0:00:05 > 0:00:11There's a place in Sussex where you can travel back in time.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15These are some of the last working oxen in the country.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19With its 15th and 16th century buildings, this place seems as if
0:00:19 > 0:00:23the centuries have just passed it by unchanged -
0:00:23 > 0:00:26a timeless rural idyll.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31But all is not as it seems. 40 years ago, none of this was here,
0:00:31 > 0:00:35not Chris, our oxen herder, not the animals, not the fields,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38not even the buildings.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41It's the remarkable location for this week's Antiques Roadshow -
0:00:41 > 0:00:44the Weald and Downland Museum.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47BELL RINGS
0:00:47 > 0:00:49BIRD TWEETS
0:01:28 > 0:01:33Today we're in West Sussex, seven miles from Chichester.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37I think our experts will approve of the Weald and Downland Museum.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41It's like a sanctuary for endangered buildings,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43rescued and lovingly rebuilt.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47But they might be surprised to find it all owes its existence to,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50of all things, Crawley New Town.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Why? Well, in the post-war years, Crawley was chosen as the spot
0:01:55 > 0:02:01for thousands of new houses to replace those bombed out in the war.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04To many, it seemed a dream come true, but for one man
0:02:04 > 0:02:06it was the start of a mission.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Roy Armstrong had devoted his life to teaching
0:02:09 > 0:02:11and the history of Sussex.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15For him, the people of Crawley were having their roots torn away.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18He described seeing wonderful medieval buildings
0:02:18 > 0:02:23from the old village of Crawley literally consigned to the flames.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Determined to save other timber- framed buildings from the same fate,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Roy decided to create a museum of buildings, and in 1965,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34he set about trying to find space for all his rescued houses.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39As you can imagine, with exhibits that size, you need a lot of room.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43An eccentric millionaire, Edward James, came to the rescue,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46offering Roy 50 acres of his ancestral land
0:02:46 > 0:02:48for a peppercorn rent of a pound a year.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Soon, buildings began to arrive -
0:02:53 > 0:02:56houses due to be submerged under a reservoir, a toll house
0:02:56 > 0:03:00that had been hit by a lorry and was due for demolition, a granary
0:03:00 > 0:03:03in the way of a new road, and the landscape here
0:03:03 > 0:03:08began to change around the houses, barns and workshops.
0:03:09 > 0:03:1140 years since the museum opened,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14it's as if these buildings have always been here.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16I'm sure Roy would be delighted to know
0:03:16 > 0:03:19that the Antiques Roadshow is setting up its stall
0:03:19 > 0:03:22alongside one of his rescued houses from Crawley Old Town.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28So you researched this on the internet?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Yes, but unfortunately we were unable to find
0:03:31 > 0:03:32anything about it at all.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37- I'm surprised, because you've got quite a lot of clues here.- Right.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39What did you put into the internet?
0:03:39 > 0:03:43- That's down to my husband, he did that.- Ah, you're blaming him.- Yes.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I am, yes.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47If you went back to the internet, what would you do with this mark?
0:03:47 > 0:03:51I would probably have to try and find the number?
0:03:51 > 0:03:53- Would that make sense? - Start with the number?- Yes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57- That's the wrong approach. - Oh, dear, never mind!
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- You've got this wonderful word Florian.- Right.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- Florian ware, and underneath you've got Macintyre.- Ah-ha.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08If you put any of those in, you'd hit straight away what this is.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- Right, OK. - When do you think it was made?
0:04:10 > 0:04:15- Erm, my mum felt that my grandmother had it in the 1920s.- OK.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Other than that, I know nothing about it.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21- I'm going to go back one generation further.- Right.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25- This dates to around 1900, 1910 maybe.- Really?
0:04:25 > 0:04:29- Why did it come to you? - Erm, my grandmother
0:04:29 > 0:04:32passed it on to my mum, who has allowed me to have that
0:04:32 > 0:04:35because the colours are so lovely,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39and they match the curtains that I bought for my new bedroom!
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- So it's to match the curtains? - It was, yes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Now, when you look it up on the internet,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48you will find under Macintyre a very famous name - William Moorcroft.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- Right. - He designed for Macintyre's
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- around the year 1900, before he went solo with his own factory.- Right.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57This is the sort of thing he did.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01- He was a brilliant designer using floral motifs.- Yes.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05- And you can see, he loved colour.- Yes.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And all of these outlines are tube- lined, rather like icing a cake.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- Right.- So, quite sophisticated.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15- You liked it because it matched the curtains.- I did, yes.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18It's probably worth somewhere in the region of,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21let's say between £600 and £900.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Never! Really?
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Gosh, I think my mum will be quite pleased with that,
0:05:26 > 0:05:28but I would never part with it, never.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Have you still got the curtains?
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Erm, I have, but I don't use them.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40I love him, he's the best dog-painter in the world, for me -
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Cecil Aldin.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46And here we've got a really amusing picture of this poor terrier
0:05:46 > 0:05:49being fed medicine,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53inscribed, "To Dr Cameron, may your doses never grow less."
0:05:53 > 0:05:57- Who was Dr Cameron? - That Dr Cameron was my grandfather,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01and he was in practice in Clapham in London at that time,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and I presume this was a gift from a grateful patient.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And I would think Cecil Aldin was a grateful patient
0:06:08 > 0:06:10because he didn't suffer from great health -
0:06:10 > 0:06:15towards the end of his life, he went to live abroad in warmer climes.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17- Yes.- I see you've brought a photograph...
0:06:17 > 0:06:21That just shows my grandfather outside his house in Clapham.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25He's got an original Scottish car - an Argyle, made in Glasgow.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30- Oh, was it?- It's a rather period piece, a lovely little picture.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34- This is a very early work by Cecil Aldin.- Yes.- It's '05,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and he was born in the 1870s, but it's a really lovely
0:06:37 > 0:06:41illustration of how good he was as a sort of character painter
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- and getting, you know, a dog's character.- Yes.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- And I presume this is your grandfather feeding the dog?- Yes.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52- He had a great sense of humour, Cecil Aldin.- Yes, I've seen some of
0:06:52 > 0:06:54his other doggie pictures, and they're great fun.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- They're very popular when they come up for sale.- Yes.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02And it's such a nice personal story - are you a doctor yourself?
0:07:02 > 0:07:05And my father was, too, yes, we're three in a row.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Good old family doctors, love it.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Well, this I think, if it came up for auction,
0:07:11 > 0:07:15would make probably somewhere in the region of £1,500-£2,000.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20Yes, yes, so I shall have to look at the insurance a little, I think.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Yes, thank you very much for that!
0:07:25 > 0:07:31Well on the face of it, it looks like a good early Rolex Submariner.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- How did you acquire it? - Um, my grandfather gave it to me.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37He knew I was a big James Bond fan.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41He gave it to me about five or six years ago.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44And do you know when he bought it?
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I was under the impression it was 1952 in Hong Kong.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50'52, no, that would be a little bit early.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Let's just have a look at the reference number,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and actually it's lucky that you haven't got the metal strap
0:07:56 > 0:07:59because I can now see here the reference,
0:07:59 > 0:08:04and there it is, it's the 6536.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Absolutely right, it's what they refer to as the "James Bond."
0:08:07 > 0:08:11It's not actually the one that was worn by Sean Connery
0:08:11 > 0:08:14in the early Bond films, particularly Thunderball,
0:08:14 > 0:08:19because that was the 6538 which had the bigger winding crown.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24That's the one that collectors all want is the big heavy winding crown.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26But this is the earlier one,
0:08:26 > 0:08:32circa 1958, and the other difference is, of course,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36this goes down to 100 metres, 330 feet, and the later reference
0:08:36 > 0:08:41goes down to 200 metres, 660 feet, that's the Bond one.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The main thing is, it's a correct watch
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and there are a good few fakes around.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Has anybody tried to give you a price guide on this before?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53A few years ago a local dealer said he'd give me
0:08:53 > 0:08:57- 200 quid for it. - Were you tempted?- I wasn't.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01I wouldn't part with it, it's a sort of a family heirloom,
0:09:01 > 0:09:06it's close to my heart, but I'm just curious about how much it was worth.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Damn sensible decision,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11because if you'd taken the £200 then,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14you might now have seriously regretted it.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16As I say, it's the early one,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21it has no shoulders to the winding crown, it's absolutely gorgeous,
0:09:21 > 0:09:26the condition is just as you'd expect for something of this age.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28Never, never, never have the dial repainted -
0:09:28 > 0:09:31it will ruin an awful lot of its value.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35So that 200 quid that you could have taken,
0:09:35 > 0:09:38in this state, I'm going to quote you -
0:09:38 > 0:09:40hope you're happy,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43£7,000 to £8,000.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45GASPS IN CROWD
0:09:45 > 0:09:46Crikey.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49You can take it away thinking you could have taken
0:09:49 > 0:09:50that 200 quid.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53- Thank you very much. Oh. Superb. - Are you happy?
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Yes, thank you very much. I'll put it on.
0:09:58 > 0:10:04JAMES BOND THEME PLAYS
0:10:15 > 0:10:18It looks like someone's had a bit of a brutal attack on here.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- What's happened? - Yes, I'm afraid they did.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Back in December 1965, my dad became very curious about this box,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27it had been in the family for,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29well, as long as he could remember.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32My grandfather told him it had actually been bought as
0:10:32 > 0:10:37a job lot at an auction by my great grandfather, who was born in 1843.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40So, Dad searched around for some keys, tried various keys,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43nothing worked, and against all his best principles,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46he actually had to use a screwdriver to gently ease the lock.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50When he opened it up, he'd been told it was just a load of old bottles
0:10:50 > 0:10:54- and of no particular interest. - And there we are.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58He decided to have a look at the bottles and he picked one up.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Now, as he picked one up, something fell to the floor
0:11:01 > 0:11:02and when he looked down,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05there was a piece of folded paper on the floor,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08and when he opened it out, he couldn't believe his eyes.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Because actually it seemed to be signed by the Duke of Wellington.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14- And here we have the folded piece of paper.- Yeah, that's right, yes.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16That was it, that was all he knew,
0:11:16 > 0:11:19so there's a Duke of Wellington piece of paper and the decanters.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I mean my father was quite creative in his imagination,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24very interested in history,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27so immediately he thought, "Right, OK, I'll contact Coutts Bank,"
0:11:27 > 0:11:30who very, very kindly wrote back to him and confirmed that, yes,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33the Duke of Wellington did hold an account with them.
0:11:33 > 0:11:39Well, what's interesting is that the cheque is dated March 1823
0:11:39 > 0:11:43and the cheque's for £195.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46And £195 in 1823,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50if you use an average earnings index,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53is nowadays is in excess of £100,000
0:11:54 > 0:11:56- So this is a cash cheque.- Yes.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59In other words, he was going to Coutts to cash
0:11:59 > 0:12:00a cheque for £100,000
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- What on earth for? - The mind boggles.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Yeah, the mind does boggle,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08and the mind boggles in all sorts of different ways
0:12:08 > 0:12:11because he had a number of mistresses over the years,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13including one called Harriet Wilson,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16who threatened to write her memoirs and he said "publish and be damned."
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Sorry, can I just stop you there. That's very, very strange.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23My daughter is called Harriet Wilson, so...
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Well, how bizarre is that? I had no idea.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Nor did I!
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Well, there we are, how extraordinary,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34well, Harriet Wilson threatened to write her memoirs and they were
0:12:34 > 0:12:38salacious, inevitably and he said, "publish and be damned."
0:12:38 > 0:12:40Anyway, so is this £100,000
0:12:40 > 0:12:43to pay off someone like Harriet, who knows?
0:12:43 > 0:12:45But there's another thing that happened in 1823 -
0:12:45 > 0:12:50his son bought a commission in the army.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52He was in the 81st Regiment of Foot.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Was that to buy his son's commission?
0:12:56 > 0:12:58- It's still an awful lot of money. - It is.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00And he, you know, it's odd to have as cash.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03But it is a campaign decanter case,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07so, did the Duke take it on his campaign?
0:13:07 > 0:13:09In which case, was it at Waterloo?
0:13:09 > 0:13:13And then subsequently he kept using it and a few bottles got smashed?
0:13:13 > 0:13:15- We just don't know. - Just never know.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17So, as far as valuation is concerned,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20the easiest part is the cheque.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22Cheques from Wellington appear on the market
0:13:22 > 0:13:25and as a cheque it's worth, perhaps £50.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27- Right. - As a Duke of Wellington cheque.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31The campaign decanter case is a little bit tired,
0:13:31 > 0:13:32to be perfectly honest.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36There are two decanters missing, the rest are a little bit nibbled,
0:13:36 > 0:13:41so it's worth £600 maybe a little bit more, it's that sort of order.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43But if we could ever prove that this
0:13:43 > 0:13:47was taken to the Battle of Waterloo, then it's worth tens of thousands.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51- So a wonderful thing.- Thank you very much, thank you.- Thanks.
0:13:53 > 0:14:00At first sight, this looks like a well modelled version of an eagle,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03- do you know what it is? - Yes, well, it's a car mascot,
0:14:03 > 0:14:08either to go on the radiator cap or, in fact, be screwed on to the bonnet.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Well, that's absolutely right, because if we take it out,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13you can see it's got this thread
0:14:13 > 0:14:15which would have gone onto the radiator cap,
0:14:15 > 0:14:17or onto the bonnet, as you say.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Does it have any history that you know about?
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Well it does. It was given to me by a friend,
0:14:22 > 0:14:23who used to be a private secretary
0:14:23 > 0:14:27to the old Duke of Kent, Prince George. Oh, yes.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29He received it from Hurstpierpoint College,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31which is where I went to school.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33That's quite nearby, isn't it?
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- It's quite nearby, just over the top there.- Yeah.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And this was for opening the chapel tower,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42and the eagle represents the weather vane,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44on top of the chapel tower.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47How wonderful! So, that's not a bad thing to be given
0:14:47 > 0:14:50because there's something rather special about this
0:14:50 > 0:14:53from all other car mascots, and that's...
0:14:53 > 0:14:55It's actually made of silver,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57because if we pick it up and look here,
0:14:57 > 0:14:59it's got a nice set of hallmarks.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Maker's mark W&H, that's for Walker and Hall.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06- Right.- Crown, that it's made in Sheffield
0:15:06 > 0:15:08and the date letter for 1930,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and it actually has a slightly 1930s look about it.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14But, you can imagine you don't really drive round
0:15:14 > 0:15:15in a car with a silver mascot
0:15:15 > 0:15:20on the front because it's likely to get nicked.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25But silver mascots are incredibly rare for that reason.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29- Right.- And, also, because they're not legal any more,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32you can't put a mascot on a modern car because,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34for health and safety reasons,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38they've become very, very collectable,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42so, something like this, with a good story behind it,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44is going to be sought after by...
0:15:44 > 0:15:46I can think of quite a few collectors
0:15:46 > 0:15:49that would be really keen to have something like this.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52If this was plated, or made from another metal...
0:15:52 > 0:15:55- Right.- ..it would only be worth a few hundred pounds
0:15:55 > 0:15:59but, because it's silver, it's so much rarer,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03with that great story, £2,000-£3,000.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05Good Lord! Really?
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Oh, well, that's a nice gift to have received, isn't it?
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- Thank you very much indeed. - Thank you.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17A beautiful portrait of a lovely lady. Can you tell me who she is?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Yes, she was my granny, Nadia.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22She was born in Irkutsk in central Siberia,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- which is a long way from where she died, which was Paddington.- Wow!
0:16:26 > 0:16:30But, on the way, she was taken with her father and with her siblings
0:16:30 > 0:16:32on the Trans-Siberian Railway,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34where they met a lot of people.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37There were 90,000 people working on the railways...
0:16:37 > 0:16:39At the time.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42- ..at the time. And some of the people were circus people.- Right.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45So, they taught her, and her brothers and sisters,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48how to do different acts, singing and dancing,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- magic acts, acrobatics and things. - Acrobatics.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Acrobatics! And when they got down to Vladivostok
0:16:54 > 0:16:57that was the journey's end, I think it was two years later,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59they then joined a circus,
0:16:59 > 0:17:01which took them down the whole length of China,
0:17:01 > 0:17:03and they eventually got down to Bangkok.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07And the girls used to dance, and the girls danced so beautifully,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and they were so elegant, that the King of Siam got to hear about this.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12- Ah!- And he came around to see them.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16He said, "I want you girls to come back and dance in the palace",
0:17:16 > 0:17:17- which they did.- Right.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19And she actually had to go with her mother to make sure
0:17:19 > 0:17:21- there was no hanky-panky going on. - Right.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25- And, at the end of it, he gave her this bracelet here.- Wow!
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It's composed of some coins, which are known as ticals,
0:17:27 > 0:17:31and these coins are very specific to Siam.
0:17:31 > 0:17:37Now we know it as Thailand, and these ticals are usually in silver.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39So, it's very unusual to be in gold.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42And the reason they're in gold
0:17:42 > 0:17:44is because they're a gift from the King, so around 1910.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47The Royal Family were really the only people eligible
0:17:47 > 0:17:48to have gold ticals.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- It's a wonderful name, isn't it, ticals?- It is, it is.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52You've got seven in all here,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56and then with a lovely little medallion at the bottom for the...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58From the King.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01From the King, exactly. So, the Imperial crest of Siam
0:18:01 > 0:18:04and then, of course, you've got the lovely white elephant
0:18:04 > 0:18:07with enamel and detail here,
0:18:07 > 0:18:13and the elephant itself showing the freedom of the country.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16It's a free country, it never was invaded.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18In terms of value, I think in auction,
0:18:18 > 0:18:22you could see it fetching £2,000 to £3,000.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23- OK.- And I hope, on a good day,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26it should fetch the top end of the estimate.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Yes, I wonder if the Siamese family would like to buy it back.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31You never know.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Give them a ring.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38One of the limiting factors of most decorative objects
0:18:38 > 0:18:40is a factor called gravity,
0:18:40 > 0:18:44which means that basically you've got to put them on the floor,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46a table, a shelf, the mantelpiece.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49You've got to put them on a surface. The thing I love
0:18:49 > 0:18:53about these, is they take us into another dimension
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and I'm very keen on going into another dimension.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Great! A sun catcher.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02- Yes.- Good thing, eh?
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Lovely, yes, it's wonderful, and it hangs in front of a picture window
0:19:06 > 0:19:10and getting all the light from the west through it.
0:19:10 > 0:19:11- It's beautiful.- It glows.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14I think it kind of brings a smile to your face, it does mine.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- That's it.- It's called the Sunspot.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Generically, they're sun catchers
0:19:19 > 0:19:24but this one is specifically the Whitefriars Sunspot
0:19:24 > 0:19:26and it was always made in this colour
0:19:26 > 0:19:30with sort of various striations, designed by Geoffrey Baxter
0:19:30 > 0:19:35in 1970-ish, and they're not bad money actually.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39- So, you found yours in...? - No, it was a present.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42It was a gift, I should think in the '70s probably.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Well, I think it's a nice... I love them.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48It's a happy thing and on a value, £100 to £150 but...
0:19:48 > 0:19:52- That's wonderful.- I think it's enough to bring a smile to anybody's face.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55I should think so. Marvellous. Thank you, Andy.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09You've probably heard by now, how the market in Chinese antiques
0:20:09 > 0:20:12is thriving, with the Chinese
0:20:12 > 0:20:15so keen to buy back objects from their own heritage.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18Now, our ceramics specialist, John Axford,
0:20:18 > 0:20:21has set us a particularly difficult task this week.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24We have three blue and white Chinese vases.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28They don't look superficially that different, but one is basic -
0:20:28 > 0:20:31worth about £50, one is better -
0:20:31 > 0:20:34worth considerably more, £20,000,
0:20:34 > 0:20:39and the best one is worth £200,000!
0:20:39 > 0:20:41So, I'm keeping my distance.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44We're going to be asking our visitors to take a look at them
0:20:44 > 0:20:47and, at those prices, no touching.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52We've seen some interesting collections on the Antiques Roadshow
0:20:52 > 0:20:55over the 33 years that I've been doing it,
0:20:55 > 0:21:00but I'm almost having to restrain myself here with excitement,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02because this is just a tiny part
0:21:02 > 0:21:07of a huge collection of handcuffs, leg irons,
0:21:07 > 0:21:11all kinds of restraining equipment, which you've got.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14- How many have you got at home? - 820 different models at home.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17It was, at one time, the world's largest collection
0:21:17 > 0:21:20and featured in the Guinness Book of Records for four years.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23A chap in America has now got a larger collection than me,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25so, I'm about second or third in the world now.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29Presumably you came to this through what - the police force or...?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31No, my grandfather was a member of the Magic Circle
0:21:31 > 0:21:33and, at the age of seven, he gave me
0:21:33 > 0:21:35a birthday party with magic at the end of it.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39About a year later, the Houdini film was on television with Tony Curtis
0:21:39 > 0:21:41and Mum sent me to bed halfway through it,
0:21:41 > 0:21:43and I never saw the other half of it.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Next, day I went to the library and got interested in Houdini,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and performed at a local Scouts,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and performed straitjacket escapes upside down from burning ropes.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53You're an escapologist?
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- I was an escapologist, yes.- I know you are married.- I am married, yes.
0:21:57 > 0:22:03Now, what's it like being married to a collector of anything,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05but of this kind of material?
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- Did you know he was a collector when...- Yes, I did.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- ..when you knew him?- Yes. - What did you think of that?
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Well, I thought they were teasing me
0:22:11 > 0:22:15when they told me that he had this collection of handcuffs, you know.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18So, I was quite surprised when I saw them, yes.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23- And you realised that... - That it was true, yes.
0:22:23 > 0:22:24But when you look at them,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27looking at it not from a sort of collector's point of view,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30but when you look at them, what goes through your mind?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Well, I have to say, I know that when Chris looks at them,
0:22:33 > 0:22:37he sees how they're made and the locks and everything else.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39And I have to say when I look at some of them,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42I just see the suffering, so we look at them with different eyes.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45So, you think about who they were put on to.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46Yes, yes, yes.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- Interesting.- And some of them in particular
0:22:49 > 0:22:52are difficult to look at for me.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54OK, so that's an interesting sort of female-male
0:22:54 > 0:22:57different way of dealing with it.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00So, there are probably three that stand out.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05You know, I suppose these are the most bizarre, these sort of mittens.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09The most unusual, yes, yeah. Patented in 1929 by James Mackenzie,
0:23:09 > 0:23:1230 to 40 of these were actually made up
0:23:12 > 0:23:17and they were used for transporting prisoners on the railways in America.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Unfortunately, the prison guards found they were too effective
0:23:20 > 0:23:24and if the call of nature was necessary for one of the prisoners,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28the prison officers refused to attend to the prisoners
0:23:28 > 0:23:31and they were actually withdrawn,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34and we know of only 22 that are still in existence 80 odd years later.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40- Gosh. And this, this is part of that, is it?- Yes.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- That's like a ball and chain. - It is.- But more...
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Well, I don't know, is it as heavy as a ball and chain?
0:23:45 > 0:23:47That weighs 16 lbs - that weighs.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49- Goodness!- And that fits on top of the stirrup
0:23:49 > 0:23:52which is... With the boot attached to it.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57The railways found it far more useful than having a ball and chain,
0:23:57 > 0:24:04because railway workers could get on with their duties far more better,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08but, with this attached to your leg, it's virtually impossible to run.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09It's very disorientating.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- One leg weighs 18 lbs more than the other leg.- Absolutely.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15- It's virtually impossible to run away.- One can see that.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19If one had to say which is the most valuable here,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22would it surprise me? Would it be the least obvious?
0:24:22 > 0:24:26I think probably the most valuable will be these bar cuffs here,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28which I would... The last pair of those sold,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31there's only two pairs known, and the pair that recently sold
0:24:31 > 0:24:34didn't have the belt attached to it,
0:24:34 > 0:24:38and they fetched 17,000, and that was about three, four months ago.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42- A remarkable collection.- Thank you. - Fascinating history.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44And thank you very much indeed
0:24:44 > 0:24:47for breaking them out of the attic and bringing them down here.
0:24:47 > 0:24:48- Thank you very much.- Brilliant.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54Blue and white china, three vases that don't look that different.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56But the basic one is worth £50,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59the better one £20,000,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02the best one is worth £200,000.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Which do you think is which?
0:25:04 > 0:25:07I'd probably say this was the cheapest one.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09- The cheapest, basic one? - Yeah, basic one.- OK.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12Which do you think is which?
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I think perhaps this one, about 50 quid, something like that.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- OK, so that's the basic one, right.- Yeah.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20- This one would be better.- Right.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24- I think the middling one is this one here.- That one.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26200,000.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28This one's the most expensive.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30- The best?- Yeah. - You think this is the best?
0:25:30 > 0:25:32That's the most expensive one.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- That one.- Would you like something like this in your home?
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I'd love to have something like that in my home,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40- thanks, if you're offering. - You must be joking!
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Well, what a funny little thing!
0:25:46 > 0:25:48Why have you brought it today?
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Well, it actually belongs to my mum,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and it was given to her by a very good friend in the 1960s.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- She just saw it and sort of gave it to my mum as a gift.- Right.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- She said it was old then.- Yes.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02But I don't know what it is, where it came from, nothing.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03It's very much under speculation,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06but I think that the key to it is that it's decorated
0:26:06 > 0:26:10with enamelled flowers, and it's clearly made of silver
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and it's in brilliant condition because it's oxidised,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16it's blackened and it gives a feeling of deep antiquity to it,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18- which I think it deserves.- Right.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22It's not in absolutely perfect condition, it's damaged at the back,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24but I don't think that matters terribly much
0:26:24 > 0:26:27because what we're interested in, is what it is,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- and where it comes from.- Right.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32And I think that the enamel flowers on the front, are the key,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- because with flowers come scent, doesn't it?- Right.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38And there was a positive obsession with scent
0:26:38 > 0:26:42in almost every generation but our own, for various odd reasons.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46They thought that bad humours - indeed disease -
0:26:46 > 0:26:50- would come from the smells from which they were surrounded.- Right.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Because of the stench and the filth in the streets with open middens
0:26:53 > 0:26:57and animal remains, and God knows what lying around in the street -
0:26:57 > 0:27:02- and then the conjunction of plague in these urban situations.- Right.
0:27:02 > 0:27:07They felt - completely erroneously - that the smell from the streets
0:27:07 > 0:27:10was part of the way in which these infections invaded you.
0:27:11 > 0:27:16The way to protect yourself was to mask the smell of the urban climate
0:27:16 > 0:27:19and to burn fragrant woods,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22to get far-fetched spices from the Orient,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25- and you'd need to fix them.- Right.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29And perfume fixative which would be ambergris or civet.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- Ambergris is a sort of phlegm coughed up by whales.- Ooh!
0:27:34 > 0:27:36- You don't fancy that. - That's revolting!
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Coughing whales, a big cough.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45And the civet is extracted from the tail end of a rather fierce cat.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48- So where's this all going? - I don't know.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Are you worried yet? You won't get a plague from it,
0:27:51 > 0:27:55although I rather suspect it could come from that period. Anyway...
0:27:55 > 0:27:59To mask it you'd put the scents of the flowers, the essences,
0:27:59 > 0:28:03into these ambergris, civet, musk, and then carry them round
0:28:03 > 0:28:07in, perhaps, little tubes of waxy material which would lodge in here,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09and then don't forget this is completely open work
0:28:09 > 0:28:12and it's open work because the scent would exude from that
0:28:12 > 0:28:14- and you'd carry it.- Right.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Then when plague was ripping through the country,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19as it did in 1608 in London,
0:28:19 > 0:28:21it was one of the most terrifying plagues
0:28:21 > 0:28:25- where hundreds of thousand of people were dying.- Right.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28This is some sort of pomander.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31A pomander means an apple of ambergris
0:28:31 > 0:28:35and this is a quasi magical object, made of silver,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37decorated with enamel.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41- How old is it? - It is, I believe, 17th century.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43- Possibly 18th century.- What? Right.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45- The 17th century was the big plague, yeah.- Yes.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49And how to value it? I don't know, what did you think it was worth?
0:28:49 > 0:28:51I don't know. My mother thought it was...
0:28:51 > 0:28:53She called it a bit of old tat.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Oh, well, she was right about the old, but not about the tat.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00There's a magical cure here. People do collect these things.
0:29:00 > 0:29:04They collect them very avidly, there's a great company of people
0:29:04 > 0:29:07who want to collect aromatic goldsmiths' work,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09which is what this is, almost jewellery,
0:29:09 > 0:29:12and I think they'd be jolly pleased to give you something
0:29:12 > 0:29:15in the region of £2,500 for that today.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20Really(?) Good heavens!
0:29:20 > 0:29:23Gosh, she will be shocked when I tell her!
0:29:23 > 0:29:26- Ooh... Oh, dear I'd better be more careful with it.- Better had.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31I know this is a Korean chest, but we don't know any more about it,
0:29:31 > 0:29:34so I'm hoping that you can tell us something.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38How do you know it's Korean?
0:29:38 > 0:29:43We replied to an advertisement in our then local paper in Hong Kong
0:29:43 > 0:29:46for somebody selling Korean chests
0:29:46 > 0:29:49and we assume, therefore, that it was from Korea.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Well, it is Korean, definitely.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Let's look. I think the actual configuration of the drawers
0:29:56 > 0:30:00and the doors is absolutely typical. I can't resist opening one of them.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02- I love this butterfly motif. Isn't it pretty?- It is.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06- Is it a moth, or a butterfly? - I would assume it's a butterfly.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08It's nicer, isn't it?
0:30:08 > 0:30:12This is elm here which is very typical of Japanese,
0:30:12 > 0:30:16and to a certain extent Chinese, and Oriental furniture, to use elm.
0:30:16 > 0:30:17But when we...
0:30:19 > 0:30:23That's very interesting, it's got a very soft pine back on it
0:30:23 > 0:30:27and these slide back and forward. Yes, I see.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31How old do you think it is?
0:30:31 > 0:30:33I think it's 19th century,
0:30:33 > 0:30:37but I'm not certain.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40How did you get it here?
0:30:40 > 0:30:44- Today?- Mm.- In the back of the car because it comes into three pieces.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- And not too heavy?- No.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53- Nice and light, isn't it? - Nice and light, yes.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Do you want a chair?
0:30:55 > 0:30:58No, well, I hope... I don't think so.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05- It's not very old. - Oh! Oh, how disappointing.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06Right...
0:31:06 > 0:31:11- I'm sorry to disappoint you. It is not 19th century.- Right.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14Shame.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17We didn't spend a great deal so it's not the end of the world.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21I think I'm going to be brave, and ask you how much you paid for it.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23Well, we can't exactly remember,
0:31:23 > 0:31:27but it was less than £100, probably quite a lot less.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34That's lucky,
0:31:34 > 0:31:36because I know that people paid over £1,000 for these
0:31:36 > 0:31:39- in English and European antique shops.- Mm-hm.
0:31:39 > 0:31:44In probably the 1970s almost every provincial antique shop in the UK
0:31:44 > 0:31:47had one, and probably Europe, had not exactly the same,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49but a similar type of modern Korean cabinet.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53Whether the Koreans made them as that dreadful word, fakes,
0:31:53 > 0:31:58I don't know, or whether they were making in the traditional style.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Let's be generous and say it was traditional style,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03and somebody very cleverly started importing them.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Had you had one of these and you bought it for £1,000,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09- I'd be saying to you today that it was worth £500.- Mm-hm.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13Luckily you bought yours for...
0:32:13 > 0:32:18You can't remember, but under £100, so yours has gone up to £500.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Well, that's ideal, thank you very much.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23I'm quite happy with that.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37Well, quite a challenge this week.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Our ceramics specialist, John Axford,
0:32:39 > 0:32:40has brought along three vases.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44As you know, we were talking to our visitors in the programme earlier.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48One of them is a basic blue and white Chinese vase worth about £50.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53One of them is worth £20,000, so quite a difference.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57One of them is worth £200,000.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00And, frankly, I'm just a bit nervous standing near them. Erm...
0:33:00 > 0:33:04This is a difficult one. I've put them in the order I think they are,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06basic, better, best.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09John, how can you tell because they are all blue and white vases,
0:33:09 > 0:33:12and apart from the difference in the patterns,
0:33:12 > 0:33:13they don't look that different.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17It is very difficult. Yes, they're all blue and white.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19They were all made in the same place, in Jingdezhen,
0:33:19 > 0:33:23and, actually, also they're all copies of earlier pieces.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27- They're all copies? - They're all copies.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29You have to start with some knowledge
0:33:29 > 0:33:31of the history of Chinese porcelain.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34Blue and white started in China in the middle of the 14th century
0:33:34 > 0:33:36and by the time they get to the 15th century
0:33:36 > 0:33:38they're making terrific pieces.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Some of the best Ming pieces are made then.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43These pieces then get copied and copied and copied
0:33:43 > 0:33:45throughout the centuries.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48In the British Museum, you could see vases like all of these there.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51It never occurred to me that they would all be copies.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55I assumed the one with the stonking valuation would be genuine.
0:33:55 > 0:33:57I mean, what should we be looking for?
0:33:57 > 0:33:58Start with quality.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01Well, start with the designs.
0:34:01 > 0:34:06This one and this one, they're designs that go back to 1400
0:34:06 > 0:34:09and have been copied, but the quality should be very good.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12This vase is very fuzzy, it didn't fire very well.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17Look here, there's a scar on the side. See that, like a thumb print.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20It's been made pretty badly. The colour of this blue,
0:34:20 > 0:34:22which is this very turquoisy colour
0:34:22 > 0:34:24is really quite wrong for an early piece.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27I was hoping that fuzziness was a mark of antiquity,
0:34:27 > 0:34:31- but there you go.- I'm afraid, Fiona, this is the basic vase.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34- I'm older than this is.- No!
0:34:34 > 0:34:37- So that's the basic one. - That is the basic one.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39That's worth no more than £50.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Right, I'll definitely stick to the day job.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48Going on to the better, the vase nearest you.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50- This one.- This is the one I thought was basic.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54That's the one you thought was basic. Look at the decoration.
0:34:54 > 0:34:56We've got little dots painted in here,
0:34:56 > 0:34:59that's copying an earlier technique,
0:34:59 > 0:35:02it's reviving a style but the painting is rather cartoony.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04It's a good vase.
0:35:04 > 0:35:08It's quite a rare vase, late 19th century made for the Chinese.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Yes, in auction today that's £20,000.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14See, I thought it looked...
0:35:14 > 0:35:16I mean, I'm embarrassed to show my ignorance,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19but it looked like it had been transferred on,
0:35:19 > 0:35:22- obviously it's hand painted, then? - Yeah, all three are hand painted.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24Right.
0:35:24 > 0:35:25Da, da, da, da, da!
0:35:25 > 0:35:29This is obviously the humdinger.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Now, it's beautiful, but why is this
0:35:33 > 0:35:36worth at least £200,000,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38because it doesn't look that dramatically different?
0:35:40 > 0:35:43It is brilliantly painted, the painting,
0:35:43 > 0:35:46the quality is fantastic. It dates from the 18th century.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50There is only one original Ming vase like this is known to exist
0:35:50 > 0:35:54in the Percival David Foundation in the British Museum in London.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58- So an original?- There's only one... - Would be worth?- Who knows?
0:35:58 > 0:36:00- Millions.- Many, many millions.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03They started reproducing this design in the 18th century.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07It is difficult to tell, it's about the quality of the painting,
0:36:07 > 0:36:09the space of the decoration, the surface of the glaze,
0:36:09 > 0:36:11the way the base is finished
0:36:11 > 0:36:13and all of these things come together
0:36:13 > 0:36:17to make it a genuine 18th century piece.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19It's a terrific vase
0:36:19 > 0:36:21and, yes, it is coming up for auction
0:36:21 > 0:36:25and I'm expecting it to make in excess of £200,000.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Gosh!
0:36:27 > 0:36:29- Blimey!- Quite!
0:36:29 > 0:36:33Well, I'm embarrassed by my lack of scholarship,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35let me just move these round then.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38It breaks my heart to do it, so basic,
0:36:38 > 0:36:39better, best.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42I could not have got it more wrong.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44If you have some blue and white china at home,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47who knows? It may be worth £200,000.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49We'd love to see it at the Roadshow.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51Bring it along very carefully.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54You can check out our locations on our website:
0:36:54 > 0:36:57bbc.co.uk/antiquesroadshow.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Fiona, one final thought.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- You got all three wrong.- Yes. - You don't get the job, I'm sorry.
0:37:06 > 0:37:07Charming!
0:37:10 > 0:37:13Well, I hope you won't be offended
0:37:13 > 0:37:17if I tell you that I think these extraordinary elaborate figures
0:37:17 > 0:37:20are an affront to the modern taste for minimalism.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Minimalist they are not.
0:37:23 > 0:37:27I mean, the detail in them is breathtaking,
0:37:27 > 0:37:28wonderful little shells
0:37:28 > 0:37:31and a lady selling fish here,
0:37:31 > 0:37:36and the chap with a hare and a duck on a stick over his shoulder.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Really richly elaborate and wonderfully decorative things.
0:37:39 > 0:37:40What do you know about them?
0:37:40 > 0:37:48I know they were a wedding present to my wife's great grandparents.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50Yeah.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53I believe, I don't know the exact year, but around 1900.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Let's pick it up and have a look at the mark
0:37:56 > 0:38:00and here we have an applied, pink triangle mark.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03Impressed into that it says Royal Dux Bohemia
0:38:03 > 0:38:06and there's an E in the centre there
0:38:06 > 0:38:09and that stands for a man called Eduard Eichler
0:38:09 > 0:38:14and he was the proprietor of the Royal Dux factory,
0:38:14 > 0:38:17which was in a place in Bohemia called Dux.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22He specialised in elaborate,
0:38:22 > 0:38:27highly-styled and wonderful figures like this.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31Date-wise, it works very well with your family provenance about 1900,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34- that fits for me.- OK.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39But, you know, looking at these figures in the 21st century,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43we live in a land of black leather sofas, white walls,
0:38:43 > 0:38:44blonde wood floors
0:38:44 > 0:38:49and, you know, 20 years ago, when I started looking at things like this,
0:38:49 > 0:38:52people tried to make their houses like the inside of a country house,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56or a Victorian villa. The more you could stuff into them,
0:38:56 > 0:38:58the more elaborate they were, the better.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Now it's exactly the opposite.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02That's why I say, you know, these things are just
0:39:02 > 0:39:05the antithesis of British taste
0:39:05 > 0:39:08and the value of them is almost like a barometer of that taste.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15At auction today, I think, these wonderfully elaborate,
0:39:15 > 0:39:19richly decorative, high quality figures are worth
0:39:19 > 0:39:22- in the region of £800 to £1,200.- OK.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28But when I tell you that 20 years ago,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32when I started doing this job,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35they were worth twice as much,
0:39:35 > 0:39:371,500 to 2,000.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43- One day, they'll come back.- Well worth keeping hold of.- Keep 'em.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47This is a stunningly pretty clock.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Can you tell me anything about its past life?
0:39:49 > 0:39:53Well it was given to my grandmother for her wedding,
0:39:53 > 0:39:57- and we think it was about 1903 that she was married.- Right.
0:39:58 > 0:39:59And here she is.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- In the middle.- In the middle. - I love all the costumes.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05- Are they all related? - They're all sisters.- Good heavens!
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Yes, it was a large family, and three sons too.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10And it came from your grandmother.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12It came from my grandmother and it was given to me
0:40:12 > 0:40:16- for my 18th birthday. - It's a fabulous present.
0:40:16 > 0:40:18I particularly like the enamel dial
0:40:18 > 0:40:24which has got a Latin lettering which I think is "festina lente"
0:40:24 > 0:40:27and my schoolboy Latin makes me think that's something like
0:40:27 > 0:40:29"make haste slowly."
0:40:29 > 0:40:32She always told me it was "hurry slowly."
0:40:32 > 0:40:34- Hurry slowly, yes, exactly.- Yes.
0:40:34 > 0:40:40But what's so nice about this is the condition, it's really gorgeous.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45Just look at the enamel round here, this tree and the lovely colouring,
0:40:45 > 0:40:49even the colour of the dial itself is absolutely wonderful.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52You've obviously looked after it extremely well.
0:40:52 > 0:40:53I thought it was special.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57- Yes, and it's in the high Art Nouveau taste.- Right.
0:40:57 > 0:40:58But if we turn it round,
0:40:58 > 0:41:04what gets even more interesting are the marks at the back here
0:41:04 > 0:41:09- and we can see it's got the mark here for Liberty & Company.- Ah.
0:41:09 > 0:41:14Now, Liberty & Company were one of the real pioneers
0:41:14 > 0:41:19of the Art Nouveau style, particularly at this period,
0:41:19 > 0:41:21and it's got a date letter here.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Made in Birmingham in 1901.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29That would marry with the wedding present at 1903, wouldn't it?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Exactly, absolutely.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35They had a very important designer working for them,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38at that time, called Archibald Knox.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40- Knox designed a number of clocks. - Yes.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43- I'm pretty certain this is designed by Knox.- Right.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47- This is prettier than most.- Oh!
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Now I have to tell you that Archibald Knox is very much
0:41:50 > 0:41:54- the flavour of the month at the moment.- Oh!
0:41:54 > 0:41:58So, not only have you got a lovely item,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- you've got a rare item.- Oh.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04You've got a very collectable item.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09I've got the difficult task of trying to tell you
0:42:09 > 0:42:11what it might be worth.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13Right.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16I think comfortably £15,000 to £20,000.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18AUDIENCE GASP
0:42:18 > 0:42:20Oh!
0:42:20 > 0:42:23What a wonderful present I was given.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25- What a lovely grandmother you had. - Yes.
0:42:27 > 0:42:32This is, this is just so special and it's so wonderful.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36I've almost fallen in love again in my life.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39It is an absolutely stunning piece
0:42:39 > 0:42:43and such a pleasure and a privilege to handle it and see it.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Well, thank you very much.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48That's really good news and the family will be delighted.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49Thank you very much.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54What do you think this is?
0:42:55 > 0:42:57Answers on a postcard, please.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00Scrap that, we can't cope with the admin, I'll just tell you.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03It is a prosthetic leg for a bull.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05As you tie it on.
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Tie it on here at the top
0:43:07 > 0:43:09and look, it's articulated and everything.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12You might wonder why would anyone go to all the trouble
0:43:12 > 0:43:15to make a prosthetic leg for a bull, lovely though they are.
0:43:15 > 0:43:17This might give you a clue.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Here's a prosthetic leg
0:43:22 > 0:43:26and just look at the bedroom eyes that the cow is giving the bull.
0:43:26 > 0:43:31All I can say is, it must have been a very valuable blood line!
0:43:31 > 0:43:33From the Antiques Roadshow team
0:43:33 > 0:43:35here at the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37until next time, bye-bye.