're sculptured and
0:19:04 > 0:19:06the fact that they're all so different.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08And very well made.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10And we've got ten here, but have you got more at home?
0:19:10 > 0:19:13I've got a collection of approximately 100.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16They're not so easy to find these days.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19No. You can get them on the internet.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23I've been collecting over a number of years, so that's how I've managed
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- to get so many.- Some of these are in remarkably fine condition.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28One has to assume they came off cars.
0:19:28 > 0:19:32I would imagine that they've all been fitted to cars at some time.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34They certainly would be when the car was new.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37And this one's been on a car for a long time.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41It belonged to car that my father had and it was involved in an accident
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and that's all that was left of the car!
0:19:44 > 0:19:47That's off a Willys-Knight, American car.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Now, some speak for themselves, don't they? There's obviously the Desmo Jaguar.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52The original Jaguar, yes.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56The original Jaguar mascot and...
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Pegasus, what was Pegasus?
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Well, that was on a Humber.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03It was only made for one year, actually.
0:20:03 > 0:20:09It was on the Humber Pullman limousine, made in 1936.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13So they are really quite, quite rare.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16And obviously the very famous winged wheel.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Winged wheel is the Austin, made by the Austin Motor Company.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- Date, maybe 1920.- Right, right.
0:20:23 > 0:20:24My favourite is Icarus.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27I love it because it's a piece of sculpture, isn't it?
0:20:27 > 0:20:31- It is.- And it's signed, and it's nickel silver.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33And what car did that come from?
0:20:33 > 0:20:34That came off a French Farman.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38There was only about 100 Farman cars made,
0:20:38 > 0:20:42and they also made aeroplanes.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47And that would date from about the late 1920s as well, I would think.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51- It's signed by the sculptor, Colin George.- Colin George, yeah.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55- Well, collecting mascots is a truly international field now.- Oh, yes.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58And prices are getting quite strong.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Going through some figures, because obviously we've got to think about value,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and maybe we just look at the Jaguar.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09At auction that would be around about 350, £450.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- That's correct, yes. - And again the winged Austin,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16again a favourite piece. Around about the same sort of figure.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20But certainly the nicest one is the Icarus, I think. And the rarest.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23And probably worth up to £1,000.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26Yes, I would think that would be just about right.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- So we agree, but...- We agree, yes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30You've got 100 of them.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34So if you averaged them out at, you know, £200 each, I mean, that's
0:21:34 > 0:21:38- a collection worth getting on towards £20,000.- Suppose it is, yes.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42So, not a bad little collecting field. Thank you very much indeed.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Thank you.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48It always used to hang off the back of the sofa at my parents' place.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51But much other than that, I really don't know!
0:21:51 > 0:21:53Hang off the back of a sofa?!
0:21:53 > 0:21:56- It was an old sofa. - Oh, that's all right, then!
0:21:58 > 0:22:00What it is is Japanese.
0:22:00 > 0:22:06- Yes.- It's called an inro, and it's a little nest
0:22:06 > 0:22:09of boxes which come apart like that.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Now, they started out as utterly practical.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16You kept small things like medicine in it, because the Japanese are great ones for taking pills.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20And then later on, under European
0:22:20 > 0:22:24influence, they became very - one has to say - gaudy, and decorative.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30But, unusually, they retained
0:22:30 > 0:22:34the quality of craftsmanship, if not improved on it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39Now, this dates from about 1880.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41This would be wood under here.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43And then you've got lacquer.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47In this case, black lacquer with gold on top of it.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Gold lacquer here, and then we've got
0:22:50 > 0:22:58inlay in mother of pearl, stained ivory, hard stones, coconut shell.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00A variety of things.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05And we've got a little bit of damage here, but not much on this side.
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Three birds perched in a cherry tree.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14We've just got... On this side, we've got simply flowers.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18This would never work really as a practical inro.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21This is a decorative object for the western market.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26Its shape is actually based on a barrel.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28And they simply sort of squashed it...
0:23:30 > 0:23:33..in effect, and turned it into
0:23:33 > 0:23:35this inro.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40A string goes through here to here, and the same the other side.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45That should be replaced, because that is not the right thing at all.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49- This is a bit of sofa stuff, I suspect.- Right!
0:23:49 > 0:23:51This thing is called the ojime
0:23:51 > 0:23:53and should, strictly speaking,
0:23:53 > 0:23:58- tighten up the cord so the whole thing doesn't fall apart.- Right.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02And then you have a netsuke, which fits under the belt, and that
0:24:02 > 0:24:07stops the whole thing falling to the ground when you're wearing it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:08- So, it's worn at the belt.- Right.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Well, what do we say about price?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16First we need to talk about these
0:24:16 > 0:24:19- bits missing.- Well, I've got those. - You have got those?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Yes. I have got them, yeah.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- OK. It could be restored.- Right.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25- It would cost money.- Yes.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Maybe 4, £500.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31What's it worth?!
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Well, that's worth
0:24:36 > 0:24:38250 to £350.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Great.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45That, which is actually jolly nice - it looks boring but it's really a very
0:24:45 > 0:24:48nice one - 200 to £300.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51- Good heavens.- It's adding up.- Yes!
0:24:51 > 0:24:52That...
0:24:53 > 0:24:565 to 8,000.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Good lord!
0:24:58 > 0:25:00- Now, that is a surprise.- Yeah.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03And it does make having it restored worthwhile.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- Right, OK.- But no more hanging it on the back of the sofa!
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- Thank you very much. - Thank you very much.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17No, they're called Victorian hair sculptures.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21Some people told me they're called the tree of life,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and that in some instances different
0:25:23 > 0:25:29members of a family would have their hair knotted into the pattern.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Well, this is a complete novelty for me.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35I want you to tell me first of all where you found them.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39Well, I bought them locally in Orkney, where I stay.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43And they were bought separately at auctions.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47And in both instances it had been a collector that had owned them.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50If you were to show me this and tell me nothing about it,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53I would think it was more than one people's hair.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Because if you look carefully, it's got dark and fair.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59That's right, yeah. I remember that.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03Looking at it through my loupe,
0:26:03 > 0:26:05it's not just hair.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09So, it's got very, very fine bits of wire which has
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- looped through the hair.- Yes.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15And so it's actually easier, because if you think how slippery hair is,
0:26:15 > 0:26:19to actually get these flowers is very, very tricky.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I would imagine that, yes.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Probably used a magnifying glass and tweezers.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27I mean, absolutely riveting.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31Well, actually, an old lady told me once that there used to be
0:26:31 > 0:26:35an elderly lady that you used to go to in a certain
0:26:35 > 0:26:40district in Orkney, with your hair, when you were very much alive,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44and she would actually make the picture for you with your own hair.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46And I think that lady maybe died,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50- you know, about the 1950s. - How fascinating.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53But I've never been able to track down any of her pictures.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55- But I would love to see them. - So would I.- Yes.
0:26:55 > 0:27:00I would have thought this was more likely to be late 18th century.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- Yes, yes.- I would have thought
0:27:03 > 0:27:07- that this could have been done for a rich family as a present.- Yes.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11I have to just say that you obviously haven't taken it out of the frame?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13No, just as I bought them.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16They're really in the condition that they were when I acquired them.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20- Including the...? - The occasional cobweb, perhaps!
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Quite a handsome one there, though!
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Well, it is. It's a great one!
0:27:26 > 0:27:30And I think it's so interesting that I would take it out of its frame
0:27:30 > 0:27:34and I would seal it against little nasty bugs and things like that.
0:27:34 > 0:27:39- Yes, yes.- And, just out of interest, what did you pay?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42This one, I think, was maybe about the teens of pounds.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44And this one was about £20.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I never pay too much, I'm a bit mean!
0:27:51 > 0:27:53That's lovely.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57It's difficult, having seen that, because they're so different.
0:27:57 > 0:28:03- Yes.- And I would put possibly not more than 300 on that.- Yes, yes.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05I would honestly think that
0:28:05 > 0:28:09in the right place that would be something like a couple of thousand pounds.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10Really?
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- My goodness me.- It's so unusual.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14I would never have thought that.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16My goodness. But it's just interesting.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19- Thank you very much. - Well, thank you.- Keep it dry!
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Yes, thank you very much!
0:28:22 > 0:28:26My father got it in the antique shop in Thurso.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29And I don't know if he got it in part payment for a job he did
0:28:29 > 0:28:32or just as a present. It's just lain in a drawer ever since.
0:28:32 > 0:28:34It is extraordinary. I mean, I've never seen
0:28:34 > 0:28:36- anything quite like it before.- Yes.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40It's a bit of antler that's been cut.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43And when I looked at it
0:28:43 > 0:28:45and saw that, I thought it's a snuff mull.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50- That's what I thought it was, as well.- Right. But we've got this intriguing
0:28:50 > 0:28:55inscription on the top here, which is in Gaelic, to start off with.
0:28:55 > 0:29:01Basically a sort of "Deoch slainte", and then various other elements.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06And then finishing off in English, and that is Alexander Cormack.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09So, quite intriguing.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13The beginning of the inscription, basically, is to do with drinking.
0:29:15 > 0:29:20And "slainte", of course, that would be well known throughout Scotland.
0:29:20 > 0:29:27Having a wee dram. "Slainte" is, I think, a fairly standard toast
0:29:27 > 0:29:28when you're doing that.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32So, it looks as though it's more actually as a little drinking vessel.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35And with the amount of space there is
0:29:35 > 0:29:38actually going down there, I suppose one could see that.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41If that was full of whisky, I think I'd be quite happy
0:29:41 > 0:29:43with the entire contents of that.
0:29:43 > 0:29:48I think most people would be. But date-wise, the inscription
0:29:48 > 0:29:52looks as though it might be early 18th century.
0:29:52 > 0:29:58And here we've actually got an engraving for 1767.
0:29:58 > 0:30:04But that's not engraved in the same hand as that.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07- I see.- So, I'm inclined to go earlier, more towards 1700.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09Right.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12No marks on it whatsoever, and that's not
0:30:12 > 0:30:15unusual with early Scottish silver.
0:30:15 > 0:30:16But it's the sort of object
0:30:16 > 0:30:20I find so intriguing, I love to see something I've never seen before.
0:30:20 > 0:30:22So, very much as
0:30:22 > 0:30:25a guesstimate I would have thought somewhere between 500 and £1,000.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28Very good, excellent.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31What is a man in a kilt doing out on a cold and windy day like this?
0:30:31 > 0:30:35I actually came here to get the pipes looked at.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38There's a bit of history behind the pipes,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42so I was hoping one of the experts would give me some information on them.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45And are these very pricey pipes you're about to give us a burst of?
0:30:45 > 0:30:50- They are. The expert said they're worth around about £5,000.- 5,000?
0:30:50 > 0:30:53- 5,000.- And that's not simply for the silver bits, the whole thing?
0:30:53 > 0:30:56No, it's part of the history behind them. The maker.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00They're over 200 years old and they've supposedly been
0:31:00 > 0:31:02played in the Crimean War, as well.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04You mean actually went into battle?
0:31:04 > 0:31:06- Yes.- Wow.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08What about your magnificent uniform?
0:31:08 > 0:31:11This is actually the pipe band outfit I'm wearing.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14There's a local pipe band, Thurso Pipe Band.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18And we play in the street every Saturday night during the summer.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20This is their outfit.
0:31:20 > 0:31:21How long have you played?
0:31:21 > 0:31:24I've been playing the pipes for 20 years.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- Most of your life.- Pretty much. Two thirds of it, yeah.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29What will you play for us?
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Play a couple of jigs. Rocking The Baby.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Right, over to you.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Thank you.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46HE PLAYS "ROCKING THE BABY"
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Well, I've decided to
0:32:15 > 0:32:19come into the castle because I'm very keen on old labels
0:32:19 > 0:32:23and I didn't want the rain to get at this one. This is particularly
0:32:23 > 0:32:27interesting. It says, "One of the oldest wooden cups in existence.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29"Its date is unknown."
0:32:30 > 0:32:34And it says, "It's a copy of an ancient Viking's helmet.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36"It is known as the Luck of Forse.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40"A Viking cup found at the beginning of the century, a relic of
0:32:40 > 0:32:43"the Viking occupation in the north
0:32:43 > 0:32:45"and proof of the Vikings having been at Forse."
0:32:45 > 0:32:50Well, what a fantastic label.
0:32:50 > 0:32:51And what an amazing bowl.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56- Tell me about it.- It was found in the beginning of the last century
0:32:56 > 0:32:58in the attic at Forse House.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Aha. And in the attic?
0:33:00 > 0:33:02Now, is Forse House a Viking house?
0:33:02 > 0:33:05- No, it was built in 1810.- Ah.
0:33:05 > 0:33:10This was just found in the attic by Major Radcliffe, who owned the hotel.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- So, we know for sure that it goes back to the 19th century.- Yes.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17OK. Well, of course, we are in good old Viking territory.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Just down the road there is a town
0:33:19 > 0:33:24called Thurso, which of course is the old Danish for Thor's Island.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26But I have to disappoint you.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30- OK.- Because Vikings did not wear helmets with horns.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Everybody thinks they did, but they didn't.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35Maybe two little bumps, but not horns.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38- Right.- Now, it does look Nordic.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40I will grant it that. Because it's
0:33:40 > 0:33:44- a North European pine, very light pine.- Pine?- Pine, yeah.
0:33:44 > 0:33:47- It is a pine?- And this sort of ornament, with washes of
0:33:47 > 0:33:51red pigment, very, very typical
0:33:51 > 0:33:54of things you find in Norway and in Sweden and even in Denmark.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58The decoration, and some of it's lost here, is actually pierced work.
0:33:58 > 0:34:03It's just straightforward pierced work, it's nothing like any Viking ornament that I know of.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05So, it has a Nordic connotation.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08But, of course, the inscription is in English.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12And if we look at that typeface, or the font
0:34:12 > 0:34:16of that face, it would take us probably to the late 18th century.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19So, that's what I think it is. It's a late 18th-century Romantic
0:34:19 > 0:34:22idea of maybe Viking drinking.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25And it's a challenge.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28You would present a cup like this with that challenge,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32"Att evrey bout, drink it out." I mean, it's a challenge, isn't it?
0:34:32 > 0:34:34It's almost like a puzzle cup.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37And I suppose you grab it by the handles like this, by the horns.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40And whilst there's a strumming and
0:34:40 > 0:34:44a yodelling from the tables and the thumping of beakers, you go...
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Have you tried this, then? Have you done it yourself?
0:34:50 > 0:34:52Not really!
0:34:52 > 0:34:55Well, I mean, it is an amazing object, isn't it?
0:34:55 > 0:35:00If it were really Viking, this ought to be in the British Museum.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03I don't think you need worry too much about that, really.
0:35:03 > 0:35:04That's good.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08But to a collector of treen, in spite of all that damage, it's still
0:35:08 > 0:35:12probably a lucky 500 to £1,000.
0:35:12 > 0:35:13Is that lucky enough for you?
0:35:13 > 0:35:18It's the cup that's lucky, not the value of it! OK.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26We've got two personal horoscopes here.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28This is Kate Buchanan, that's you?
0:35:28 > 0:35:31- That's right, yes.- And this is Jack?
0:35:31 > 0:35:33That's my son here.
0:35:33 > 0:35:40- And that's you, with crayoned covers and typed insides.- Yes.
0:35:40 > 0:35:44And then you've got this little picture here of this funny little
0:35:44 > 0:35:47gremlin of a boy, almost. So, who is it?
0:35:47 > 0:35:48Me again.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51It's you again!
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Right! Well, it doesn't look a bit like you now, does it?
0:35:54 > 0:35:56It's signed, I can't quite see who it is.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58It says... Well, it's signed "J Rowling",
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and it's JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter books.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03- The Harry Potter star?- Yes.
0:36:03 > 0:36:05Good heavens, amazing.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09She gave that to my dad for his 60th birthday present because she couldn't
0:36:09 > 0:36:13afford to do anything. Well, I think it's a lovely present anyway.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16I think it is a lovely present. So, she did all this?
0:36:16 > 0:36:18- Yes, yes.- So how did you know her? Tell me.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21We went to the same baby clinic in Edinburgh
0:36:21 > 0:36:25and I bumped into her a few times in bookshops and realised that she lived opposite me,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28so we just were two mums at home with babies and got friendly and
0:36:28 > 0:36:31had coffees and did what you usually do when you're at home.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Did you discuss a lot about Harry Potter and that sort of thing?
0:36:35 > 0:36:38No, not initially. She, you know... We just
0:36:38 > 0:36:40talked about babies mostly!
0:36:40 > 0:36:43But one day she said to me "Oh, I've written a children's book,"
0:36:43 > 0:36:46and I said I'd love to read it, because I trained as an English
0:36:46 > 0:36:49teacher, so I'd read a lot of children's fiction.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52Well, surely she gave you a copy of the first edition.
0:36:52 > 0:36:54This is The Philosopher's Stone.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56Yes, yes. And in the first
0:36:56 > 0:37:02edition it says, "For Kate and Roger, lots of love, Jo, aka JK Rowling."
0:37:02 > 0:37:05Wonderful! Why haven't we got it here today?
0:37:05 > 0:37:06Well, I'm afraid we sold it!
0:37:06 > 0:37:10Mmm. So, how much did you get for it? Let me ask.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12We were really lucky, we got £10,000.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16We bought a very old house that had no heating, so we had to
0:37:16 > 0:37:20sell it to pay for that and we called it our Harry Potter heating!
0:37:20 > 0:37:22I think that's lovely, a great story.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24But you've got these two
0:37:24 > 0:37:28lovely horoscope things. How do you know she actually wrote these?
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Well, she didn't sign them because they were birthday presents
0:37:31 > 0:37:35and she wasn't famous then, so I didn't make her sign them, but...
0:37:35 > 0:37:37This is number three.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39Yes, and they're typed on the same typewriter
0:37:39 > 0:37:41that the manuscript was typed on.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44- So, you're a Harry Potter fan, are you?- Yes, I am.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47- Have you read them all? - Yeah, I've read them all.
0:37:47 > 0:37:48And your sister and brother,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- read them all?- I think so. - The whole family.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55- And you really enjoy them, do you? - Yes, they're very good.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57They're a terribly good whopping yarn.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01- Yes.- Now look, this is going to be impossible to value accurately but,
0:38:01 > 0:38:06I mean, that obviously, the picture is completely priceless for you.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Yes. For my dad especially, yes.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13But for Harry Potter addicts, and heaven knows there are enough of them around,
0:38:13 > 0:38:18these horoscopes, these actual drawings done by JK Rowling,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21- would be very interesting. - Oh, right.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24I don't think it would be anything like as much
0:38:24 > 0:38:26as the first edition signed
0:38:26 > 0:38:30of The Philosopher's Stone, but I should think we're
0:38:30 > 0:38:33probably doing quite a few thousand pounds here, something like
0:38:33 > 0:38:35- 2 or £3,000.- Really?
0:38:35 > 0:38:37- Yes.- I'm quite surprised by that.
0:38:37 > 0:38:42- Well, at least you know you've got it if the boiler goes wrong. - Yes! We can get a repair!
0:38:42 > 0:38:46- Thanks, that's lovely. - Thank you, thank you very much.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50It's a wind-up toy.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52Great. And it's yours?
0:38:52 > 0:38:56Yeah, I inherited it from my great-granny.
0:38:56 > 0:38:59- Right. And you don't know anything about it?- No.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02That's very exciting. Shall I have a try?
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Yeah.
0:39:10 > 0:39:14Now, Mr Whoever You Are, or Miss or Mrs...
0:39:14 > 0:39:16Woo!
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Hello! How are you?
0:39:23 > 0:39:24Oh!
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Absolutely enchanting.
0:39:33 > 0:39:34Oh!
0:39:39 > 0:39:43That is absolutely wonderful. So, what it's meant to be doing is...
0:39:45 > 0:39:47And it does, it tries to poke its tongue out,
0:39:47 > 0:39:52and what it's saying is, "I want... I'm licking the milk in the churn."
0:39:52 > 0:39:56And it's lovely that you've got a stop-starter, because that means
0:39:56 > 0:39:59it's a better automaton than one that just goes on and on
0:39:59 > 0:40:01- and on and you can't stop it.- Yes.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05You know, it's really worth, if you can, having a little go at
0:40:05 > 0:40:07oiling it, because I think it's slightly sticking.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10And there's the little tongue coming out. Oh!
0:40:13 > 0:40:15It's made of papier-mache,
0:40:16 > 0:40:18painted papier-mache.
0:40:18 > 0:40:26The cat inside, the kitten, is made of real rabbit fur, and probably
0:40:26 > 0:40:31the actual mechanism was made in Switzerland for a Parisian maker
0:40:31 > 0:40:36called Roullet et Decamps. They started in the late 19th century
0:40:36 > 0:40:38and they went right on to the 1930s.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43He or she is about 1910.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Now, they're still there in Paris, making all sorts of things,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49from creeping crawling animals
0:40:49 > 0:40:54to pouncing lions, jumping tigers, all sorts of things.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56Do you want to know what its value is?
0:40:56 > 0:40:58- Yeah!- Yes!
0:41:00 > 0:41:07I think if you get it going better, it could be worth as much as 1,000.
0:41:07 > 0:41:08Gee whizz!
0:41:16 > 0:41:20- It's pretty, but we've considered it a piece of junk, really.- Did you?
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- Yes.- Where did you keep it? - Well, it's sat on a shelf
0:41:23 > 0:41:25and no-one really saw it.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29No, they didn't? OK. I think you have this on your desk,
0:41:29 > 0:41:34- and it's a paperweight, and you can also put your pens and pencils in here.- Yes.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Where do you think it might have been made?
0:41:37 > 0:41:40I'd say Italy, but I've no idea generally.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43- You would be right.- Oh, thank you!
0:41:43 > 0:41:44When would it have been made?
0:41:45 > 0:41:51Well, I've known it for about 70 years, so it would have been made before that!
0:41:51 > 0:41:54It's actually about 1800 in date,
0:41:54 > 0:41:56- so it's a couple of hundred years old.- Uh-huh.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00And this bit is slate,
0:42:00 > 0:42:02polished slate.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04What they've done
0:42:04 > 0:42:10is carve out the outline.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12They would then inset,
0:42:12 > 0:42:16carefully choosing the right colours, which were kept in glass bottles
0:42:16 > 0:42:20so they could see what each colour was, and build up,
0:42:20 > 0:42:23as if it were a painting,
0:42:23 > 0:42:28the figures. And if you look at it, you can just see
0:42:28 > 0:42:31the tiny little bits.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33And, of course, once they'd done that - it was all kind of
0:42:33 > 0:42:35on the surface a bit wobbly -
0:42:35 > 0:42:41they filled it and then polished it, and that's why it's all now smooth.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44It was called a micromosaic.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47They must have had wonderful eyesight.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50They did. It was a whole industry
0:42:50 > 0:42:56in Italy from the 18th century through to the 19th century,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00and they made brooches, they made desk ornaments,
0:43:00 > 0:43:02they made plaques out of it.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Now, the interesting thing about it is the way the prices have been
0:43:06 > 0:43:09moving in recent years.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11- Oh, yes?- Yeah.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15How much do you think your piece of junk might be worth?
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Well, I thought about £20, if I was very lucky!
0:43:18 > 0:43:22Listen, I'll give you a profit on that, no problem at all!
0:43:23 > 0:43:28I think if this came up at auction in London,
0:43:28 > 0:43:33you would have to pay 3 to £4,000 for it.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35Good God!
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Scottish junk is very desirable!
0:43:38 > 0:43:40It's Irish junk, let me tell you!
0:43:43 > 0:43:45It came from Ireland traditionally!
0:43:46 > 0:43:48Thank you very much.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51- That's incredible.- Yeah.
0:43:51 > 0:43:55- Just considered pure junk.- Yes.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59The beautiful Castle of Mey, intended as a background for today's
0:43:59 > 0:44:04event, has been battered all the time by fierce winds and horizontal
0:44:04 > 0:44:08rain, and of course when we've all gone home, it'll still be here and
0:44:08 > 0:44:10the sun will come out again. That is show business!
0:44:10 > 0:44:14So, many thanks to the staff here, to the brave people of Caithness for
0:44:14 > 0:44:19sharing the experience, and for now, from the north of Scotland, goodbye.