0:00:03 > 0:00:06This week, we've set up stall in a county that has as its mascot
0:00:06 > 0:00:09these gorgeous creatures... Hereford cattle -
0:00:09 > 0:00:12known for their gentle nature, I'm relieved to say -
0:00:12 > 0:00:14and once hundreds of them roamed this estate.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Welcome to a return of the Antiques Roadshow
0:00:17 > 0:00:20from Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08Since it was built in the 15th century,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Hampton Court Castle has been through good times and bad.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15During its heyday in the 19th century,
0:01:15 > 0:01:17this was a 10,500 acre estate,
0:01:17 > 0:01:21owned by one of the largest landowners in England.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Johnny Arkwright was heir to the famous family who'd
0:01:25 > 0:01:27made their fortune in the cotton mills of Lancashire.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31He was considered the epitome of the English country squire.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35His pride and joy was his herd of Hereford cattle,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37which he called his "ruby moos"
0:01:37 > 0:01:39because of their claret coloured coats.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Johnny had the heads of his prize-winning cattle cast in silver,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and then placed upon the dinner table.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53At the end of the meal, guests would turn the heads upside down,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57fill the cups, and raise a toast.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03So here's to what we're hoping will be a special day
0:02:03 > 0:02:04at Hampton Court Castle.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Well, how appropriate
0:02:08 > 0:02:09to be in Herefordshire
0:02:09 > 0:02:13and to see a wonderful portrait of Hereford cattle.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17It means a lot to me and my family here, because it was my
0:02:17 > 0:02:22grandfather's very great pride and joy to own that cow, the "Lovely".
0:02:22 > 0:02:24He owned "Lovely" and here
0:02:24 > 0:02:28- it's got even an inscription of her name here.- That's right.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30- Well, this is a very British thing... - Yes.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- ..to have portraits of one's cattle...- Yes.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36- ..or portraits of one's sheep, is a very, very British phenomenon.- Yes.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38And do you know why?
0:02:38 > 0:02:41This was a particularly favourite cow of his,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44and she rather remarkably had two sets of twins.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47- Ah.- The twin heifers which are there, Theodora and Dorothea.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49- Who are portrayed here.- Yes.- Yes.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51And then she had twin bull calves.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Sir Julius, he named, and Sir Julian,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58and I think they both went, were exported to the Argentine.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Oh, that brings me to the artist, because it's clearly signed here
0:03:01 > 0:03:02- by "A. M. Gauci 1885".- Yes.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05- That doesn't sound a very British name, does it?- I thought that.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09I always have thought it, I couldn't make out why.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Well, there's very little information about Gauci, but
0:03:12 > 0:03:15from his name, he sounds like he may well be Argentinean or Spanish,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17or certainly have connections there.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21- Yes.- And we only know him because he paints portraits of cattle.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24I often say, slightly jokingly, that an Englishman
0:03:24 > 0:03:27often would rather have his cattle or his horse
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- painted than perhaps his wife. - That would probably be true!
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Now tell me, so this bloodline, does it still exist?
0:03:33 > 0:03:36- Are you in the business? Are you a cattle breeder?- Yes.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40- We've got descendants of this bloodline still.- How amazing.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42But they aren't registered as pedigree Herefords.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46Right, and am I right in saying that we have three generations of farmers
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- in front of me now?- Yes.- Wonderful.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49The picture lives at my house.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Ah, so you've already passed it on, have you? So I mean this really is
0:03:52 > 0:03:54- part of family history.- Very much so.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57- It always has been.- And I guess you'll pass it on to your...?
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- I'm looking forward to it. - He's got a smile on his face.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Yes, yes, he's got a girlfriend.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Well, now we know. But let's get back to the portrait.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10I mean, I think this is absolutely lovely.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12I mean, it's very personal to you, so value wise...
0:04:12 > 0:04:15- they're slightly out of fashion these portraits.- Yes.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18And it has a sort of semi-naive sort of feel to it,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and yet here is an artist that's probably got the character
0:04:21 > 0:04:24of each cow and heifer well, I'd say.
0:04:24 > 0:04:29- Very much so.- So, have you ever had it valued?- No.- Perfect.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Well, I would have thought that if it came onto the market,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35we would look at something between £3,000-£5,000.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- Heavens.- Not bad?
0:04:38 > 0:04:41We wouldn't sell it, but it's interesting to know that.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42But if "Lovely"
0:04:42 > 0:04:45appeared on the market today, what would she be worth?
0:04:45 > 0:04:50She would be worth, as a cow, I would guess £3,000 or £4,000.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51Right, so same as the picture.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- Yes.- Interesting. Well, I can't thank you enough, and look after it.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58- OK.- Thank you very much.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05You've brought me a little piece of Wedgwood Fairyland Lustre.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07Oh, well,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I knew it was Wedgwood, because I saw the title underneath,
0:05:10 > 0:05:16but I don't know much about it because it was given to me way back.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20- And who gave you this present?- Well, there was this lovely, lovely lady
0:05:20 > 0:05:23who was our babysitter, gave it to us. We were rather poor,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25and she looked around where we were living
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and said "You've got no ornaments."
0:05:28 > 0:05:33So I said "Well, no, we've had to spend our money on other things."
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and she said to me, "I've got something I'm going to give you."
0:05:36 > 0:05:40And when I saw it, I just could see it was, I thought, exquisite,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44and I said, "Oh, no, it's too good, don't, it's too precious."
0:05:44 > 0:05:49And she said, "No, no, no, it was given to me by a wealthy lady
0:05:49 > 0:05:53"I used to clean for, and I don't really need it, you have it.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57"And when I come to babysit I can see it." So I took it.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Somebody took pity on you...
0:05:59 > 0:06:02- Exactly.- ..and gave you this. - Exactly.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05Well, it is Wedgwood, we know that, it's got the mark on the bottom.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06It was designed by somebody
0:06:06 > 0:06:09called Daisy Makeig-Jones, who worked for the Wedgwood factory,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12and she was actually related to the Wedgwood family by marriage.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16And she was working in the period just after the First World War
0:06:16 > 0:06:19in the 1920s and the 1930s. And in fact in the early '30s
0:06:19 > 0:06:23she was sacked by one of the Wedgwood family, and she was in such a temper,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26- she went to her studio and smashed everything...- Oh, no.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29..because she felt as a member of the family, she shouldn't be sacked.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33But it is a lovely thing, and it's lustre and it's got fairies on it,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36and it was called Fairyland Lustre for obvious reasons.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39It's very collectable. Every time I have one of these in my auction,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I get calls from American collectors. Do you know what they say?
0:06:42 > 0:06:46- No, do tell me.- "Will you hold it to the telephone and ring it for me?"
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- So shall we try?- Right.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51DULL RINGING
0:06:51 > 0:06:56- It's not ringing clear, is it?- No. - What do you think that might mean?
0:06:56 > 0:06:59If it's not ringing clear, it sounds like there might be a crack.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00Yes. That's why they do it,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04and obviously if you imagine you're in America, you want to hear
0:07:04 > 0:07:07a clear ring, and somewhere there will be a crack in this.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So that means it's not going to be worth as much as if it was perfect.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12But it is still collectable.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15How much did you pay your babysitter in those days?
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Well, probably 50p an hour or something, you know.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23Well, this bowl, given by your 50p an hour babysitter,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26is worth about £500-£800.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28- Good heavens! - So that's a lot of babies.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30It is.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32I would have paid her more if I'd known.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Well, she paid you very well.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Thank you so much for bringing it in. - Thank you.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42So two magnificent volumes here
0:07:42 > 0:07:46of one of the most famous books on Egypt and Nubia.
0:07:46 > 0:07:47Can you hold that for me?
0:07:47 > 0:07:51That's lovely. I hope you're not parked too far away, are you?
0:07:51 > 0:07:52Did you have to carry them in?
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Well, yes. I did have a glamorous assistant to help me.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57You've got a glamorous assistant.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Now, this is David Roberts'
0:08:00 > 0:08:06"Egypt and Nubia", printed in 1846, with the most magnificent plates.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09He spent about six months in Egypt and Nubia,
0:08:09 > 0:08:13and also in the Holy Land, as well, to produce these books.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16And there are two issues of these books.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19There's the coloured one which is the same plates, but hand coloured.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25And there's this one, which is the tinted lithograph copy.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28But the plates are still absolutely magnificent, even tinted like this.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31I mean, look at the depth of these.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Nothing had been seen really like it before.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Obviously people were very keen, as Napoleon was, on Egypt,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39and David Roberts went out there
0:08:39 > 0:08:42and you could say these are tourist books.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43But they're enormous, aren't they?
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- They're huge, very heavy. - So, where did they come from?
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Well, they've been in my family for over 100 years,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and we recently inherited them through the family.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54I don't know much about the background of them.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58And you've got the other volume here too, which... Let me...
0:09:01 > 0:09:05And there's the pyramids, and that is an absolutely fantastic view
0:09:05 > 0:09:10of the pyramids, and the Sphinx without its beard too, here.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12And it would have had a beard.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16The beard is in the British Museum at the moment.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18So what do you like about these things?
0:09:18 > 0:09:22I just love the depth in them, and they're just beyond words.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26- They're beautiful, I love them.- I think they're absolutely tremendous.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28My worry is that you don't have volume three.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31It's very difficult to get hold of, as you can imagine.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33But we are, we have been looking for it for...
0:09:33 > 0:09:37over 20 years, 15 years, and it's just very hard to come by.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I don't think you'd find an odd volume of it, really, at all.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Anyway, you've got two out of the three volumes.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Had you had three, do you know how much they'd be worth?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48No.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50£15,000.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54- OK.- I'm afraid only two, we're going to have to talk about
0:09:54 > 0:09:59£5,000, £6,000, £7,000 possibly, but no more than that.
0:09:59 > 0:10:03But they're fantastic, and so nice to have them come on the Roadshow.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13Gemstones are my passion, and unusual gemstones even more so.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15So it intrigues me how you
0:10:15 > 0:10:17got this stone, and what do you think it is?
0:10:17 > 0:10:21It belonged to my granny, and I believe it to be something
0:10:21 > 0:10:25called a Ceylon trembler, but I don't know what that is.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27- Ceylon trembler?- Yes.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- Right, excellent. - And that's all I know.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33And when did your granny get it?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35It was given to her by my grandfather,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38because he was a bit of a ladies' man.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40He travelled the world,
0:10:40 > 0:10:44in his position as chauffeur, with a companion.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47He travelled to the West Indies, India, China
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and on his return each year, he would give
0:10:49 > 0:10:52my granny a present for being away,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and this was one of the presents that year.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00- She never wore it. - Why didn't your granny wear it?
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Because she didn't like being left.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09He was having a wonderful time as this lady's companion, and, er,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13she was very offended, so each present that he bought her,
0:11:13 > 0:11:14she put in a cupboard.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16So it's never been worn, this ring?
0:11:16 > 0:11:17- I wear it.- You wear it?
0:11:17 > 0:11:22- But she never did.- Well, a Ceylon trembler you called it.- Yes.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25I don't think that's in my gemological book somehow.
0:11:25 > 0:11:26No.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29It's in fact, what is really interesting
0:11:29 > 0:11:31is that it is an alexandrite.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Now what is very interesting about alexandrites,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38which is part of the chrysoberyl family, is that it changes colour.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- And it does, yes.- Ah, have you seen that? You've noticed that?
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Yes, it does change colour, yes.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47Well, and it is the change of colour which gives it its price.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Ideally you want it to change to red.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54- Ah.- But it goes a bit muddy brown? - And it's been purple as well.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- It's been a bit purple.- But not red. - Well, it's interesting
0:11:57 > 0:12:02that you've mentioned purple, because I see a lot of synthetic corundum
0:12:02 > 0:12:05made to look like alexandrites, which are purple in colour.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08- Oh, right.- But this one is lovely, to see the real McCoy,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10the real stone, so at least
0:12:10 > 0:12:12he was giving her real things and not the synthetics.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14Yes. That's good.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17I don't think she thought very much of it,
0:12:17 > 0:12:19I'm afraid, which is a shame, but there we are.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23- I hope you enjoy wearing it. - Oh, I love it.- Oh, jolly good.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Oh, well, it's in very good condition
0:12:25 > 0:12:28and it is about probably about 1910, something like that.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30The value... Have you had it valued?
0:12:30 > 0:12:34I did have it valued a few years ago at a jewellers,
0:12:34 > 0:12:36and he said he would buy it from me there and then.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39- He offered me £200.- £200.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40And I thought...
0:12:40 > 0:12:42I'm very sentimental, so I thought,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- "No, I won't, I'll just hang on a bit longer."- Well,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48I would say... I mean, it is an unusual stone. If it turned
0:12:48 > 0:12:52more of the red colour, rather than sort of the muddy purply colour,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55then it would be more expensive. But for this one, I would say,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58in its mount, I would say it's in the region
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- of about £1,500-£2,000.- Ooh!
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Well, that is lovely. Thank you very much indeed.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07- Oh, well, it's lovely.- Not that I... I won't ever sell it, but...- No.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12Well, that is... Ooh! It's great.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- Thank you very much. - My pleasure. Thank you.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20So are you avid antique collectors?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23No, we're not antique collectors, no,
0:13:23 > 0:13:24but we're inheritors.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- Oh, right. And this was obviously inherited.- Inherited, yes.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29And what do you keep in this?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Er, rubbish.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- Rubbish?- Yes, bits and pieces.- Well, that's honesty for you.
0:13:34 > 0:13:35When I took the drawers out
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and poured it all out, it was a lot of rubbish.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43- Do you have any idea where it's from? - I inherited it from my uncle,
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- who lived in Hove in Sussex, about ten years ago.- Oh, right.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50- Right.- It's been in the lounge, we've walked past it every day,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52and we've sort of, you know...
0:13:52 > 0:13:54- It's always been there. - We know nothing about it.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57The big question is, is it Italian?
0:13:57 > 0:14:01That's an interesting question, because you look at it
0:14:01 > 0:14:05and, at first, you say... Well, when I see this decoration on the top
0:14:05 > 0:14:09and the sides, I thought Spanish. Then when I look at
0:14:09 > 0:14:12the mouldings around the drawer fronts, and on the base here,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14it looks Dutch.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And then when you look at the panel in the centre here, it's Italian.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23So I think it's made by a migrant worker who ended up in Italy.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Its original purpose, what do you think it was for originally?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Putting collector's items into it?
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Yes, it was like a cabinet of curiosity for some wealthy merchant,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37because this is dating back from the late 17th, early 18th century.
0:14:37 > 0:14:42They would have kept things in here, curios, to show their friends.
0:14:42 > 0:14:48- Nothing of really high value, because there's no doors.- There's no locks.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Exactly, there's no locks - I noticed when I pulled one of the drawers out.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54But the whole thing, when you look at the facade, is really faux.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57- Do you know what I mean by that? - False.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02Mmm. Because when you look at this, it's actually imitating gold.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05It's actually copper laid on glass.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08- It sort of sparkles, doesn't it? - It sparkles.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12I mean, it's beautiful. When the sun's on it, it shines. And here,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15this is imitating blue lapis, and again
0:15:15 > 0:15:19it's all false, it's painted on the glass.
0:15:19 > 0:15:20And this is real here.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25In the centre we have blue lapis and we've got some agates.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29When we look at it, it didn't start life on this base.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31This base is later.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35- Really? Oh.- The base was made in the Victorian times to hold the cabinet.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37This style of cabinet would have stood on
0:15:37 > 0:15:41little ball feet, or little spheres, and it would have been carried
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- from one room and just placed on a table.- Yes.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48It's quite an interesting thing, even though I'm saying it's false.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- It is very, very attractive... - It is, it's lovely.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53..and quite desirable.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Well, it's a nice sunny day, and the sun's shining upon you,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00and I would put a value on this between £4,000-£5,000.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03- Oh, really? - Yeah. It's a very collectable item.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06- Now the sun's shining, look at that. - Yes, look at that.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10- Isn't that wonderful? Absolutely fantastic.- Marvellous.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15So what on earth do you think this is?
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Well, it was found in a shed.
0:16:17 > 0:16:23I think it's something agricultural. I'm not sure. A venomous substance?
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Funnily enough, it is a kind of venomous substance actually.
0:16:27 > 0:16:28What it is,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30despite everything that you might think it could be,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32is a fire extinguisher.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34No! I don't believe it.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36No, it really, really, really is.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38It's the Minimax,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40and we've got some writing on it here.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43We've got a design registration number
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and all sorts of information. There's a patent number here,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50a design registration number, which places it to 1924.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55It's full of carbon tetrachloride, and carbon tetrachloride
0:16:55 > 0:16:59is a substance which absorbs oxygen.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03And so the fire breaks out, you grab the extinguisher,
0:17:03 > 0:17:08- you lob it into the fire and Bob becomes your uncle.- OK.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10- I shall keep it in the kitchen. - Keep it in the...?
0:17:10 > 0:17:15I have to say that carbon tetrachloride is carcinogenic.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18- We now know it's really ghastly.- OK.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20- So in a way, it's a bit of a toxic object.- Mm.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24And when it comes... It actually has a value, because there are people,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26believe it or not, who collect these.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28And I think it would probably sell,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32with or without the mouse poo on it...
0:17:33 > 0:17:36- ..for about 100 quid. - Wow, that's amazing!
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- Isn't that good fun? - Yes, yes. Incredible.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42Every now and again
0:17:42 > 0:17:46you get something turn up which needs further investigation.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47This dish by Omar Ramsden
0:17:47 > 0:17:51in silver, arguably the best Arts and Crafts designer
0:17:51 > 0:17:53of the 20th century.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56When you turn it over it shouts at you. There's more going on to it.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01"Pax", the Latin for peace, "1938". Tell me about it.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05Well, this belonged to my family, the Chamberlains.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09I'm Neville Chamberlain's granddaughter, and my mother
0:18:09 > 0:18:13had quite a lot of memorabilia, and we've shared it out.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18And I was rather intrigued with this dish and wanted to bring it along.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23I know that it represented the peace in 1938,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26which was brought about by the Munich Treaty.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Sure. In a nutshell, Britain, Germany, France and Italy
0:18:30 > 0:18:35were trying to allow Germany to sort of regain its border lands.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38There were opponents, such as Anthony Eden and Churchill,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40they were opposed to the agreement.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44- Yes.- But Prime Minister Chamberlain thought it was a good idea,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47because he thought it would stop war with Germany, and that's
0:18:47 > 0:18:49the famous saying, "Peace in our time."
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Yes, but that's got a bit distorted over the years.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Everybody thinks it was that.
0:18:55 > 0:19:01If you see the tape of it, he seems to be saying "Peace for our time,"
0:19:01 > 0:19:06not, "Peace in our time," and, actually, what he was trying to say
0:19:06 > 0:19:07was, "Peace for a time,"
0:19:07 > 0:19:11because he wasn't sure it would last. He didn't trust Hitler.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16This records the fact that lots of people were thrilled with him,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20and they showered Downing Street with lots of presents -
0:19:20 > 0:19:22countries and individual presents.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25We don't actually know who it came from.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27I mean, there's a lot of symbolism going on in the dish.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29- You've got the four sides.- Yes.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32You've got the number four, the four nations involved in the treaty.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36I mean, it's such a beautiful object, you know, the symbolism,
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and to collectors these sort of things just don't turn up.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44With that history, you being a descendant of Chamberlain
0:19:44 > 0:19:46adds hugely to its value.
0:19:46 > 0:19:52As an Omar Ramsden dish it's worth 700-900, somewhere in that order.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56With that Chamberlain connection, it's worth sort of £3,000-£4,000.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Goodness me! Thank you very much.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01I didn't realise it would be so valuable.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08So your 18th century family
0:20:08 > 0:20:11was immortalised by an artist who learnt in America.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13Apparently so, yes.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Do you know about the painter?
0:20:15 > 0:20:17We understand that he started in Bristol.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20For some reason that we don't know,
0:20:20 > 0:20:21he fled to America,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24where he became quite well liked by the various burghers,
0:20:24 > 0:20:28and then having made a reputation there, he came back to England,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30and presumably Mr Taylor heard of him,
0:20:30 > 0:20:33and asked him to come and paint him and his wife,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35and, after that, the rest of the family.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37And what a wonderful way of doing so.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Why it is such an interesting painting
0:20:39 > 0:20:42is that the deportment of the features, that slightly odd way
0:20:42 > 0:20:47that he's leaning on his finger, and the massive emphasis on the waistcoat
0:20:47 > 0:20:51and the decoration are all of the things that you see in America.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53And yet he's doing it in England.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Why? Because the artist, Joseph Blackburn,
0:20:56 > 0:20:57has learned to paint
0:20:57 > 0:21:02in a different country, and has imported that style to Britain.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07And then next to Mr Taylor, you have Mr Taylor's children.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12But what a wonderful concentration again on all the paraphernalia -
0:21:12 > 0:21:14the extra details. Even the flowers are done
0:21:14 > 0:21:18with a delicacy that you don't normally see in British portraiture.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20They're rather more generalised.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22This is, as it were, you know,
0:21:22 > 0:21:27the Transatlantic take on the English face and the English body.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29And I can also see that it's signed.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Yes.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34So satisfying to get a clear signature like that.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36I mean, what also you're beginning to see -
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and we're about to move to their mother -
0:21:38 > 0:21:42that these portraits have been slightly over-painted in the past.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45There's some very crude areas, like her nose, that's been given
0:21:45 > 0:21:47the appearance of a snout here, for a very simple reason.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51This is really bad over-painting. Someone has taken a brush to this,
0:21:51 > 0:21:57and made these pictures unnecessarily crude in order to conceal damage.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Take off the over-paint, and I think you'll find that those children
0:22:00 > 0:22:03could hatch into rather beautiful innocent creatures.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05They need restoration, in other words.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Then we move to her,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10who I assume is the wife of the Mr Taylor,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13- and the mother of the children.- Yes.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17I have to say, I am deeply struck by this.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Why? Because you have got the best of English
0:22:20 > 0:22:22with the best of Colonial American.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26You've got a wonderful flashy look that's reminiscent
0:22:26 > 0:22:30of the works of George Romney, or Joshua Reynolds,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35and yet you've that delicious concentration on detail, on lace.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Apparently he learned to paint the lace when he went to America.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43I have actually a piece of material with some of the lace on here,
0:22:43 > 0:22:44that came from her dress.
0:22:44 > 0:22:50- How terrific.- We don't know quite which bit, but there is the lace.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52There it is! Oh, unquestionably it is.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I mean, it is such a brilliant sort of scratch
0:22:55 > 0:22:56and sniff extension to a painting,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00when you can actually hold the fabric that the artist has portrayed.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I have to say, it's a beautiful piece of fabric as well.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07I think she was inclined to have the best at the time.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- She could afford it.- And she looks the best, doesn't she?
0:23:11 > 0:23:13I mean, she's a very striking woman.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Again the over-paint on the face, not very good.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17Gosh, she could be so much nicer.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20I mean, I feel like a makeup artist, wanting to re-do her.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22You can see in the cracks of the paint,
0:23:22 > 0:23:27just where the infilling has disfigured her brow.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31But gosh, she would be beautiful if she could be restored and cleaned.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35Let's talk about values. Let's start with Mr Taylor over here.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36I would say that,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39particularly if he could be restored well,
0:23:39 > 0:23:44he's worth something like £7,000 to £10,000.
0:23:44 > 0:23:50The three children I think have got great potential, and I would put
0:23:50 > 0:23:54a valuation of about £15,000, possibly even a little bit more.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57- Right.- And we come to her,
0:23:57 > 0:24:02who I think is a really beautiful example of this artist's work.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06It's signed. She looks at you with that seductive dead look.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08She's got that hugely decorative presence.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12It would go with cushions and curtains in the wealthiest homes
0:24:12 > 0:24:16anywhere in the world. This is worth £20,000-£30,000.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Well, I hope that the relations
0:24:19 > 0:24:22that are scattered over the world don't come and claim them.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25So thank you very much.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26Thank you.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Now something unusual's going to happen. Alex, we haven't really met,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and I know you've got two books, and that is all I know about them.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38So I shall be as surprised as you are when I find out more.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Now, tell me about these.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Well, these two books were given to my husband when he was
0:24:42 > 0:24:47nine-years-old and he was at prep school in Farnham, in Surrey.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50They were tied with string, with a little loop,
0:24:50 > 0:24:52just like something out of a Dickens novel,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56and he was told that they would be his summer time reading, age nine.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59Looked at them, thought, "These are a bit stuffy."
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- "Mart of Nations". - And "The Island Secret".
0:25:02 > 0:25:04That could be interesting, but "Mart of Nations"
0:25:04 > 0:25:06doesn't sound like a great read.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Well, anyway, they were chucked into the back of his cupboard
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and totally forgotten about,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and 25 years go by, and I get married to this nine-year-old.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Considerably older by then, clearly.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Yes, absolutely. And I find the books,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21and I'm putting them into our bookshelf at home.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I notice that they're stuck together, and I can't understand
0:25:24 > 0:25:27what's the matter with them, and look what I found inside.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Look at that!
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Take them out and see what's in there.
0:25:33 > 0:25:38- Brilliant!- 8d. Everything's 8d and in perfect condition.- Mars Bars.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42So it wasn't a detention, Fiona, it was a treat!
0:25:42 > 0:25:43Oh, and he never opened them!
0:25:43 > 0:25:47- No.- So he never realised?- No.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49Isn't that amazing?
0:25:49 > 0:25:53I love it. That was definitely worth a surprise. I'd never have guessed.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56I think we'll have those now!
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Well, on the Antiques Roadshow, when we look at medals,
0:26:14 > 0:26:19we're normally looking at medals from past campaigns,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22from major wars - the First World War,
0:26:22 > 0:26:23the Boer War.
0:26:23 > 0:26:29But now we're going to look at medals from much more recent campaigns.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34Relatively modern by those standards, and I think by the end of this piece,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39I think viewers will be absolutely stunned at the value
0:26:39 > 0:26:43we might be putting on some of the medal groups.
0:26:43 > 0:26:48We're here, not far from Hereford, a stone's throw from Hereford,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51which to many people mean the headquarters of the SAS,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54the Special Air Service,
0:26:54 > 0:26:58an organisation that of course is surrounded in mystery.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01But why do you collect modern medals?
0:27:01 > 0:27:04Well, I've been collecting medals from the age of 12, and the trouble
0:27:04 > 0:27:08with collecting old Victorian medals is there's very little research.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11After all, the recipients have died many, many years ago.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15So I've sold all my old Victorian medals and I concentrate on
0:27:15 > 0:27:19modern medals. The recipients generally are still alive,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and I can interview them, buy them a few drinks,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24get their stories, write them down. I find them
0:27:24 > 0:27:28far more interesting to research than the old Victorian medals.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32What puzzles me, and I guess would puzzle a lot of people, is why,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35if the recipients are still alive,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38that they're willing to sell their medals.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40I think because they've no-one
0:27:40 > 0:27:44to pass them down to in the first place, and because they know
0:27:44 > 0:27:47they're worth a lot of money. These guys don't wear their medals,
0:27:47 > 0:27:50they don't have occasions to wear them, so why not sell them
0:27:50 > 0:27:54for large amounts of money, and someone like me can do the research
0:27:54 > 0:27:56and preserve their memories?
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Only one of these gentlemen has died,
0:27:58 > 0:28:00that's the owner of the Military Medal.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02- He died last year.- This group here? - That group.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05But before he died, I got to interview him.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Of the others, I've interviewed everyone else as well,
0:28:07 > 0:28:11so I've got their life story and their military history as well.
0:28:11 > 0:28:15And you've brought some photographs here. Tell me what these are.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Right, that's the regiment, it was D Squadron.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20They're about to take South Georgia,
0:28:20 > 0:28:24and that's the only remaining helicopter that's left out of three,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and the gentleman on the far left, he's the winner
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- of the Military Medal group down there.- So this group...- Is his.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33- ..belongs to him, on the far left. - Yes. It's very nice to have
0:28:33 > 0:28:36a photograph of someone about to go into action.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38This is, of course, the Falklands War we're talking about.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41- Yes.- And I can remember...
0:28:41 > 0:28:44sitting in front of the television in 1980...?
0:28:44 > 0:28:46- Two.- 1982,
0:28:46 > 0:28:50and hearing on the news that the Argentineans
0:28:50 > 0:28:54had invaded OUR territory, British territory of South Georgia.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58And of course we went to war to protect the Falkland Islands.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02So you've also brought along another group. Tell me about this group here.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06Yes. Well, that gentleman, I've interviewed him about a dozen times,
0:29:06 > 0:29:10and I've written over 25,000 words on his life history.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14It's a fascinating history, but in South Georgia, there was only about
0:29:14 > 0:29:1515 of them actually took South Georgia,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18and they posed for that historic photograph.
0:29:18 > 0:29:22- This is a photograph that I've seen in many books.- Yes.
0:29:22 > 0:29:23And was famously used in the newspapers
0:29:23 > 0:29:26- and the news at the time.- Yes.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29- And which one is he? - He's kneeling on the bottom right.
0:29:29 > 0:29:31So this chap here, with the moustache?
0:29:31 > 0:29:33- Yes.- Well, it's incredible.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36I mean, do you know, these groups,
0:29:36 > 0:29:41to Special Air Service, very rarely come on the market.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44And they are worth considerable sums of money.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Now I guess I don't need to tell you this,
0:29:46 > 0:29:49because you must have acquired these yourself.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52- Yes, indeed.- And how... what did you pay? Give me an example
0:29:52 > 0:29:55of some of the amounts of money you've paid for these medals.
0:29:55 > 0:29:57I paid 25,000 for the Military Medal.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- How much?- 25,000.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03- So for this group of three medals, you paid £25,000.- Yes.- How long ago?
0:30:03 > 0:30:05That was about three years ago.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07OK.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- I paid £6,000 for that group there. - For this group, yes.
0:30:10 > 0:30:14Yeah. These belonged to my friends, so I didn't buy those,
0:30:14 > 0:30:19- and I paid £4,500 for this one. Right.- Well, OK,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22we know what you paid for some of these groups, but you know,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25you've made, I think, an incredibly good investment,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29because I think today, if they came up on the open market,
0:30:29 > 0:30:35I think this group of three, with the history that surrounds it,
0:30:35 > 0:30:38could easily make £30,000,
0:30:38 > 0:30:44and I think if you took a total of the medals, the flag,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47the pennants that you've got together here,
0:30:47 > 0:30:52I think we would be looking at something in the region of...
0:30:52 > 0:30:55- £80,000 to £90,000.- Very good.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59It's a serious, serious collection. Are you carrying on?
0:30:59 > 0:31:02- Still collecting?- Oh, absolutely. I'm running out of money,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05- but I'm still collecting. Yes. - I feel very, very proud
0:31:05 > 0:31:08for the fact that you've shown these to me today.
0:31:08 > 0:31:09Thank you.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15This is a most remarkable album of postcards.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17I'm flicking through it,
0:31:17 > 0:31:22and page after page of nothing but dollies, teddies, toys.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Who collected them?
0:31:25 > 0:31:27It was a very dear old friend of mine who was a doll restorer
0:31:27 > 0:31:30and teddy bear restorer,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34and it was her collection of a lifetime, 40 years plus.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37So she collected to that theme because she was in the business?
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- Yes.- I've cheated, because I've gone through them
0:31:40 > 0:31:43and I've pulled a few out here, which...
0:31:43 > 0:31:46I mean, they're by no means the best, but they're the ones
0:31:46 > 0:31:47that tickled my fancy.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52And you know, when you look at them, there's so much detail here.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Here we've got a little group of dolls, lots of different ones,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58and another group here with some boy dolls in there.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01This one's a little bit foxed.
0:32:01 > 0:32:08- And these I love, because there are the dolls with their owners.- Yes.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12And that's just great to see them, you know, the looks on their faces -
0:32:12 > 0:32:15some of them serious, some of them smiling.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20This is great, with the child with her doll and the little teddy.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Absolutely. I think it's the mere fact that the children
0:32:24 > 0:32:27- with their toys, and also the expression on their faces.- Exactly.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29And some are beautiful children.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33And then steering away a little bit from the dolls, we've got
0:32:33 > 0:32:35something perhaps more for the boys here.
0:32:35 > 0:32:36We've got a Christmas tree
0:32:36 > 0:32:39decorated with the Allied flags from the First World War.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43Oh, and this, this is great. A letter to Father Christmas.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46"My Christmas wish. Dear "blank".
0:32:46 > 0:32:47"I do wish Santa Claus
0:32:47 > 0:32:53"would bring me a "blank" this year from Harrods Toy Fair. Your loving
0:32:53 > 0:32:56""blank"." And the address. How lovely. And here we've got
0:32:56 > 0:32:58Father Christmas holding a zeppelin,
0:32:58 > 0:33:00which would have been the toy of the moment, you know.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03- Exactly.- Absolutely of its period.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Oh, well, now I know why I picked this one out,
0:33:07 > 0:33:11- because this is a Steiff card.- Mm.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14There's a Steiff teddy bear in a cart,
0:33:14 > 0:33:17and what's more important for me, is that all these figures
0:33:17 > 0:33:21are actually Steiff figures as well.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24And those I've only ever seen in line drawings
0:33:24 > 0:33:26so, you know, to me, it's a great discovery to see
0:33:26 > 0:33:29- that they actually did make them. - Make them.- Or at least
0:33:29 > 0:33:31- they made one for the postcard.- Yes.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34I could go on, but I think really what I'm going to talk about
0:33:34 > 0:33:38just briefly now is about postcard collecting in general,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41because lots of people have collections of postcards,
0:33:41 > 0:33:43usually in albums that are falling to pieces.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48And the question I'm always asked is, "Are they valuable?"
0:33:48 > 0:33:49And the answer is generally
0:33:49 > 0:33:54a lot of postcards aren't valuable, because people collect by theme.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57When they go to a postcard fair, they're not aimlessly buying,
0:33:57 > 0:33:59they're flicking through and saying,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02- "I need railway cards and I haven't got this one."- Yeah exactly.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05So that's obviously what your friend did, she collected in sets,
0:34:05 > 0:34:09she filled all the gaps, and what she has got here as a result
0:34:09 > 0:34:12is something really quite remarkable.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17- Yes, I agree. - These cards are valuable.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20They would work out at around £10 a piece.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24- Right.- And you've got, how many? - There's 300.
0:34:24 > 0:34:25You do the math.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30Well, to be honest, I inherited them, I suppose,
0:34:30 > 0:34:34because she wanted them... somebody to look after them.
0:34:34 > 0:34:37She didn't want them to be broken up, sold on, and so really,
0:34:37 > 0:34:39they've been in the cupboard for a long time,
0:34:39 > 0:34:41and that's where they'll stay, I think.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- They're in safe hands.- They are. - Thank you for bringing them.- Thanks.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Now then, I wonder how much action
0:34:48 > 0:34:52this has seen? It certainly looks as if it's seen some. There's a notch.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55I wonder whether that's been taken out on the back of somebody's head!
0:34:57 > 0:35:02This is a Great Western Railway, or as Brunel would prefer us
0:35:02 > 0:35:04probably to say, "God's Wonderful Railway,"
0:35:04 > 0:35:09constable's truncheon, which dates from probably the 1850s.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13But certainly, before the telegraph,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16when they needed these people to stop saboteurs
0:35:16 > 0:35:19and other people pinching railway property.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21This is quite an unusual thing to see.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Are you a collector of truncheons or...?
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- No, no, just I'm a railway enthusiast.- Yes.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30And I was given it over 40 years ago
0:35:30 > 0:35:35by a gentleman whose family owned it originally,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39and it comes from Lansdown Junction, Cheltenham,
0:35:39 > 0:35:43and he thought that I would treasure it more than his family
0:35:43 > 0:35:46when he passed away, as they would only sell it.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49- So he gave it, through my father, to me.- Good.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52It's in lovely condition for its age. Most of them are quite damaged.
0:35:52 > 0:35:55The Great Western Railway constables' truncheons
0:35:55 > 0:35:58were really nicely decorated.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01I understand that it was only the Great Western who decorated
0:36:01 > 0:36:05in such an elaborate fashion. And you can see, although it's transferred,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07the quality of the transfer is high,
0:36:07 > 0:36:10and there's a wonderful imperial crown at the top,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13which makes it look very important and official indeed.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Well, because these are so scarce, it is difficult
0:36:17 > 0:36:22to actually arrive at a price on them, but I could well imagine
0:36:22 > 0:36:25that if you actually wanted to replace these,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28which you'd have considerable difficulty,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31you could easily be talking as much as £1,000 to replace one of these.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Very good.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Very good. Thank you very much.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43These shells have a distinctly Pacific feel in Herefordshire.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44How did you come by them?
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Well, they came into our family through my great aunt,
0:36:47 > 0:36:49who was the daughter-in-law
0:36:49 > 0:36:52of a well-known ornithologist, Edgar Leopold Layard.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55He was Honorary British Consul in New Caledonia,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- in the sort of Indonesian area, I think.- Yes.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00- The Pacific anyway. - The Pacific anyway.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02They have wonderful details here.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05There's sort of native scenes carved here and, then,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08quite a European scene here, although this is marked
0:37:08 > 0:37:12- "New Caledonia".- Yes, yes, yes, yes. - I think something like this
0:37:12 > 0:37:16would be done obviously because they were trying to please
0:37:16 > 0:37:20their European visitors or masters at the time, and so, you know,
0:37:20 > 0:37:22the carvers would take an engraving,
0:37:22 > 0:37:27- an etching from a European piece, and put it onto this shell.- Yes.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29This one in particular fascinates me.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Well, we have a note which my father left, that apparently
0:37:33 > 0:37:37that was engraved, we believe, by a French forger called Tournere,
0:37:37 > 0:37:41who was sent to New Caledonia as a prisoner for the rest of his life,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45because they were so concerned that if he was left in France,
0:37:45 > 0:37:49he'd forge more bank notes, and make fortunes I suppose. He certainly,
0:37:49 > 0:37:53- obviously, was a very capable... - He's an exceptionally fine engraver.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57Exquisite this, and so difficult to engrave on a shell.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59The chances of breaking it...
0:37:59 > 0:38:01It's a very difficult thing. Many of the ones
0:38:01 > 0:38:04I've seen that are engraved, just have one small scene on it.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08This one has all these different little vignettes.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10Beautifully detailed,
0:38:10 > 0:38:16and there's a native inhabitant with a quite a European idea on the head.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20Terribly difficult thing to do, wonderful example.
0:38:20 > 0:38:22This engraving here
0:38:22 > 0:38:27is very reminiscent of something nearer to sort of 1850-1860,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30I would say on this one, whereas these, I'd say, are slightly later.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35- OK.- How many of these examples do you have?- We have six.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38I think there were more once. My sister looks after them,
0:38:38 > 0:38:40and one was stolen when their house was burgled,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43and another one actually was given to some friends
0:38:43 > 0:38:47who were very close to the family. So six or eight or so, altogether.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51They're extremely decorative.
0:38:51 > 0:39:00- These two I would put at £250-£300 each.- Yes.- This one,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03because of the European subject, rather slightly rarer, and obviously
0:39:03 > 0:39:10with the New Caledonian, I'd put a little bit more, maybe £300-£350.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12This one...
0:39:12 > 0:39:14has so much detail.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17I've never seen one as good as this. I have seen a few of these shells,
0:39:17 > 0:39:19but I've never seen one as good as this.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Really?
0:39:22 > 0:39:24He obviously was a great engraver,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26which the French government obviously knew.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30And valuation, I would say...
0:39:30 > 0:39:34- £1,000-£1,200.- Really?
0:39:34 > 0:39:35Thank you.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41We see lots of tea caddies on the Antiques Roadshow,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43but this one just breaks the rules.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47- What can you tell me about it? - It belonged to my granny,
0:39:47 > 0:39:50who was given it by an old lady, Miss Ravenshaw, when she died,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53and I know that they had it in their family
0:39:53 > 0:39:56about 1850-1860, because she's mentioned it in her diary,
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and that's really all I know about it.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04It's been in our family since about 1830... sorry, 1930s.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06I just want to open it up,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10because this is what got my heart racing when I saw the interior.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14Got these three canisters for holding your tea - the green tea
0:40:14 > 0:40:16and black tea.
0:40:16 > 0:40:21But what makes this really, really special is this. It's another caddy.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24- So it's a caddy within a caddy. - Right.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27And I just want to take these out,
0:40:27 > 0:40:30because the cut glass is absolutely exquisite.
0:40:30 > 0:40:36This is to me what's special, because tea was very, very expensive.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39Now we have a cup of tea, it's in a mug.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43When they were drinking tea at this period, in the 18th century -
0:40:43 > 0:40:47this is an 18th century tea caddy - tea was a real ritual.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50So they would have mixed it in that one?
0:40:50 > 0:40:54No. I think, because this was locked, this was another caddy as well,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58- because there's no locks on these. - No.- When did it get damaged?
0:40:58 > 0:41:01I don't know. It was like that when I remember it from a little girl.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Right. OK.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09- The box itself is made out satinwood, hence its weight.- Right.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Inside the lid you can see, this is sycamore,
0:41:12 > 0:41:15and it's got this lovely chequered decoration.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18It's all in the detail, it's fabulous.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Even the lock is actually numbered here, you see?
0:41:21 > 0:41:26It's like a little safe, holding this treasure of tea.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Any idea what you think it may be worth today?
0:41:28 > 0:41:33I've always thought about £200-£300, because it was just a pretty...
0:41:33 > 0:41:37- the decoration on the outside is very pretty.- Yes.- But I've no idea.
0:41:37 > 0:41:42Well, the box is worth a couple of hundred pounds,
0:41:42 > 0:41:44just as an interesting item.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47When I look at these other items,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- to me, that's worth £1,000.- Oh!
0:41:50 > 0:41:53What, in that condition? Cracked and...
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- In that condition.- Right. - So, overall,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59we'd say in this condition,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02I'm quite happy to say it is worth £2,000.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04- Three?- Two.- Two.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07It'd be nice to be three.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09I'm getting my hopes up now!
0:42:09 > 0:42:12If it was perfect, it would be a different story altogether.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15It could be even £5,000.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19- Right.- This is a lovely little piece of furniture.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Lovely little piece.
0:42:23 > 0:42:27So, two little thimbles. Have you had these a long time?
0:42:27 > 0:42:28Yes.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31They were given to me by my Godmother
0:42:31 > 0:42:33when I was christened in January 1941.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Oh, lovely, and you like them?
0:42:35 > 0:42:38- I think they're beautiful. - They're sweet little things.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41- Thimbles now are getting quite collectable.- Yes.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43There are thimble collectors clubs,
0:42:43 > 0:42:44so they go mad on these things.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Especially on this little one.
0:42:46 > 0:42:51This is Worcester, Royal Worcester, painted by Willy Powell.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53- His signature is just... - Can you see it?
0:42:53 > 0:42:56- Willy - W Powell.- Oh, I never saw that.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00- Right.- He was a little hunchback. - Oh, was he?
0:43:00 > 0:43:02About four foot tall.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06He used to have to sit on a special stool to paint the paintings,
0:43:06 > 0:43:10- but he was a beautiful painter of birds. Isn't that lovely?- It is.
0:43:10 > 0:43:141935 is the date coding, so a nice early one,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16and that's very, very beautiful.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20This one is much earlier. This one is the end of the 19th century,
0:43:20 > 0:43:25decorated with little tiny jewels, and all hand gilding.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29All these little jewels are put on by brush, little tiny...
0:43:29 > 0:43:32imitating turquoises or gold spots or something or other,
0:43:32 > 0:43:38and while the little bird thimble is very collectable now, a little bird
0:43:38 > 0:43:44thimble like that by Willy Powell, the great painter of birds,
0:43:44 > 0:43:46is going to be something like about £200.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48- Right, right.- The little thimble
0:43:48 > 0:43:53with jewels is almost unfindable by thimble collectors.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57- They'd go absolutely bonkers over that one.- Do they?
0:43:57 > 0:44:00So we're looking at something like about £500-£600 for a little thimble.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Gosh, right.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06- That's lovely.- So now you must go on sewing, mustn't you?
0:44:06 > 0:44:11- I keep them in my cabinet, safe. - Oh, use them.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13I mean, Willy Powell would love to know
0:44:13 > 0:44:15someone was using his little thimble.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17He was a beautiful little man,
0:44:17 > 0:44:20and I know he'd love you to have it and use it.
0:44:20 > 0:44:21Oh, that's nice. Thank you.
0:44:26 > 0:44:30Well, here we have two letters from Winston Churchill.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32One from Christmas 1949,
0:44:32 > 0:44:37and the other on his birthday, 30th November 1946.
0:44:37 > 0:44:39So where did you get these?
0:44:39 > 0:44:40I got those from an antique market.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43- Right.- I thought they were very interesting
0:44:43 > 0:44:47- and Winston Churchill is a...- A hero of yours?
0:44:47 > 0:44:49- Yes, very much a hero. - And what did you pay for them?
0:44:49 > 0:44:51For those, £150.
0:44:51 > 0:44:56Yes. Well, let me tell you that had they been right,
0:44:56 > 0:44:58they would have been worth a lot of money.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01- Yes, I thought they might be wrong. - Well, they're facsimiles
0:45:01 > 0:45:04and they're not worth £150, I have to tell you.
0:45:04 > 0:45:09There was an auction house in London who used to have these pinned up
0:45:09 > 0:45:13on their wall at the reception desk, because people who used to come in
0:45:13 > 0:45:15with these and say that they're real,
0:45:15 > 0:45:19and they would say, "No they're not, look up there on the wall."
0:45:19 > 0:45:21But there we are, anyway.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23More exciting I suppose
0:45:23 > 0:45:26is this, which is Edward Elgar's
0:45:26 > 0:45:30"The Dream of Gerontius" by Cardinal Newman.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34The interesting thing about it, it is signed by Edward Elgar,
0:45:34 > 0:45:37and it's also signed by Jaeger,
0:45:37 > 0:45:39who happens to be...
0:45:39 > 0:45:42- Nimrod.- Nimrod. Yes, who was
0:45:42 > 0:45:47Elgar's great friend, of course, and he writes a lot of these things.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51But this is not the score, this is just the words to it.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53But it is the first edition,
0:45:53 > 0:45:57the "Book of Words, with analytical and descriptive notes
0:45:57 > 0:46:00"by AJ Jaeger". Now what did you pay for this?
0:46:00 > 0:46:04Well, it was in a box of items in a local auction,
0:46:04 > 0:46:09- and I paid £6 for the box of items. - I think you've done slightly better.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14It's very rare to see Elgar autographically with his friend,
0:46:14 > 0:46:18Jaeger, and I think that that makes this rather exciting.
0:46:18 > 0:46:23My valuation of it is, what?
0:46:23 > 0:46:29- Somewhere in the region of £800.- Oh, super. Very good.- Nice one.- Yes.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36THUNDER RUMBLES
0:46:36 > 0:46:40So where did you find these, down the offy?
0:46:42 > 0:46:45No, I did a barn conversion some years ago
0:46:45 > 0:46:49and there was a crack in the wall, so I had to put concrete underneath,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52and when I dug under the barn, so these popped out.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55OK. I think that's pretty good fortune, isn't it?
0:46:55 > 0:46:57- Yes.- Tell us about the date of the building.
0:46:57 > 0:47:01Well, that building was about 1860, I think.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05No, no, earlier than that. Come on, there's got to be something earlier.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07Well, there was a farm next door to it,
0:47:07 > 0:47:11and that was probably dated back to about 1700, I think.
0:47:11 > 0:47:14- It was certainly on maps of 1740. - Oh, you see, now,
0:47:14 > 0:47:16- now we're getting there.- Right.
0:47:16 > 0:47:22- Because 1720 is this one.- Yes. - And 1740
0:47:22 > 0:47:27is the date of this one, so actually we've got good dates.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29I mean, what's amazing, is bearing in mind
0:47:29 > 0:47:30that they're hidden in a wall,
0:47:30 > 0:47:33and you're smashing around with concrete and pick axes
0:47:33 > 0:47:36and barrows and all the rest of it, they're in really good nick.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40Um, this one is...strangely is Northern European.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43- It might be German.- Right.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47Has a nice crisp pontil under here, with a nice iridescence actually.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50- It was covered in iridescence when...- Yes.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52..I picked it up and it came off in my hands.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56If we can look down the neck, there's some really nice iridescence in that.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59So this is for Rhenish, German wine.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02- It would have been probably imported with the wine in it.- Oh.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04- 1720.- Right.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07And this one is more unusual. This is an English mallet shape,
0:48:07 > 0:48:11and it's distinguished by a very large, sharp
0:48:11 > 0:48:13pontil mark under the base here.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15And isn't that a rustic piece?
0:48:15 > 0:48:17Look at that. Wonky donkey!
0:48:17 > 0:48:19You know, you can see...
0:48:19 > 0:48:22Really, you can imagine some old glass maker in 1735,
0:48:22 > 0:48:24puffing his lungs into that,
0:48:24 > 0:48:28and, having done so, still while the glass is still hot,
0:48:28 > 0:48:32is picking up a seal for AB, whoever AB was...
0:48:32 > 0:48:34You should check the deeds.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37- We tried. We can't find anyone.- No? ..dropping a dob of glass
0:48:37 > 0:48:39onto here, and pressing that,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43in the manner of the seal, of sealing a letter,
0:48:43 > 0:48:47his initials onto the bottle. And what's strange
0:48:47 > 0:48:51is that, it's a bit like me, it's got a really big mouth!
0:48:51 > 0:48:52Well, I wasn't going to make any...
0:48:54 > 0:48:57- I may have to deal with you later. - OK!
0:48:58 > 0:49:03So what is basically the rubbish in a wall
0:49:03 > 0:49:05is not bad money.
0:49:05 > 0:49:11So we've got, I don't know, £200, £300 on this one.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15- 500, 600, 700 on here.- Right.
0:49:15 > 0:49:20So what we have is over £1,000 for two green bottles...
0:49:20 > 0:49:21hiding on a wall.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31THUNDER RUMBLES
0:49:32 > 0:49:34It's that moment on the Antiques Roadshow
0:49:34 > 0:49:38when it's time for a rendition of Singing in the Rain.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41It was glorious earlier! What's happened? The heavens have opened.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43But we're going to enjoy ourselves, aren't we?
0:49:43 > 0:49:46- ALL:- Yes.- In your blue macs.
0:49:46 > 0:49:48Takes more than a spot of rain to put us off!
0:50:07 > 0:50:09This is such a pretty little box, a little
0:50:09 > 0:50:14rosewood box with pewter inlay and mother of pearl, little steel handle.
0:50:14 > 0:50:16Could be 1840s.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21- Ah, but it's got a treasure.- Yes.
0:50:21 > 0:50:26And it's got a dear little wax doll. Tell me what you know about it.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28She was given to my daughter.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31She was left by an old family friend,
0:50:31 > 0:50:36and it came with some information about it in German,
0:50:36 > 0:50:42that it belonged to the Brothers Grimm and was given to a little girl
0:50:42 > 0:50:45- all those years ago.- Fantastic. Well, let me just... Hang on.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48Oh, this is all in German. "Im Jahr achtzehn
0:50:48 > 0:50:53"achtundvierzig". My German isn't what it was!
0:50:53 > 0:50:56I do have a translation for you.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Thank goodness! OK. "In the year 1848..."
0:50:58 > 0:51:00la, la, la...
0:51:00 > 0:51:02Oh, this is interesting.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05"The father of little Dorothy was friendly with the Grimm Brothers
0:51:05 > 0:51:09"and they brought with them one day, to the apartment, the doll." Amazing.
0:51:09 > 0:51:14Well, I mean, the Grimm Brothers, I suppose, whether we know it or not,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17they are part of all our childhoods.
0:51:17 > 0:51:19In 1812 they wrote the great fairy story book
0:51:19 > 0:51:24"Tales of Children and the Home", in which were Snow White, Cinderella,
0:51:24 > 0:51:28Sleeping Beauty. And basically any other fairy stories
0:51:28 > 0:51:31that we've ever heard about, first appeared in that book.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34So what a wonderful thing to have been given by them.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37Let's just have a look at this little doll.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Well, she's a poured wax doll.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44She's got her head very realistically turning to one side.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48I love the little printed cotton dress that she's wearing,
0:51:48 > 0:51:49with these tiny buttons.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52They look as if they've been sewn on by a mouse.
0:51:52 > 0:51:56- Interestingly, I think that she's an English doll.- Really?
0:51:56 > 0:52:00But having said that, the English were very well known for wax dolls
0:52:00 > 0:52:04in the early part of the 19th century.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06As a little doll,
0:52:06 > 0:52:11she's all right, but not stupendous.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14But she's been sprinkled almost with fairy dust,
0:52:14 > 0:52:19because of her connection with the Grimm Brothers, and I think
0:52:19 > 0:52:21that that then puts her into a different league,
0:52:21 > 0:52:23and I would put her value
0:52:23 > 0:52:26at perhaps £400-£600.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29- So a real...a real treasure.- Yes.
0:52:29 > 0:52:34And something that has her own fairy story to tell.
0:52:34 > 0:52:35It does, yes.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38- Wonderful. Thank you for bringing her along.- Thank you.
0:52:43 > 0:52:46It's a really unusual thing to bring to a Roadshow. Lovely thing to see.
0:52:46 > 0:52:48Where did you get it?
0:52:48 > 0:52:52I had a dear friend, an elderly friend, who died last year,
0:52:52 > 0:52:57and she requested that I could choose several things
0:52:57 > 0:53:01from her home, and this was one of the items that I chose.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03So what do you know about it?
0:53:03 > 0:53:06Very little. I don't know how to pronounce it,
0:53:06 > 0:53:10- but we believe it's called a cloisonne.- Cloisonne, that's right.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12It was called Oriental,
0:53:12 > 0:53:18and we understand that it might have had pot pourri in it.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20But again, we really don't know.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Well, that's a good start. It is Oriental, it's Chinese
0:53:23 > 0:53:26and it is cloisonne, and cloisonne is a type of enamel,
0:53:26 > 0:53:29where you have these little cloisonnes or wires,
0:53:29 > 0:53:31which are soldered onto the surface, and the colour here
0:53:31 > 0:53:34is coloured glass, which is floated into the gaps
0:53:34 > 0:53:37and then ground off. So that's what cloisonne is.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39It's not really a pot pourri.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41It should be filled up with sand to a level,
0:53:41 > 0:53:45and then have incense put into it and then it rises out.
0:53:45 > 0:53:48Oh, we've got dragons all round these reticulated panels here,
0:53:48 > 0:53:51so smoke would be rising out of it. It's an incense burner.
0:53:51 > 0:53:54- Right. - It's a pretty impressive one too.
0:53:54 > 0:53:57This one dates from somewhere in the 19th century,
0:53:57 > 0:54:00probably the first half of the 19th century.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03Chinese cloisonne can be valuable. If you put that in auction, it would be
0:54:03 > 0:54:058,000 to 10,000.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12Goodness me! Wow! Whoo!
0:54:12 > 0:54:14Oh, thank you very much.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17That's quite amazing.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23We saw this earlier in the programme, but do you actually know what it is?
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Well, I think it's a stirrup cup.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Absolutely.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Stirrup cups first appeared in the mid-18th century
0:54:29 > 0:54:33and were always foxes. But the Victorians
0:54:33 > 0:54:36decided that was a bit boring, so they decided
0:54:36 > 0:54:39to make other things, like dogs' heads as stirrup cups.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42And stirrup cups were handed up
0:54:42 > 0:54:45to the Master of the Hunt, just before they went off hunting.
0:54:45 > 0:54:48And what I've got in my hand,
0:54:48 > 0:54:52I've got to say, is one of the best ones I've ever actually seen.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54It's got a nice set of marks down the bottom here.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58Made by the firm of Hunt and Roskell, who were one of the best
0:54:58 > 0:55:04makers of the 19th century, and it's got a date letter here for 1869.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07But what has made this possibly one of the best days
0:55:07 > 0:55:09I've ever had on any Antiques Roadshow,
0:55:09 > 0:55:14is the fact that in front of us we've got 11 more.
0:55:14 > 0:55:19So how on earth did 11 come to be made?
0:55:19 > 0:55:22Well, they are all models of real Hereford cattle
0:55:22 > 0:55:27that were shown and won prizes at shows up and down the country,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29and so every time that the owner won
0:55:29 > 0:55:31with one of his real Hereford bulls,
0:55:31 > 0:55:35- he had a cup modelled on the cow or the bull to celebrate.- I see.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39So that's why each one has a name on, and this one has "Sir Hungerford".
0:55:39 > 0:55:42Yes. That was Johnny Arkwright's grandfather,
0:55:42 > 0:55:43actually, Sir Hungerford Hoskins.
0:55:43 > 0:55:45The bull was named after his grandfather.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48Sir Hungerford didn't look like this?!
0:55:48 > 0:55:49- No.- No, no. Good. OK.
0:55:49 > 0:55:53So Johnny Arkwright was resident here at Hampton Court
0:55:53 > 0:55:56in 1869 when they were made.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59That's right. He was the owner of the house and the estate.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03- And are there any records of him ever using these?- Oh, yes, very much so.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06They were used on, I think, the dinner table
0:56:06 > 0:56:09as a sort of place setting perhaps. I don't know.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13Well, the good thing about this particular model is, if we put him
0:56:13 > 0:56:17- upside down he sits absolutely like a goblet.- Yes.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20So it must have looked pretty impressive to have
0:56:20 > 0:56:2212 of these all around a dining table.
0:56:22 > 0:56:26I've never, ever heard of 12 - "herd" -
0:56:26 > 0:56:31and there's no joke there, never heard of a set of 12,
0:56:31 > 0:56:32even though there are some smaller ones
0:56:32 > 0:56:36and larger ones, and they've all got different names on, as you say.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40But I have to tell you that stirrup cups are enormously collectable.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42- Oh, right.- There's been a surge in interest
0:56:42 > 0:56:45in them over the last seven or eight years.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48There are lots of collectors, and bulls
0:56:48 > 0:56:52happen to be one of the rarest forms of stirrup cup you can get.
0:56:52 > 0:56:53Right.
0:56:53 > 0:56:57- So, now, how long have you had these, or...?- They're not mine,
0:56:57 > 0:57:01- I'm sorry to say.- They're not yours? - I wish they were.
0:57:01 > 0:57:04Because I knew a little of the history of the herd,
0:57:04 > 0:57:06- I was asked to bring them today.- I see.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09And I know that they are kept very safe
0:57:09 > 0:57:11under lock and key most of the time.
0:57:11 > 0:57:12Very occasionally, used,
0:57:12 > 0:57:14but mostly kept safe and sound.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17Well, so you probably haven't got a great idea
0:57:17 > 0:57:19about what this little lot is worth.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23No. I know more about the value of the creatures themselves.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28Well, I wouldn't know which was more valuable, yet.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31But maybe you'll tell me. But if I tell you that...
0:57:31 > 0:57:37this one, which is a wonderful bull, with a great big chubby neck.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41It's a beautiful model, fabulously textured here,
0:57:41 > 0:57:43really super, super example.
0:57:43 > 0:57:49Something like this is probably worth at least £10,0000-£15,000.
0:57:52 > 0:57:54- So times twelve.- Right.
0:57:54 > 0:58:01And for a set, there's not going to be much change left out of £150,000.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03I'd better take them home carefully!
0:58:04 > 0:58:08Well, they are an extraordinary lot.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11If I ever see anything like this again, I will be truly lucky,
0:58:11 > 0:58:15but I've been more than truly lucky just to handle these and see these,
0:58:15 > 0:58:18so thank you so much for bringing them along.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21It's been lovely to bring them back to Hampton Court today.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23- Couldn't be a better home.- Thanks. - Thanks.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26So we're ending the programme as we began,
0:58:26 > 0:58:31with those amazing cow stirrup cups. Aren't they fabulous?
0:58:31 > 0:58:35From Hampton Court Castle, until next time, bye-bye.
0:58:54 > 0:58:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.
0:58:57 > 0:59:00E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk