0:00:02 > 0:00:05I ask you - what is it about this programme and tall buildings?
0:00:05 > 0:00:08So far, I've been up to the top of the Blackpool Tower,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10I've been sent up to the pinnacle of Beverley Minster,
0:00:10 > 0:00:15and to a very windy gantry at the top of the Forth Rail Bridge.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Now they're saying, "You'll get the best view of Birmingham from there"
0:00:18 > 0:00:20It's 300 feet tall!
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Well, here goes - anything for the Roadshow.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Do you know what?
0:01:11 > 0:01:14They were right. The view is stupendous!
0:01:18 > 0:01:20We're back for a second visit to Birmingham,
0:01:20 > 0:01:22once known as the city of a thousand trades,
0:01:22 > 0:01:24and from the university clock tower,
0:01:24 > 0:01:29the whole of the city is laid out before you.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35The list of industries synonymous with the city
0:01:35 > 0:01:38and beyond is impressive. But, of course, the West Midlands
0:01:38 > 0:01:40is best known as the home of the motor car.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46In 1906, Herbert Austin is said to have cycled around Birmingham
0:01:46 > 0:01:48looking for a factory where he could start his business,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52and the building he found was an old tin-printing works at Longbridge,
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and the rest, as they say, is history.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58And if you look just through here, you can see his car factory.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04At its peak, Austin employed 22,000 local people at Longbridge,
0:02:04 > 0:02:07making it the largest car factory in the world.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13For his services to industry,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Herbert Austin was made Baron Austin of Longbridge.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Incidentally, this is Old Joe,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24the nickname for the university's clock tower,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27and it's called that because Joseph Chamberlain,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31father of the Prime Minister Neville was the first chancellor here back in 1909.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Generations of students have feverishly sat their finals
0:02:36 > 0:02:40in the Great Hall. Thankfully today it's only our experts' knowledge
0:02:40 > 0:02:43that's being tested, as we launch another Antiques Roadshow.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Well, this oil painting, this portrait of a lady,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51is a rather wonderful fashion statement.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53When did you two meet?
0:02:53 > 0:02:55About a year, year and a half ago.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58And what pulled you two together?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01I just fell in love with her, just loved her so much.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Where did you find her?
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Local auction house.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07How was it catalogued?
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Um, oil painting, possibly Russian aristocrat,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13but that was it, really.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15OK, well, I've done a little bit of my own detective work.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19There's a little inscription on the back of the picture,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22but also top left, there's a monogram
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and a date "92" so that would be 1892.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29The monogram is by an artist
0:03:29 > 0:03:33- J Champion Bradshaw from the Isle of Man.- Oh, right!
0:03:33 > 0:03:38He lived in the Isle of Man, 1891, and then moved to Manchester in the mid 1890s.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Yeah.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43It's an incredible fashion statement. Were you pulled to this picture
0:03:43 > 0:03:46because she was luxuriously dressed?
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I think so, and the jewellery as well.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53I'm interested in jewellery, but I just think she's so lovely.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56I've spoken to one of our other experts about the jewellery,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59and the jewellery dates to the same date, 1890.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Pearls and gold.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Again, these would have been quite luxurious items.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06- Yes, yes.- The dress is made in Italian silk.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10- It's beautiful.- So I suspect this was a commissioned portrait,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12possibly by her husband.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17What strikes me, though, is here she is beautifully dressed,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19handmade, wonderful silk dress,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22great jewellery, very expensive jewellery,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25but perhaps not the greatest artist in the world.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28- Not a great society portrait painter.- OK.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29So it looks to me like hubby
0:04:29 > 0:04:33only went halfway in terms of his commissioned portrait.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37- That's interesting.- It would make about £2,000 to £3,000 at auction.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Wow! Wow!
0:04:40 > 0:04:43That's good, that's good.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46I don't think we'd let her go, you know,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49because we just love her so much.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56- So how long have you been living with this cat?- 25 years.
0:04:56 > 0:05:0025 years, and can I ask, where does it reside in your home?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03On a board right by my bed, looking at me,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07so every morning, every evening, I see him or her.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12It's the first face you see when you open your eyes.
0:05:12 > 0:05:13It is indeed.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15And doesn't it scare the life out of you,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17because, I mean, that is one very ferocious-looking animal.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Well, not necessarily because, to me, I look at it with different eyes.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26As a bronze, I find this incredibly powerful.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31From a sculptural point of view, the man responsible for this
0:05:31 > 0:05:35really understands the anatomy of this particular beast.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40Now, when it comes to species, to me it has all the looks
0:05:40 > 0:05:45of a lioness, but the man responsible is down here, isn't he?
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- Yes, that's right.- Merculiano.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51He was born in Naples about 1860
0:05:51 > 0:05:55but certainly he's showing it in Naples at the Art Institute
0:05:55 > 0:05:57and then he moves to France.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59No surprise there, bearing in mind your accent, I think,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03- is from the other side of the Channel.- Indeed, yes.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05And he's working in Paris
0:06:05 > 0:06:07and he's recognised for being a great sculptor,
0:06:07 > 0:06:12and just looking at the beast, I'm fascinated by the way that
0:06:12 > 0:06:15he manages to get this beast actually gripping onto this
0:06:15 > 0:06:18very naturalistic rock. I mean, it is rock.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21I mean that is just, you know, solid.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23How does it end up with you?
0:06:23 > 0:06:26It used to be at one of my auntie's, in Paris,
0:06:26 > 0:06:31and when she died, my mother offered it to me,
0:06:31 > 0:06:36so I brought it back to England and it has been with me ever since.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- Fantastic.- 25 years.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Merculiano is not the sort of artist
0:06:42 > 0:06:46that turns up in any great, you know, sort of quantity
0:06:46 > 0:06:50- in this part of the world.- I see.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52But I would suggest that if I wanted to go out
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and buy this rather ferocious-looking beast,
0:06:55 > 0:06:59I would probably have to pay somewhere in the region of
0:06:59 > 0:07:03between £2,000 to possibly £3,000.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Oh, good, very interesting.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07I never thought of the price, but it's good to know.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Thank you very much.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20I had the privilege of going to the Princess Margaret sale
0:07:20 > 0:07:24with my sons
0:07:24 > 0:07:27and I found her a fascinating woman,
0:07:27 > 0:07:32and I wanted maybe a little bit of the royal collection.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Fantastic, a little bit in love with her in a way.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Oh, yes, I'm fascinated by her.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Well, the point about royal jewels from the past,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and indeed any age but our own, is establishing what is the provenance,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46because the provenance is really an enormous part of the value.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48In this case, it's absolutely incontestable
0:07:48 > 0:07:53- because it's in the sale room catalogue here, isn't it?- Yes.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56And they are photographed not only in their own right here,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59but also with the Princess in wear,
0:07:59 > 0:08:04- and so I think one really can't ask for any better proof than that.- No.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I mean, the colour and the drama of the hat and this, that and the other.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11- And Margaret looking at her best. - Yeah, no, absolutely.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15In my view she always looked wonderful actually, but I think
0:08:15 > 0:08:17that was an extraordinary phenomenon in that she was
0:08:17 > 0:08:20not only born to high rank, but also an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- And here we see...- A bit naughty because there's smoke in the air.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Oh, smoke in the air.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Smoke in the air and she's smoking a cigarette,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32but lovely with the hair a little bit unkempt.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Yes, I mean a sort of puckish look, I mean,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38I think there was something about her that was unconventional
0:08:38 > 0:08:41and very charming and a very easy smile actually,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43- as far as I remember.- So do I.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Yeah, brilliant, isn't that wonderful? And there is the brooch
0:08:46 > 0:08:48to the centre, incontestable provenance,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50- it was there at that moment and it's here with us now.- Yes.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Utter magic, wonderful.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Those earrings, particularly, I was attracted to
0:08:55 > 0:08:59because of the fabulous picture with her wearing them.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02- Well, they do look rather like hats in a funny way, don't they?- Yes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Of course, coral is a very daring colour, actually.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I mean, it's a good colour but it's strong and shows
0:09:08 > 0:09:11an independent spirit which she certainly had. And they are...
0:09:11 > 0:09:14- they're sort of Sputniks, they're exploding stars of coral.- Yes.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Heightened with brilliant diamonds in gold.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19And I like this one too very much, John Donald,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23and he is a most important 20th-century jeweller
0:09:23 > 0:09:26and these are baroque pearls, they're misshapen pearls,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30it's almost a reminder of the fact that these are organic materials.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- Yes.- That they're not those terrible ball bearing pearls
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- that you see all the time. - Yes, not perfection.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Not perfection, but in a way, more than that, they're just
0:09:38 > 0:09:43a reminder that they are natural, and just to draw the eye
0:09:43 > 0:09:47into their lustre, their orient, this strange sleepy silky texture
0:09:47 > 0:09:50that pearls have, they've put some diamonds in there too.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Just a little flash and then it takes your eye immediately to the jewel.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Might be quite tricky in this instance
0:09:56 > 0:09:59because she'd be wearing it, and one would be concentrating on her,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02so have to be strong statements for royal jewellery.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Really, really marvellous stuff and stuff with a royal touch,
0:10:04 > 0:10:06the magic royal touch.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09And you went to the sale, and you chose the ones you wanted.
0:10:09 > 0:10:10Yes.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14And you got your bidding form and the tension's mounting
0:10:14 > 0:10:17- and what happened?- My heart was beating when the hammer went down
0:10:17 > 0:10:21and we bought, I think, the first lot we bought were the coral earrings.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Fantastic.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25And to just have, you know, something that belonged to
0:10:25 > 0:10:29a member of the royal family, particularly Princess Margaret, was...
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Well, exactly. Can you remember how much they were?
0:10:33 > 0:10:38Yes, the coral earrings were £8,000
0:10:38 > 0:10:46- and the John Donald brooch was £11,000.- Marvellous.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51Well, in a funny way, I don't know how one can tell you that
0:10:51 > 0:10:52that's a good price, or a bad price,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55quite simply because it is the only price.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58- Yes, exactly.- This was your only chance to buy these things.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01- Exactly.- And you got them, and they are at a premium,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04definitely the price paid, but the premium is that they are
0:11:04 > 0:11:08incontestable souvenirs of a great lady, now gone.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Marvellous, thank you.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Something rather interesting has happened.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17These two vases have been brought along today for David Battie to see.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22What he doesn't realise is that he did see them about 20, 25 years ago.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25And he valued them at £10,000.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28They've been brought along again today
0:11:28 > 0:11:32and we'll see if he realises that he did actually see them before,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and see what he values them for today.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37You know what?
0:11:37 > 0:11:40These make the most fantastic ashtrays!
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Because you could smoke as much as you like, put it in that
0:11:44 > 0:11:47and you never need to empty them.
0:11:47 > 0:11:48OK.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52And I once went on a visit to a Maharajah in India
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and somebody had done exactly that.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59It was full up to here with dog ends!
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I think there's a few old comics in there from when I was a child.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03Yes, there are.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Really? You didn't go in after them?
0:12:06 > 0:12:09No, there's probably some collectors items in there as well.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12These are Chinese, as I am sure you knew.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Made in Jingdezhen, which is the main porcelain centre.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21Brought down in the white that is undecorated but glazed,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24and then painted in Canton.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28And we call this class Canton porcelain.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33The subject matter is more or less
0:12:33 > 0:12:35what you would expect to find
0:12:35 > 0:12:37on these vases.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40We've got panels of audience subjects
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and more on here.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45We've got battle scenes over there.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Do you know what this is?
0:12:48 > 0:12:49I've no idea.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53- It's a musical stone.- OK.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55If you take a boulder of Jade
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and slice it,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01drill a hole in it and hang it up,
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- and hit it with a hammer, you get a musical note.- Oh, really?
0:13:05 > 0:13:08And they became so skilled, the Chinese,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10that they could tune them,
0:13:10 > 0:13:16and they had what was effectively a xylophone but in stone, in jade.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22It is also one of the eight Buddhistic emblems.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Round the bottom we've got dragons
0:13:25 > 0:13:30and this gilt so-called flaming pearl,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33which is, again, a Buddhistic emblem.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Pearl of wisdom.
0:13:35 > 0:13:36How do we date them?
0:13:36 > 0:13:42Well, up here on the neck we've got flat dragon handles.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46And if you see flat dragon handles,
0:13:46 > 0:13:51you're probably looking prior to 1850.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56And I would put these probably 1840, 1850, some time around there.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00- The one thing I haven't mentioned is, of course, their size.- Yes.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04- Where do you keep them?- They're kept either side of my mother's fireplace,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07which, they've been there for a long, long time.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09It's not for me to say
0:14:09 > 0:14:14but that chip is not an expensive thing to do.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18- It may cost you 300 or £400 but it would be worth it...- OK.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22- ..and it would look so much better, I think.- I think so, too.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I mean, apart from that they're in stonkingly good condition.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28So, we come to the price.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33I would be pretty confident that if these came up in a sale,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37- they would make somewhere around £15,000 to £20,000.- OK.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42And if they went higher than that, I would not be surprised.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48- Well, you may be surprised now. - Quite a surprise.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- Oh, my goodness!- David, you might be wondering what I'm doing here.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I was listening and it was absolutely fascinating.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57Did anything about these appear in any way familiar?
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Well, only in the sense that they're big Canton vases.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03- They've not come from my home, have they?- No!
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- We've played a very little trick on you...- Oh, no! I hate tricks!
0:15:07 > 0:15:10- ..because these were brought along...- I shan't sleep!
0:15:10 > 0:15:15- ..by Andrew's father, by Eileen's husband about 20 years ago.- No!
0:15:15 > 0:15:19You valued them then! What do you think you valued them for? Any idea?
0:15:19 > 0:15:23- Just to make things even harder! - I might have said 5,000 to 8,000?
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- 8,000 to 10,000. - You said 8,000 to 10,000.- Yeah.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30And so we just decided we'd see if you recognise...
0:15:30 > 0:15:33- You see so much stuff, but we thought we'd have a go.- Yeah.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37We do see too much and often they just sort of clock up in your mind
0:15:37 > 0:15:40and your mind doesn't access it, and it didn't in these cases.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- The good thing...- I would've thought I'd have remembered the chip.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Given you valued them 20 years ago,
0:15:45 > 0:15:49- thank goodness you valued them for more!- Well, exactly!
0:15:50 > 0:15:54So this really looks as though it's had a good working life, this box.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57It's in a very sort of humble condition, isn't it?
0:15:57 > 0:16:01- By humble do you mean "well used"? - Sort of, yes!- Sort of well used.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03It belonged to my mother.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07She would've been 100 or over by now, had she lived.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11I'm not sure whether she bought it or whether it belonged to HER mother.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15As far as I know, it was a sewing box.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Someone else suggested that it might have been a tea canister
0:16:18 > 0:16:21with little locks to either side
0:16:21 > 0:16:23to keep the tea under lock and key?
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- Well, I think your first guess is right.- OK.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31It's a workbox and would've been used to keep silks and threads in.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35The locks are there, yes, and that's sometimes associated with tea
0:16:35 > 0:16:41but a tea canister or a tea caddy of this date would be much smaller.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44In fact, it dates from around 1790.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48It's made out of pine and then has been veneered in various timbers.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53This section at the top here is yew wood
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and most of what you see is sycamore.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Just looking inside, the state on the inside,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05it is pretty much similar to that on the outside and it would've had
0:17:05 > 0:17:08this lovely sort of sugar pink coloured paper lining it.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12And over the years, that's simply rubbed away.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15But what I love about this box is that it doesn't look as though
0:17:15 > 0:17:18it's ever been restored, hardly polished,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21- if you don't mind me saying that! - True!
0:17:21 > 0:17:25And it's really nice to think that something of that age
0:17:25 > 0:17:28has actually had a good working life,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and it's been used and enjoyed and appreciated.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34- Did your mother use it to keep her silks in it?- She did, she did.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36And what I use it for is pens,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40crayons, pencils, charcoal.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43It's absolutely crammed full. I emptied it yesterday
0:17:43 > 0:17:48and the contents cover a huge tray, so it really has worked hard.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51So, really, it's something that's been inherited
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- and been used ever since you've known it...- Yes.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59..and if it was to appear at auction now it would fetch...£600.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Would it, indeed? Yes, well, it'll never go to auction.
0:18:02 > 0:18:03Thank you.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Tell me, why have you brought this along?
0:18:09 > 0:18:12I brought the table along initially to have it valued
0:18:12 > 0:18:18but also because the dogs really took to this table
0:18:18 > 0:18:20and chewed the table.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- The dogs? How many dogs do you have? - I've got four dogs.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25The eldest two are eight years of age
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and when they came together as a couple of puppies
0:18:28 > 0:18:32they chewed the table. And then Ben, he was four-and-a-half,
0:18:32 > 0:18:36he also chewed the table and my puppy at home chewed the table as well!
0:18:36 > 0:18:37You don't tell them off?
0:18:37 > 0:18:41I do but it's more often than not when I'm out that they did it,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43so it's hard to tell a dog off
0:18:43 > 0:18:46- when you're not there to see what they did at the time...- Right.
0:18:46 > 0:18:50..cos they don't understand. But I have moved this out of the way
0:18:50 > 0:18:53so the dogs don't have access to it, with a view to getting it repaired.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- So now you've upset the dogs? - Possibly!
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Do you know what this table is?
0:18:58 > 0:19:02- I don't, actually, no.- It's called a breakfast table.- Right.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06It's made of rosewood and it's late Regency.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09It's about 1830 in date
0:19:09 > 0:19:12and it's veneered in rosewood,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15so it's quite a good piece of furniture.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19I'm going to tip it down like this.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The top is in lovely condition
0:19:22 > 0:19:26cos these type of tables, often they split.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Central heating or being placed in front of a window,
0:19:29 > 0:19:34things like that. But as it happens, this is in very good order.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37It's just down here where the dogs have been nibbling it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40It can be restored. It would cost quite a lot to do.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43It would cost, I think, as much as the table's worth -
0:19:43 > 0:19:46around £1,500.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48And the other thing I'd recommend is this...
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Give your doggies one of these!
0:19:53 > 0:19:55THEY LAUGH
0:19:59 > 0:20:03So, with that terrific cloche hat, it's got to be 1920s, do you think?
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Yes. My aunt was a student at Glasgow School of Art in the '20s.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- I see.- And the hat wasn't hers.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- Oh, wasn't it?- No. Hunter came in and she was sitting
0:20:12 > 0:20:15and he said, "Just sit there, I'm going to paint you.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17"Borrow her hat."
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- I see, obeying commands.- Yes, and...
0:20:20 > 0:20:23And she was obviously terrifically good fun, look at her.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- Oh, yes, she was.- She's all teeth and smiles and fun
0:20:26 > 0:20:28and what a lovely dress she's wearing as well,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30with that multicoloured patchwork.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- So, George Leslie Hunter.- Yes.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- he's quite a good artist, isn't he?- Yes.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- One of the Scottish colourists.- Yes.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40He spent most of his early life in California. Did you know that?
0:20:40 > 0:20:42I had read that somewhere, yes.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44And he didn't really take up oils,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47because he was working there as an illustrator, until a lot later,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50after he came back to Europe, went to Paris. Do you like it?
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Yes, I do, it's very much my aunt.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54She lived until she was over 90,
0:20:54 > 0:20:57but she stayed young. I can remember going up one time
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and there was a new Gauguin print over the mantelpiece,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04and I said, "Oh, that's nice". She said, "Yes, I've got a set of them,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07"but there was a nude so I've put that in the bathroom".
0:21:07 > 0:21:11How many of my 70-year-old aunts would have done that?
0:21:11 > 0:21:13- I thought that was terrific. - She sounds like great fun
0:21:13 > 0:21:16and I can see why Hunter would pick her out from a crowd
0:21:16 > 0:21:18and say "Right, stay there, I'm going to paint you."
0:21:18 > 0:21:21And there's something really quick about this picture, isn't there?
0:21:21 > 0:21:26- Yes.- His other paintings are quite studied and careful, perhaps,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28but this is almost an oil sketch
0:21:28 > 0:21:34and it's got these very bold black lines separating the shapes up
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and then in the middle, this patchwork of pretty colours
0:21:37 > 0:21:38done with a flat brush,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and then this wonderful wide smiley face.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45It's full of joy, this picture,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47and I think it's just great fun.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51So you've no idea - you've never shown it to anyone or anything?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54No, no. It's Auntie Nancy.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58- My daughter tells me she's having it when I finish with it.- Quite right!
0:21:58 > 0:21:59Would you want to insure it?
0:21:59 > 0:22:03I don't know, I didn't think of it being that valuable.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06- Well, it might cost you a bit. - Might it? Right.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Well, you'd have to pay premiums on £30,000, I think.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Really? Oh.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- Yeah.- Ah, right.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- It's a bit different, isn't it? - It is, isn't it? Yes.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Our team of specialists never know what's going to turn up on a Roadshow day,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28but I can tell you that they're all hoping today will be the moment
0:22:28 > 0:22:31when their dream find comes in.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33But for our ceramics specialist John Sandon,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37that did happen some years ago in this Great Hall in Birmingham.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41A little pottery bust. I wonder who he's meant to be.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Yes.- Sort of, he's wearing...
0:22:43 > 0:22:46well, I suppose that's a turban of some sort
0:22:46 > 0:22:48with a jewel on his head,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50so a Turk of some kind.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Well, my aunt had it on her mantelpiece all her life,
0:22:53 > 0:22:55she lived in the same house from the 1920s
0:22:55 > 0:22:58until she died at the age of 94 about four years ago.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Right, so that's been sitting on the mantelpiece
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- and now come down to you. - That's right, yes.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05What we've got here is a piece of pottery,
0:23:05 > 0:23:08which is clearly shown by his nose being missing.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11And I can see inside the colour of the clay
0:23:11 > 0:23:13- and it chips very easily.- Yes.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15We've got a material called Delft.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18To look like Chinese porcelain, they took a pottery clay
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and covered it in a thick white glaze
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and it looks like a nice white china body.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25It started perhaps in Italy.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29It's best known in Holland, where the name Delft applied,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31and you also get it made in France, and in England.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33And placing where it's made
0:23:33 > 0:23:37- is going to be a very crucial thing to this little object.- Yes.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40Because we go back to quite an early age for Delft.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42Looking at his face there,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46he's wearing, I guess, a moustache and a little goatee beard
0:23:46 > 0:23:53which sort of comes to mind images of Charles I, or indeed Charles II,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55and that's really the period we're looking at.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58We've got a piece here from the 17th century,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01- goes back to, I suppose, the 1670s. - Gosh.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Anything from that age, we're talking quite a rare piece.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05- Really?- Indeed.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08- Even though it's so battered? - Well, that's...
0:24:08 > 0:24:10- I like to see battering on these. - Oh, right.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13That's telling me more, that it's got some age.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16If Delft has got no chips at all, then it's normally modern.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17It's a very rare survivor.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20I've never seen one like it, I've never seen this model,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23I'm sure it's totally unrecorded.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Cautiously, one is thinking...
0:24:26 > 0:24:28perhaps £50,000.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Really? Ooh.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34And it could, I say, some have made over £100,000...
0:24:34 > 0:24:38- Oh, dear. - ..for pieces of such importance.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- It's a major discovery. - Is it really?
0:24:40 > 0:24:42- Gosh.- It's so exciting, I'm just...
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I'm shaking, holding it here, but I'll put it down carefully.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49- Gosh.- Because it is a wonderful thing, wonderful condition.
0:24:49 > 0:24:50What a piece!
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Well, John, I have to say
0:24:52 > 0:24:56that was a remarkably restrained reaction from that lady there.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Was she stunned into silence?
0:24:57 > 0:25:01I think sometimes that sort of news is rather difficult to take in.
0:25:01 > 0:25:02How can something that looks so simple
0:25:02 > 0:25:04be worth such a huge amount of money?
0:25:04 > 0:25:08It was a heck of a valuation. Do you know what happened to it?
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Well, first of all, we had to get the piece checked out
0:25:11 > 0:25:13because I felt sure it was rare and early English
0:25:13 > 0:25:15but there wasn't another one known,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19so we showed it to museum experts, specialists in Delft
0:25:19 > 0:25:22who'd dug up on the site of the London Delft potteries.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Happily, they all agreed with me
0:25:24 > 0:25:27but they all thought it was English, no doubt about it,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- and the only one known. - How extraordinary.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33And so what did the lady do with it? Has she still got it?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35It's always a dilemma. In this case,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38much as her family loved the piece, it's always been on the mantelpiece
0:25:38 > 0:25:42but at that kind of money, it was really just a worry too much
0:25:42 > 0:25:45so they decided to sell it, through the auspices of a London dealer.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49It was sold to an American private collector of pottery
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and he paid a price just over what I had valued it at
0:25:51 > 0:25:54so it's always a relief to be assured
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- that it really was that special. - Absolutely.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00So it's been on quite a journey then, from Birmingham,
0:26:00 > 0:26:01all the way over to the States.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Here we are in the Great Hall again, so no pressure, John.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07But who knows? Maybe something equally extraordinary will turn up.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09I'll let you get back to your table.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Well, let's hope I'll find the pair to it now.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18You see, I started my jewellery career in Hatton Garden
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and when I was told I was going to come to Birmingham for the Roadshow,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23I was so excited as I've never been here before.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27I arrived yesterday and rushed to the jewellery quarter.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29It's a fabulous place!
0:26:29 > 0:26:31And then today,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35you've brought these most amazing jewellery designs.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37Where have these come from?
0:26:37 > 0:26:40Well, about 20 years ago,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44in one of my rash moments, I decided to build a Victorian steam launch
0:26:44 > 0:26:46but I needed a steam engine,
0:26:46 > 0:26:50so I went and saw a machinery dealer I knew, who had a steam engine.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53- Right.- And he knew we were fashion designers.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59- OK.- So he turned round and said, "I've got something you might like"
0:26:59 > 0:27:03and he said, "I think there's about 1,000 paintings here".
0:27:03 > 0:27:06And in fact, we counted them and there's over 5,000.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09- So you saw them and you fell in love with them.- We had to have them.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11You had to have them. Who owned these?
0:27:11 > 0:27:13Where did they come from originally?
0:27:13 > 0:27:15They came from a company called Bloxwich,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18and that was in Holland Road here in Birmingham.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22The company started in 1918 - very small company,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26and they finished... I think they closed in 1972
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and then the auction was in 1979.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Right. So, I mean, these were all drawings
0:27:31 > 0:27:35for their costume, they made costume jewellery, did they?
0:27:35 > 0:27:36It was costume jewellery, yes.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39We talk about jewellery-making being a skill.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Well, to actually paint like this
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- is a skill in itself.- And getting all the repeats, you know,
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- doing the same shape there and there.- Yes.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50And without a computer.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54- Exactly, these are all hand done, hand-painted, hand-drawn.- Amazing.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Absolutely stunning.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59- This is following history.- Oh, yes.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03In costume jewellery, it is following history and it is amazing.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06For instance, you've got over there Egyptian style,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10and of course Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered in 1922
0:28:10 > 0:28:14and so then, that gave a lot of people the idea...
0:28:14 > 0:28:16- That that's what they'd like to wear.- Exactly.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And this one, the detail - oh,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22I mean everything is just so, so wonderful. Now...
0:28:22 > 0:28:23..what's happened here?
0:28:23 > 0:28:26I think that was when they were allowed to smoke while they worked.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- Oh, my goodness.- Or a...
0:28:28 > 0:28:31- These are the actual working drawings.- Yes.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33These coloured ones I think are the ideas.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35These are the working drawings they took to the workshop.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37- These are all signed.- This one too.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40- You liked this one, didn't you?- Yes, I do.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43I'll tell you why I like this.
0:28:43 > 0:28:44It's because it's got here...
0:28:44 > 0:28:48other than it being, again, beautifully painted,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51but the detail - in that you could actually take it to a goldsmith
0:28:51 > 0:28:54- and say, "I want it like that". - And that's how it would be made.
0:28:54 > 0:28:59Because he's got the side elevation drawn as well, so you instantly know
0:28:59 > 0:29:01that this is not flat.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06These pieces have got movement to it, they've got the curve to it.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09You know, there's been goldsmiths and silversmiths here in Birmingham
0:29:09 > 0:29:12for over 200 years. It's an incredibly important centre for jewellery
0:29:12 > 0:29:15and it has its own assay office here as well -
0:29:15 > 0:29:18and these pieces, the drawings here,
0:29:18 > 0:29:23which have come from 1918 to 1972.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25- Yes.- I mean, a fantastic wealth
0:29:25 > 0:29:29of all the different historical events that have gone on.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32I would say, because these drawings are so wonderful,
0:29:32 > 0:29:35and they encapsulate such an important part of jewellery history,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38I would say at least, you know, £2 each,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41and you have over 5,000 drawings.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45- Yep.- I mean, £10,000?
0:29:45 > 0:29:47- I think it's fabulous. - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56I think your friend here is suffering from
0:29:56 > 0:30:00what has more recently been known as a wardrobe malfunction.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04- She seems to be revealing quite a lot.- Sort of decolletage.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Yes, and she's certainly a very sort of sensuous lady, isn't she?
0:30:07 > 0:30:09She has a lovely smooth touch.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12Lovely, lovely finish, it's like really polished marble, isn't it?
0:30:12 > 0:30:15- Mm-hmm.- Do you know what this wonderful thing is made from?
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Absolutely no idea.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20I'm afraid we've just known her for a very long time
0:30:20 > 0:30:23but we've no idea where she comes from, what's she's made of
0:30:23 > 0:30:24or who she really is.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Well, have you ever noticed the mark impressed on the back?
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- No.- It says "Copeland".
0:30:30 > 0:30:34- Oh. No.- Copeland were makers of Parian porcelain.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36Oh, right.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38It's a wonderful type of porcelain
0:30:38 > 0:30:42- that was invented to simulate polished marble.- Oh, OK, right.
0:30:42 > 0:30:43She's not real marble,
0:30:43 > 0:30:47she's a 19th-century thing designed to look glamorous and sensuous.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49She looks a kind of lady with personality.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Well, as a family, we always call her Alice
0:30:52 > 0:30:55but my father was always convinced she was actually the Empress Livia.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58- Right.- But Alice is what she's been all my life and my father's life.
0:30:58 > 0:31:03- Well, she can stay as Alice, but she's actually Clyte.- Oh, right.
0:31:03 > 0:31:08And she is copied from a Greco-Roman sculpture, marble,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10- in the British Museum.- Oh.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15And she's a really famous image, an iconic figure in British art,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18- so this would have been a very well-known image in the 19th century.- Right.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22And this particular copy is modelled by a man called Delpech
0:31:22 > 0:31:27in about 1855, although the bust is probably a little bit later.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29The Parian market is not strong at the moment
0:31:29 > 0:31:31but I don't think that matters.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34I think she is an extremely beautiful and charming thing
0:31:34 > 0:31:38which many people would like to own.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41So, I think a reasonable, sensible,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43cautious estimate would be of
0:31:43 > 0:31:46between £800 and £1,200.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48Really? Oh, that's good.
0:31:48 > 0:31:54Not that we'd get rid of her, she's very much passed down the line.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57We're already sorting out who'll have her in the fourth generation.
0:31:57 > 0:31:58That's wonderful.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08Well, I guess you've worked out this is a pretty nice thing,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11so why have you brought it along?
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Well, it's been in the glass cabinet at home
0:32:13 > 0:32:15since it's been passed down through the family
0:32:15 > 0:32:17so I thought I'd bring it along today
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and see if it was... If you can tell me anything about it, really.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24Well, I can. One of the things... I mean, I know it, to start with.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27- I mean you brought it out and I knew exactly what it was.- Right.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31But it's one of these things that it is exactly what it says on the tin
0:32:31 > 0:32:34- because it's all written here. - Right, yeah.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36And had you noticed that?
0:32:36 > 0:32:38I'd noticed the "Orrefors", yes.
0:32:38 > 0:32:43So, basically, you have "Orrefors, Lindstrand,"
0:32:43 > 0:32:46- then a digit, and then a couple of letters.- Right.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48And Orrefors is the great...
0:32:48 > 0:32:51- the greatest glassworks of the 20th century in Sweden.- Right.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Based in a village called Orrefors.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56- Amazing, I don't know where they got the name.- Right.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00Vicke Lindstrand is the best designer of the 1930s for Orrefors
0:33:00 > 0:33:03- and this is Vicke Lindstrand because it's got his name on it.- OK.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08And it's 1939, it's just before the outbreak of war,
0:33:08 > 0:33:12- which Sweden was a non-combatant in. - Right.- A neutral country.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15- And it just works, doesn't it? - It does, yes.- Don't you think?
0:33:15 > 0:33:19- Yes, yes.- The baby blowing the bubbles, and the optics of glass
0:33:19 > 0:33:23allow that to make appear that the baby's blowing the bubbles
0:33:23 > 0:33:26- out of the pipe...- Yeah. - And the bubbles have spread.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30- Just floating.- All over. And it's just a really good use.
0:33:30 > 0:33:34- It itself is a bubble.- Is it a vase or...?- It's an object.- Right.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37It's an object. I mean, if you stuck a daff in there, you'd be daft.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40- Right. OK.- That's not what you do with it.- Yeah.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42What you do is, you look at that, you put it in the light,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46- get it out of the cabinet and put it out.- In the light.- In the light.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Because that's a nice thing, worth 500 quid.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52£500. Yes, brilliant.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55I'm glad I brought it along, yes. Thank you.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00They say an owner looks like his pet. Sir...
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Thanks very much indeed.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04What are we to make of this?
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Well, he's supposed to be a Staffordshire Bull, OK,
0:34:07 > 0:34:12he was a real live dog about 150 years ago
0:34:12 > 0:34:15and he's been in my family ever since, sort of thing.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18He's supposed to be a Staffordshire Bull Terrier? He's minuscule.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Well, he was. I think he's just a throwback of some description.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25- Has he got a name?- Yeah.
0:34:25 > 0:34:26"The Dog".
0:34:26 > 0:34:28FIONA LAUGHS
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Growing up in Scotland,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36I always wanted a Norah Wellings Highland doll.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41I mean, made by Chad Valley and Norah Wellings had her own factory
0:34:41 > 0:34:46and she's really regarded as the greatest maker of felt dolls
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- that Britain has ever produced.- Yes.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52You've got a wonderful display here. Where did you get them?
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Well, they're from Chad Valley in Wellington
0:34:54 > 0:34:59and when it closed down, my father's friend's wife, who worked there,
0:34:59 > 0:35:00he bought them off her
0:35:00 > 0:35:05and they've just sat in tissue paper for the last 40 years, I'm afraid,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09although when I was a girl, they sat on a shelf, my pride and joy.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11And so you were 10 years old...
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Yes, 10 or 11, about that, yes.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16And you opened up all these dolls?
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Yeah. Christmas.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Like winning the lottery all in one then, it really was.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24- It's sad to think of them in tissue paper, I have to say.- It is, yes.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27But because they've been in tissue paper,
0:35:27 > 0:35:29- they're in fantastic condition.- Yes.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33I see a lot of Norah Wellings dolls that are not in very good condition
0:35:33 > 0:35:37and of course condition is something that collectors really, really want.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40- Yes.- And of course, they're all quite different.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43This is probably the most common one.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47- Interestingly, 70% of her dolls were exported.- Oh, right.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51- And a lot of them went onto cruise liners and were sold as gifts.- Yes.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54There's a very big collecting market in the States for these dolls.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56These ones here
0:35:56 > 0:35:58are much more unusual,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00and in actual fact, they did make
0:36:00 > 0:36:03- quite a lot of the Scotsman... - Oh, right.
0:36:03 > 0:36:04..because it was very, very popular,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07again being exported to Canada and America.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08What I love about them,
0:36:08 > 0:36:10and what I've always loved about them,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13- is how on earth did she do those ears?- I know!
0:36:13 > 0:36:17I mean, they were obviously done separately,
0:36:17 > 0:36:19and they're so distinctive,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21- they're Norah Wellings' ears. - Yes, yes.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Most of them would be,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27I would say, about £100 each,
0:36:27 > 0:36:30but of course, some of the rarer ones
0:36:30 > 0:36:32could easily be £200 each,
0:36:32 > 0:36:35so I think we're looking at a collection
0:36:35 > 0:36:39of certainly in excess of £1,000. Probably £1,500.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Oh, wonderful, thank you. That's lovely.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Life on the Roadshow is about all sorts of things,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46but certainly what it brings home to us,
0:36:46 > 0:36:47talking to people like you,
0:36:47 > 0:36:51is the enduring interest in wartime activities.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54I'm very interested in wartime history,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56I'm just too young to have been part of it, but my parents were -
0:36:56 > 0:36:59like so many of us - and what fascinates me is
0:36:59 > 0:37:03there's still aspects of that story
0:37:03 > 0:37:07that have never been told, and I think you've brought me one here.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10What is the Snapshots From Home League?
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Well, it was a scheme introduced by the YMCA
0:37:13 > 0:37:16during the First World War.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18This album relates to the Second World War.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20The scheme was introduced in the First World War
0:37:20 > 0:37:23but it was part of their welfare work with troops
0:37:23 > 0:37:27to try and maintain contact between
0:37:27 > 0:37:29- soldiers and their families.- Right.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31This scheme operated by the YMCA
0:37:31 > 0:37:34distributing forms for the soldiers to complete,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37to request photographs of their loved ones,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40their pets, or whatever.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43They returned the forms to the YMCA's headquarters,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45and these were then distributed to amateur photographers
0:37:45 > 0:37:48that the YMCA had recruited.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51The photographers then went out
0:37:51 > 0:37:55- and made photographs of the families, usually in the family home.- Yes.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57And then the photographers
0:37:57 > 0:38:01posted on the photographs to the individual men.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04So the soldier serving in the Air Force in India - or whatever it might be -
0:38:04 > 0:38:07he could say, "Oh, I haven't seen my mum for three years.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10- "Can you go and photograph her?" - Yes, absolutely.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12So, Miss J Cook - who was she?
0:38:12 > 0:38:16Jean Cook was a teacher, living in Sussex,
0:38:16 > 0:38:20and she was recruited as one of these tens of thousands of photographers.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23So she was just an ordinary person...
0:38:23 > 0:38:25- Who could take pictures.- Yes. - And looking...
0:38:25 > 0:38:28- just instantly at the pictures, they're pictures anybody could have taken.- Yes.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31- They're not smart photographs.- No. - They're snaps.- Yes.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Hence the snapshot title.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36I think... let's see if we can tell a story.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Yes, here's one.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40I mean, this is picked at random.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44So this is the form that Driver Knight filled in.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48So, he sent that back and he gave the home address
0:38:48 > 0:38:52- and then the photographs came and they were sent by Miss Cook.- Yes.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55So she had the contact with the soldier.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57This is one, quite a good one I think,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59so it's from...
0:38:59 > 0:39:02Mr Roselle, 1942.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05He's on the Revenge or something like that
0:39:05 > 0:39:07or he's at a base called Revenge.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12"Dear Miss Cook, I have just received a letter from home
0:39:12 > 0:39:15"and enclosed in it were some delightful snaps of my family.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18"I am writing to thank you from the bottom of my heart
0:39:18 > 0:39:19"for these grand keepsakes
0:39:19 > 0:39:23"and I must say, my family all looked well."
0:39:23 > 0:39:25- So his whole life is improved by it, isn't it?- Yes, it is.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28So Jean Cook just went round
0:39:28 > 0:39:31day after day, taking photographs of ordinary people?
0:39:31 > 0:39:36Yes. I understand she used a bicycle and got on her bike after school
0:39:36 > 0:39:39and visited families to take these photographs.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- And she was one of thousands. - Yes, tens of thousands, yes.
0:39:42 > 0:39:46In different parts of Britain. I think this is a wonderful record
0:39:46 > 0:39:47- of how things were.- Yes.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50We know about all the front line stuff, it's all documented,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53but when you think of this vast support system this represents,
0:39:53 > 0:39:57- it's almost like that sort of mass observation thing, isn't it?- It is.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Where we're recording ordinary people in their lives.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02And you can imagine Jean Cook knocking on the door saying,
0:40:02 > 0:40:05- "Can I just take a picture?" - "What, now? All right."
0:40:05 > 0:40:07- "Just sit there", you know, and off she goes.- Yes, yes.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10And I just have this image of these women, mostly, I imagine,
0:40:10 > 0:40:13cycling all over Britain, taking photographs.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18And all these troops who were, sort of, reassured by that contact home.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21Of course now it's quite different, I mean, it's easy, isn't it?
0:40:21 > 0:40:24It is, but I can really appreciate this,
0:40:24 > 0:40:28- the resonance of this. My daughter's in the army.- Right.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32So I can understand very much how important it is, to keep in touch.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35I mean it's very hard to think of things like this in terms of value.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40I mean, personally, I'd love to pay £100, £200 for it,
0:40:40 > 0:40:43simply because I'd like to feel that I'm part of that story.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45But I think it's actually irrelevant.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48It's really about the contact between these people,
0:40:48 > 0:40:49what it meant to all of them.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52I thought I knew a lot about the war but, you know,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54you've taught me something new
0:40:54 > 0:40:56and I'm delighted to be able to open
0:40:56 > 0:41:00- a new chapter of memory and experience. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19This is a splendid loving cup.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21They call these loving cups, with two handles,
0:41:21 > 0:41:26and made to commemorate the Worcester Corporation Sports Day
0:41:26 > 0:41:28of 100 years ago.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30That was Edward VII's coronation,
0:41:30 > 0:41:32- wasn't it, really? Good, wasn't it?- Yes.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34How did you get hold of it?
0:41:34 > 0:41:37It was left to me by my mother when she died,
0:41:37 > 0:41:38because she knew that I liked pots
0:41:38 > 0:41:43and it was won by my great uncle in 1911,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45as far as we know, for the sports.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48- And this is him in here, is it? - This is him, yes.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- Which one is he? He's the cyclist there.- That's right.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Not necessarily for a cycle race,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56this could be for any sort of sports day, couldn't it?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59But wonderful, with the city coat of arms and motto,
0:41:59 > 0:42:03and everything, and wonderful blue ground. Royal Worcester, of course,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05but the glory of it, to me,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09- is this side and this wonderful painting.- Beautiful.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14It's signed by the great fruit painter of all time.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18- Really? I didn't know that.- This is Richard Sebright - R Sebright.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20It's superb painting of fruit
0:42:20 > 0:42:23and the gilding around it is magnificent.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25It is beautiful, yes, it is.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28A lovely, lovely cup. It's going to be worth a fair bit of money.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30- Really?- Yeah.- Oh.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34I suppose you're looking at a pot, with this marvellous painting here,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36- £1,000.- Oh, golly.
0:42:37 > 0:42:41- So look after it.- Yes, I'll look after it. We treasure it.
0:42:41 > 0:42:42- It's beautiful.- Yes.
0:42:44 > 0:42:45Last time we came to Birmingham,
0:42:45 > 0:42:50we had a fantastic valuation of about £50,000 on one item.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52And rumour's going round the experts,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54that this could be another big-ticket item,
0:42:54 > 0:42:56so, I'm just going to sit down here
0:42:56 > 0:42:59and have a little listen to what they're going to say.
0:42:59 > 0:43:02You could tell from the far side of a football pitch
0:43:02 > 0:43:04that a box of this quality
0:43:04 > 0:43:07has got to have something wonderful in it.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Just look at the beautiful engraved brass inlay
0:43:10 > 0:43:13of these coat of arms.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15They look vaguely familiar to me.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17Do you know whose they are?
0:43:17 > 0:43:19Yes, I do, they're Spencer Churchill's crest.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22The two shields, crossed shields
0:43:22 > 0:43:26and I bought it because of Lady Diana -
0:43:26 > 0:43:28then Princess Diana -
0:43:28 > 0:43:31and I fell in love with it.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33I'm not surprised.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36You're talking of two of the most famous families
0:43:36 > 0:43:39in the British Isles -
0:43:39 > 0:43:41- the Spencers and the Churchills. - Quite.
0:43:41 > 0:43:42And I've got a feeling
0:43:42 > 0:43:46- that something good is going to be inside.- Oh, yes, oh, yes.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49Wow!
0:43:49 > 0:43:53Absolutely stunning!
0:43:53 > 0:43:55Let's have a look in closer detail.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58A beautiful box, made in silver gilt
0:43:58 > 0:44:02and silver, lovely combination,
0:44:02 > 0:44:06just makes it a bit more exciting than either completely gilding it.
0:44:06 > 0:44:08- More work involved, so, you know.- Oh, yes.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Absolutely stunning quality,
0:44:11 > 0:44:16beautifully engraved in the centre here with the same armorials,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20but the condition looks quite amazing.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23Travelling sets like this
0:44:23 > 0:44:27first started appearing in the early 19th century,
0:44:27 > 0:44:29and as the Grand Tour
0:44:29 > 0:44:31became fashionable throughout the 19th century,
0:44:31 > 0:44:34these boxes got more and more elaborate,
0:44:34 > 0:44:38and well known companies, like Asprey and Garrard,
0:44:38 > 0:44:42won gold medals at great exhibitions and international exhibitions,
0:44:42 > 0:44:44for producing these amazing sets.
0:44:44 > 0:44:47But this one, I mean, just look at the scent bottles -
0:44:47 > 0:44:52beautifully painted in gold on the glass here.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54Even the stopper
0:44:54 > 0:44:56is a work of art,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59it's absolutely stunning.
0:44:59 > 0:45:00I've got to ask you where you got it.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05Well, I bought it from a London auction house
0:45:05 > 0:45:09and when I saw it the first time,
0:45:09 > 0:45:11I said, "This has to be bought."
0:45:12 > 0:45:16- I don't blame you. - I had to fight for it, but I got it.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18Can you remember what you paid for it?
0:45:18 > 0:45:1935,000.
0:45:19 > 0:45:2135,000.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23OK, let's look a bit further,
0:45:23 > 0:45:26because if we lift this out,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29we've got another
0:45:29 > 0:45:31wonderful row of manicure items.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Fairly standard to find a manicure set,
0:45:34 > 0:45:36but not fairly standard to find one
0:45:36 > 0:45:39- with a lapis-handled letter knife.- Correct.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41You've got beautiful cut steel scissors,
0:45:41 > 0:45:45mother-of-pearl-handled manicure items,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47absolutely glorious things.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50If we look at one of the boxes...
0:45:52 > 0:45:55- ..we see it's got the maker's mark, RG...- Yes.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57- ..for Robert Garrard.- Yes.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00He was the royal goldsmith to Queen Victoria
0:46:00 > 0:46:03and one of the best makers...
0:46:04 > 0:46:06..in the 19th century.
0:46:06 > 0:46:08Some say, perhaps the best maker after Paul Storr,
0:46:08 > 0:46:11- who's generally regarded as the finest maker.- Yeah.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14It's got a date letter for 1844 here,
0:46:14 > 0:46:16so, early Victorian.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Garrard's quite proudly...
0:46:22 > 0:46:24..put on the front here,
0:46:24 > 0:46:26another little brass plaque saying,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29"R & S Garrard & Co, Crown Goldsmiths and Jewellers,
0:46:29 > 0:46:31"Panton Street."
0:46:31 > 0:46:35So, they were very proud of this, quite obviously.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37- It doesn't end there though, does it?- Oh, no!
0:46:37 > 0:46:41- We've got another drawer... - More to come.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43..at the bottom,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46where we've got an ivory brush set,
0:46:46 > 0:46:49but the things that I really like are these.
0:46:50 > 0:46:54Because they're actually the candlestick branches,
0:46:54 > 0:46:57- and I think they screw into here, don't they?- They do, yeah.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02And so, if you're travelling around Europe
0:47:02 > 0:47:04in the 1840s,
0:47:04 > 0:47:08- this is pretty much everything you could ever want.- Oh, yeah.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12This really is the ultimate travelling set
0:47:12 > 0:47:14by a great maker.
0:47:15 > 0:47:16So...
0:47:16 > 0:47:19how do you put a value on something like this?
0:47:19 > 0:47:22I think you paid a very reasonable price.
0:47:22 > 0:47:25- That was 1998.- 1998.- Yeah.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29Well, I've seen some pretty staggering sets in my time,
0:47:29 > 0:47:33but this ranks as one of the prettiest and the best quality.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35It's got a great history,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38one of the most noble families in England,
0:47:38 > 0:47:43and if I was valuing this for insurance,
0:47:43 > 0:47:46I would put at least £100,000 - maybe more.
0:47:48 > 0:47:49Yeah.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51- Is that all right with you?- Oh, yes.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53That's very all right, thank you.
0:47:53 > 0:47:57Well, that has to go back into the vaults again tomorrow, I'm afraid,
0:47:57 > 0:47:58that sort of money.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Well, I'm not surprised.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Absolute pleasure
0:48:02 > 0:48:05to see something so wonderful as this,
0:48:05 > 0:48:06and in fabulous condition.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12That travelling set - £100,000!
0:48:12 > 0:48:15And wasn't it exquisite?
0:48:16 > 0:48:18What a great way to end our programme!
0:48:18 > 0:48:21A wonderful time here at Birmingham University in the Great Hall.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24Until next time, from the whole Antiques Roadshow team,
0:48:24 > 0:48:25bye-bye.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52Subtitles by Ericsson