0:00:02 > 0:00:04Over the last 34 years, the Antiques Roadshow has visited
0:00:04 > 0:00:08some of the most prestigious locations in the British Isles.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12High on the list must come some of our greatest sporting venues.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14We took the show to the heart of Test Match cricket, at Lord's.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19Then, we celebrated the sport of kings,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22at the Queen's favourite racecourse, Royal Ascot.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24But now, for the grand slam.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27We're at the most famous tennis club in the world.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32Welcome to the All England Lawn Tennis Club, at Wimbledon.
0:00:32 > 0:00:33BELL RINGS
0:01:14 > 0:01:16MUSIC: "In The Summertime" by Mungo Jerry
0:01:16 > 0:01:18To get the authentic Wimbledon experience,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20there's only one time to visit,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and that's during Championship Fortnight.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25People have been coming here since 1877,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29to watch the most talented players in the world
0:01:29 > 0:01:31compete for the coveted Wimbledon trophies.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33'15-all.'
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Even as long ago as the 1930s,
0:01:36 > 0:01:40more than 200,000 people turned up to watch the matches.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Of course, things were very different then.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Men were still playing in flannel trousers
0:01:48 > 0:01:52and women had not long since discarded long skirts and petticoats
0:01:52 > 0:01:55but many Wimbledon traditions established then
0:01:55 > 0:01:57are still in force today.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01It's the only grand slam tournament in the world which is still played on grass
0:02:01 > 0:02:04and where it's compulsory to wear predominantly white clothing.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10This is Centre Court, the heart of Wimbledon,
0:02:10 > 0:02:12where the world's best players have competed.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17Who can forget when a young John McEnroe burst onto our screens
0:02:17 > 0:02:20with his brilliant volleys and sometimes colourful outbursts?
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Well, we think we may have unearthed an antique he might recognise.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29I caught up with him and Sue Barker on Centre Court.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Yeah...
0:02:31 > 0:02:33That looks vaguely familiar.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I think this has the ring of authenticity
0:02:35 > 0:02:36smashed in a moment of anger.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40That's a setup. Your show... That's not mine.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44This was brought along by a young chap to an Antiques Roadshow a few years back,
0:02:44 > 0:02:47who said that when you stayed with his mum in digs
0:02:47 > 0:02:50when you were playing, his mum was called Linda...
0:02:50 > 0:02:55- Ring any bells? You gave her this racket.- Which one? No, I'm kidding.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Does this look familiar?
0:02:57 > 0:03:01- Yes, that was definitely a racket I played with.- Same size grip? Yep.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03What happened here?
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Well, I know this is hard to believe,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09but there were times when I got a little upset out there.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11We remember them well. Now...
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- Yes?- Would you sign it?- Sign it?
0:03:15 > 0:03:17OK, all right, sure, absolutely.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19That would make it something really fantastic.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Something very quick.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23"Thanks for the memories."
0:03:23 > 0:03:24THEY LAUGH
0:03:24 > 0:03:29OK, so I don't know if this will increase or decrease the value
0:03:29 > 0:03:30but there you go.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34I think we can safely say that makes it an antique of the future, John.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36- Thanks very much.- You're welcome.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38We'll find out if John's signature
0:03:38 > 0:03:41has increased the value of that racket shortly.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Time to transform some of the outer courts in front of the clubhouse
0:03:44 > 0:03:47as we prepare for our own slightly smaller championship event
0:03:47 > 0:03:50called the Antiques Roadshow.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Well, this is a wonderful bronze of a ballet dancer.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Is it a family piece?- It is. It belongs to my father.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01It was bought by my grandfather in Paris in 1925
0:04:01 > 0:04:03and then given to my father after he got married.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06And not only have you brought along a bronze
0:04:06 > 0:04:08but also the original receipt.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- Yes.- And here it is,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13dated 19th December 1925, obviously in Paris.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17And we see that he paid 1,200 old francs for it,
0:04:17 > 0:04:19which I think was about £110 in those days,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21- so quite a lot of money. - Yes, yes.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And here we can see, "La mort du cygne (La Pavlova)."
0:04:24 > 0:04:28"The Dying Swan," and that gives us an indication of what the bronze is.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Yes, Anna Pavlova, very famous Russian ballet dancer.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Famous for The Dying Swan.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Some people think it's connected with Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
0:04:36 > 0:04:40but it comes from The Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42- The Dying Swan.- Yes, yes.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Anna Pavlova, as you probably know,
0:04:44 > 0:04:46worked with Diaghilev, of course, at Les Ballets Russes
0:04:46 > 0:04:50and then she was the first person, I think, to take her own ballet tour
0:04:50 > 0:04:51throughout the world.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55And she was extremely well-known in London and in America.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58It's a wonderfully expressive bronze and if we look at it,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02she's in the typical pose that she performed during The Dying Swan
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and wonderful the way the casting
0:05:04 > 0:05:06has got her dress flowing out like this.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08It's spectacular, great movement in it.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- It's a beautiful piece. - It's got a liveliness to it.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13And if we look down towards the base,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16we can see that it's signed, "P de Boulongne".
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Pierre de Boulongne was a reasonably well-known bronze sculptor
0:05:19 > 0:05:23working in France in the 19th and 20th century.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27We can see the "7 25" indicates it's a limited edition
0:05:27 > 0:05:30of just 25 cast from the mould and this was number seven.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34So, quite rare. Do you have it on display at home or have your parents got it?
0:05:34 > 0:05:35My parents have it, yes,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38it's very proudly displayed on my father's piano.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43- Are they ballet enthusiasts? - My mother was a ballerina.- Was she?
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- She was, yes.- But perhaps not as well-known as Pavlova.
0:05:45 > 0:05:49- Not quite as well-known as Pavlova. - I think it's a glorious bronze.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51We have to look at prices
0:05:51 > 0:05:55and because only 25 of this edition were produced, I would think
0:05:55 > 0:05:58if this appeared on the market today at auction, it would probably
0:05:58 > 0:05:59fetch £6,000-£8,000.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04- Ah!- And on a good day, it might even make 10.- Wow. Wow!
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Gosh. My parents will be very, very pleased to hear that, I should think.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10But it'll go back on my father's piano.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11Thank you very much.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Well, as you can imagine, this makes me very excited.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19What we've got here, these pages, all handwritten,
0:06:19 > 0:06:21and this is a memorandum,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23"By William Westenburg,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27"assistant surgeon on the Victory,"
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Nelson's flagship,
0:06:29 > 0:06:34"between 19th and 22nd October, 1805."
0:06:34 > 0:06:38The Battle of Trafalgar. Absolutely tremendous.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Here we are, "HMS Victory off Cadiz." Tell me about it,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- where did it come from? - We've had it in the family for over a century and a half.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- Yes.- Just wanted to know a bit more about it.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Over a century and a half, that means...
0:06:50 > 0:06:52This...he is related to you?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55- No idea how we got it in the family. - It's absolutely wonderful.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00And we see here, "England expects every man to do his duty,"
0:07:00 > 0:07:04which is, obviously, the famous one, but he goes on down here and we get to
0:07:04 > 0:07:08"The Right Honourable Lord Viscount Nelson, commander-in-chief,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11"was wounded in the left shoulder by a musket ball
0:07:11 > 0:07:15"out of the Redoubtable."
0:07:15 > 0:07:18The idea this was actually written in the battle
0:07:18 > 0:07:19or somewhere very near it, you know,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23obviously when he wasn't staunching blood flows
0:07:23 > 0:07:25or stopping musket holes or anything like that,
0:07:25 > 0:07:26it's quite incredible, really.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29And what else? This goes on about...
0:07:29 > 0:07:32it goes on about manoeuvres and manoeuvring.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34The preparation for the battle was remarkable
0:07:34 > 0:07:37and Nelson left nothing to any chance.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40What's clear in this is that there was something that Nelson did -
0:07:40 > 0:07:42he swerved down to the rear of the French line
0:07:42 > 0:07:44and then swerved back in again,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47and that has not been properly recorded, and it's in this letter.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48So, it's in this letter?
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- So the Antiques Roadshow has another first?- I'd like to think so.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Well, so would I. I think that's absolutely incredible.
0:07:55 > 0:08:00So, a family item, this lovely piece of history under my hands.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02It's got to be worth a lot of money.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05- What do you think?- I have no idea.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Well, I think because you have actually pointed out
0:08:09 > 0:08:11the bit about the manoeuvre,
0:08:11 > 0:08:14which is not in most of the history books,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17I would say you've got something here that's worth about £5,000.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21- Thank you very much.- You're very welcome. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27These were both found in a tin box in a bank vault
0:08:27 > 0:08:30when my grandfather died and we believe they belonged to his father.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33As far as I know, this one is the oldest one.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37My brother-in-law dated it about 1606-1607
0:08:37 > 0:08:39but I don't know much more than that.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43What I find interesting is he's quite right. That is the older one.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47This one is known as an apostle's spoon
0:08:47 > 0:08:52because it's got an apostle's body cast onto the top of it.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Which is a slightly earlier form than this type,
0:08:55 > 0:08:56which is known as a seal-top
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- because this looks to all the world a bit like a seal.- Yes.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03This one is a genuine early 17th-century spoon.
0:09:03 > 0:09:09- I've dated it to 1634 in fact.- OK. - But we won't argue over 30 years.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12This one is fascinating.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15- This is...a fake.- Is it?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17- It is.- Excellent.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19SHE LAUGHS I had no idea.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23This spoon would have been made at the end of the 19th century
0:09:23 > 0:09:25to satisfy the demand
0:09:25 > 0:09:28which was very, very strong at that time for antique spoons.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32It's been made out of a tablespoon of 1761.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34They've clipped off the end, cast an apostle
0:09:34 > 0:09:35and stuck the apostle on,
0:09:35 > 0:09:42changed the shape of the bowl, so probably made about 1870-1880.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43OK.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45- So a lot later than one would have thought?- It's hard to tell
0:09:45 > 0:09:47and it was made to deceive.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50At the end of the 19th century, believe it or not,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54there were no published hallmarks at all available to anybody.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57The Goldsmiths Company thought that if they published hallmarks,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- it would be a faker's charter. - Absolutely.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And people would copy them and use them to make up old silver
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and sell it as old silver. Well, that didn't help
0:10:06 > 0:10:09the person that originally bought this
0:10:09 > 0:10:11because if we turn it over...
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- the marks on the back...- Aha. - ..are for London.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- Right.- 1761.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19Mm-hm.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22The person that bought it from the faker
0:10:22 > 0:10:24would have been unable to check.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26He'd have seen hallmarks on the back of it and thought,
0:10:26 > 0:10:29"A silver spoon in the form of an apostle's spoon,
0:10:29 > 0:10:30"that must be right.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34"That must be early 17th century, therefore it's a good spoon."
0:10:34 > 0:10:37- "I'll have it."- There's nothing much he could do to check it.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40- But it is a complete fake. - That's fantastic.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42I mean, you know, it's disappointing in some ways,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46but in other ways, it's fascinating to know that somebody went
0:10:46 > 0:10:48to all that trouble to produce something
0:10:48 > 0:10:49that isn't real. It's a fake.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- They would have sold it for a lot of money at the time.- Yes.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56And then we come down to the difference in value
0:10:56 > 0:10:57which is now remarkable.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Ah.
0:10:59 > 0:11:05Your original seal-top spoon of 1630s these days worth about...
0:11:05 > 0:11:10- £1,200-£1,400.- Aha. Wow.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Your apostle's spoon, which should be worth about £2,000-£3,000...
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- Yes.- ..is actually more or less worth its weight in metal.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19It's worth about £50-£60,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21but because it's been converted
0:11:21 > 0:11:23so substantially from its original form,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25it's actually technically illegal.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30- Goodness me. I had no idea. - There you are.- Thank you very much.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32- That's fantastic. - Not at all.- Fascinating.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39- Do you know what this is? - I think it's...
0:11:39 > 0:11:42..a pen holder, a Chinese pen holder, like a quill holder.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Do the Chinese either use a pen or a quill?
0:11:49 > 0:11:53From my memory, it's like a pen, like a wooden dowel pen. No?
0:11:53 > 0:11:57- They use brushes.- Of course they do. - They write with a brush.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59So that hole...
0:12:00 > 0:12:01..is too small.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05We'll come back to that.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08- Where did you get it from? - I bought it in Malaysia.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11- We lived in Malaysia for a little while.- Oh, really?
0:12:11 > 0:12:13And we lived in Kuala Lumpur.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16And I saw it in an antique dealer's shop
0:12:16 > 0:12:22so I waited for him one morning till he came, so I got a good deal.
0:12:22 > 0:12:28You are in common with today's Chinese taste.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32For objects, they like this clear, clean, white jade.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37It looks it from a distance as if it's sort of randomly
0:12:37 > 0:12:41chopped about, but when you get close to it,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44you can see what's going on there.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48- Do you know what it is? - I think it's the Zodiac.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50It is indeed the Chinese zodiac.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56And some of the objects are readily identifiable.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59We've got a tiger up here.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05We've got... I think that's a pig. Yes.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10Then we've got a horse down here, tiny little horse.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14We've got a snake who comes up here, and various other ones.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17I would guess that there would be 12.
0:13:17 > 0:13:23What I think this is for is for the tools used to organise
0:13:23 > 0:13:25the ash in an incense burner.
0:13:25 > 0:13:33And they're very tiny rake, spade sort of thing and a pinprick.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35And they would fit very nicely into there.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37So this is an object for the scholar's table.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- Right.- Date?
0:13:41 > 0:13:46I think it's probably late 18th, early 19th century.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48May I ask what you paid for it?
0:13:48 > 0:13:52It would be between £100-£120.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56- Oh, you were quite brave, weren't you?- I liked it.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Even if I told you it was worth 60-80?
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Still like it.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Well, it's not 60-80.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06I think it's 1,500-2,000.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09OK.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- Thank you very much for bringing it in.- Thank you.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18You might remember this tennis racket we showed at the beginning of the programme
0:14:18 > 0:14:21belonged to John McEnroe. Who else, because it's broken in half.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25- Now, Sam, this has become your racket.- Yeah.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29You brought it along to the Children's Antiques Roadshow a few years back.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Do you remember what it was valued at then?
0:14:31 > 0:14:33I think it was £5,000-£8,000.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And that was with a bunch of other things as well?
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Yeah, with a shirt and a headband.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Right, so the question is now, Sam,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45now that McEnroe's actually signed it,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48is it going to be worth more? John Baddeley,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52you're the man to tell us. I'm going to leave you to it.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54It's quite a thing. Have fun.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56A broken tennis racket? John McEnroe's?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59How do we know it is his apart from him signing it?
0:14:59 > 0:15:05Well, my mum ran some residence where he stayed for a while.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08So she had quite a lot of contact with him,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12helped sew on some sponsorship badges on shirts and things like that.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16And, eventually, after he left,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18- this was handed to her. - As a parting gift?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- As a sort of thank you. - What's interesting about this
0:15:21 > 0:15:26is it's one of the very last wooden framed rackets ever used
0:15:26 > 0:15:30and McEnroe was one of the people who used it really to the very end,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33then he went into fibreglass and all those other modern materials.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36We can date this quite closely
0:15:36 > 0:15:37because in 1981,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41he signed a contract with Dunlop to just use their rackets, going forward.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45As you can see, this one is Wilson
0:15:45 > 0:15:47and this is the one he would have used
0:15:47 > 0:15:51right up towards that deadline of 1981.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55But he was still an up and coming young man at that stage, wasn't he?
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It's really important we know when he used it
0:15:58 > 0:16:03because if it was in the final, that amazing final, the 1980 final
0:16:03 > 0:16:06against Bjorn Borg, it's considered one of the all-time great matches.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09And should this be the one from that final
0:16:09 > 0:16:11rather than the lead-up games,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14then you've got something of extreme value.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Bjorn Borg's racket used in the final
0:16:17 > 0:16:21- recently changed hands for 25,000.- Wow.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24So, going back to Fiona's original question does the signature
0:16:24 > 0:16:27make any difference, of course it does. You've got the history,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30you've got the provenance, and now John's actually signed it,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32although retrospectively,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35you've probably added another £2,000-£3,000 to it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39So, certainly well worth getting something signed by the star himself. Thanks for bringing it back
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- for the second time. - Thank YOU very much.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- I can't resist making these nod. Shall we do that?- Yes, please.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58- Let's get the hands going and the heads.- And the tongues.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00- And there they go together.- Yes.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03I find people either find them fun or find them horrific.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- What's your view? - I've grown up with them, I love them.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Yeah.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11- They're just part of the family. - Always been in the family?
0:17:11 > 0:17:12Always been in the family.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16They were my grandfather's and they've come down to my mother
0:17:16 > 0:17:19- and now to me. - Was he a collector or...?
0:17:19 > 0:17:25- No, my great-grandfather owned a pawn shop.- Oh, right.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27And they have come down through the family.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30So, maybe these were unredeemed pledges,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33perhaps the original owner didn't want them back.
0:17:33 > 0:17:34Possibly, we don't know.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39I've always loved them, so the whole idea of making these figures
0:17:39 > 0:17:42with nodding heads, I think, is great fun.
0:17:42 > 0:17:47I mean, I suppose they're meant to be Chinamen or a Chinese...
0:17:47 > 0:17:48well, this is a Chinaman.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51And that's the Chinese woman, the pair of them.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54But they didn't really come from China.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56These were made in Germany.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59The idea of these nodding figures originated in Dresden
0:17:59 > 0:18:01at the great Meissen factory
0:18:01 > 0:18:05when Kandler produced the first one of these in the 1730s
0:18:05 > 0:18:08and since then many, many factories in Dresden
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- have produced versions of these in all sizes.- OK.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13You get little ones and big ones.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17But these are the really full-size and I think they're splendid
0:18:17 > 0:18:20when you get the big ones with so much detail.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23- I notice inside the tongues move. - Yes, they do.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28They have counterweights inside that force the springs inside
0:18:28 > 0:18:29to make the little tongues come out.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I mean, how more bizarre can it be?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36So, totally pointless, totally unfunctional
0:18:36 > 0:18:38but just made to amuse
0:18:38 > 0:18:42and I think people have laughed at them for a long time.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44But lovely big ones.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46So, these are...
0:18:46 > 0:18:50I suppose, in date we're looking at about...1870-1880.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53- Got a fair bit of age.- Yep. - They've had a bit of...
0:18:53 > 0:18:56he's had a bit of a problem with cracking there, hasn't he?
0:18:56 > 0:19:00I don't think the damage is going to affect the value too much.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- I mean, these are surprisingly valuable.- Are they?
0:19:03 > 0:19:08- Because of there... everybody wants a pair of this size.- Oh, right, OK.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13So, even by the smaller Dresden factories, a pair are going to be...
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- Oh...£2,000? - Wow, as much as that?
0:19:17 > 0:19:18Goodness me.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26A lot of odd sized items brought onto the Roadshow.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29For militaria, they're quite often fairly small.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32This, I think, has got to be the biggest thing we've ever had.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34- Really?- And it has an intriguing tale, doesn't it?
0:19:34 > 0:19:37- It certainly has. - Do tell me about it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43Very briefly, the Japanese captured it at the fall of Singapore
0:19:43 > 0:19:44on 15th February, 1942.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Right.
0:19:46 > 0:19:51And, so, Sergeant Major Uchiyama of the Japanese army,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56who captured it, decided that he'd like it as his trophy of war.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- You know what's written on it, don't you?- Indeed I do.- Please tell us.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Well, without going into the minutiae of it, what it says is
0:20:04 > 0:20:08"commemorating the fall of Singapore,
0:20:08 > 0:20:12"15 February 1942,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16"Sergeant Major Uchiyama." Simple as that.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20And at this point, what unit were you in charge of?
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I was the intelligence officer
0:20:23 > 0:20:27of the Tanganyika Battalion of the King's African Rifles.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30How did this end up with you?
0:20:30 > 0:20:34Well, after a number of battles and skirmishes
0:20:34 > 0:20:38and unpleasant incidents in Burma,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41we launched a serious attack
0:20:41 > 0:20:47on 3rd November 1944.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Many of my comrades, British and African,
0:20:51 > 0:20:57were killed in that attack, charging machine guns, which is no fun.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01And fortunately, we won the battle.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03And because my task included
0:21:03 > 0:21:11searching the bodies of Japanese to find intelligence material,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16I found the body of Sergeant Major Uchiyama
0:21:16 > 0:21:19and beside him was his pack.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22So naturally, I opened the pack,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26and there, to my absolute amazement, I found this flag.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28I couldn't believe it.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32I thought, "It may have been his trophy of war, but it's certainly mine."
0:21:32 > 0:21:35You want to do something quite special with it, don't you?
0:21:35 > 0:21:38Well, I do. You see, so far as I am concerned, the African soldiers
0:21:38 > 0:21:43I served with were unsung heroes of World War II -
0:21:43 > 0:21:46they fought the Italians in the Abyssinian campaign,
0:21:46 > 0:21:50they fought the Vichy French in Madagascar,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53and they fought the Japanese in Burma.
0:21:53 > 0:21:59These are pastoral tribesman serving our King and country.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04And I would like to think that I would let this flag be sold
0:22:04 > 0:22:09and the proceeds donated to military charities.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12That would be far more satisfying from my point of view,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and I think it would honour my former comrades.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19The difficulty with something of this type is putting a value on it.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Normally, souvenir flags, because they're difficult to display,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27fetch perhaps around £200.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Because of the history of this, that it came from Singapore,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35I think it would raise £400-£500, possibly more in auction.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38And even that's a slight guess, because it's absolutely unique.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Thank you very much for bringing an unique item into the roadshow.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- Thank you.- Aren't I lucky?- You are.
0:22:52 > 0:22:54Where's Cliff Richard when you need him?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57We're at Wimbledon, and guess what? It's raining.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00I guess we could have expected it - it's traditional.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Still, we've had to move some of our experts inside,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07but many others are out here queuing undeterred.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11So I can safely announce rain will not stop play.
0:23:11 > 0:23:18# I got lucky in the rain
0:23:18 > 0:23:24# One day when I had nothing to do for an hour... #
0:23:24 > 0:23:28We've got a bit of father-daughter rivalry going on here at the Roadshow.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33You both brought along items, and each of you believes that you have the more valuable item.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Of course! Of course I do. Mine is old, antique.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39- Mine's new and modern. - That condemns it.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43- You've brought along what you think is an Old Master.- Yes, I have, yes.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46- And it's been in your family a long time?- A long time.
0:23:46 > 0:23:47At least 100 years.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50And her stuff's all modern.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54- You brought along some photographs by Lord Snowdon.- Lord Snowdon.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- Who was of course married to Princess Margaret.- Yes.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00- Now, how did Snowdon come into the family?- My father was his solicitor.
0:24:00 > 0:24:05- For over 50 years. - So during the divorce from Princess Margaret as well, then?
0:24:05 > 0:24:10I did all that, and a lot more. And his second divorce, and everything else.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13- That must have been pretty interesting.- Yes.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17And you ended up working with Lord Snowdon as his PA, effectively.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19For 20 years, on and off.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21And then he became a very good friend
0:24:21 > 0:24:23and he's godfather to my daughter now.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24Tell me about these photographs, then.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26There are of the Royal family,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28and especially of Diana and Prince Charles and the boys.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30- How wonderful.- And he signed them.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33So you think these photographs aren't up to much?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Well, I've lived with them all my life, of course,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39and been responsible for selling them, looking after them,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41making sure that there's no more litigation.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43So they're not a great source of joy to me.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Well, I'm in no position to judge.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50But I have to say, your Old Master is going to have to be a humdinger,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53I would humbly suggest, to trounce these photographs.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- Oh, I'm sure it is!- All will be revealed. We'll find out.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57It's a fair battle.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03This is a completely surreal experience.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05It's pouring with rain,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09we're standing next to a bed on the green grass of Wimbledon.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- It is strange.- I quite agree, yes.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- Is this your marital bed, then? - It's our bed, oh yes.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19I see this tapestry here is dated 1974, so that's not very old.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22We can date that with accuracy. What's the history behind that?
0:25:22 > 0:25:27Well, we bought it in 1970, in the Portobello Road,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29when we were getting married,
0:25:29 > 0:25:34and it had a rather disagreeable bit of fabric in the space there,
0:25:34 > 0:25:39so I designed what's there now, and my mother embroidered it.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- So these are her initials, presumably, on the bottom.- Yes.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48- And the R and P, is that you?- That's us, yes.- That's my wife and myself.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Right. That's rather lovely. I can remember in that
0:25:50 > 0:25:52late '60s, early '70s period
0:25:52 > 0:25:55how popular this type of Gothic decoration was.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58So what do you know about the age of the bed?
0:25:58 > 0:26:02I've made various attempts at research,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06and it seems to me to be designed by somebody who had looked at
0:26:06 > 0:26:10Pugin's engravings for Gothic furniture,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14but the armorial is not British.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16Well, my initial reaction when you see the fleur-de-lis
0:26:16 > 0:26:21is a French bed, but then you've got a sort of shamrock here,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24so you begin to wonder. It's very eclectic.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28- It's a pastiche in that way. - Yeah. It is French, I think.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32- Really?- It appears to be made of oak, which again you'd expect
0:26:32 > 0:26:35in a French bed, but it's clearly got a Catholic feeling about it.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37I would have thought there would have been a cross there,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39- I imagine, on this shelf. - I think so, yeah.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Presumably you put a reading light or something there now.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45- Yeah.- And then you've got the little shelves here.- Only one.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- It's maybe for a single person. - Possibly.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50But I love these angels giving you a nice, quiet, peaceful night.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Yes, yes, they watch over us.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55It's quite difficult to date a bed like this.
0:26:55 > 0:26:56I don't think it's as old as it seems.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59- It's clearly not Gothic, I think you realise that.- Oh, yes.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03My suspicion is that it's probably the early part of the 20th century.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07- Really, yes?- 1900, even as late as 1920. But I think what's wonderful
0:27:07 > 0:27:10is to think that you actually sleep in this every night.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13You bought it 40-something years ago, and you're still enjoying it.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16I think it's a wonderful thing. I think it's long enough ago
0:27:16 > 0:27:19to risk asking you how much you paid for it.
0:27:19 > 0:27:25- Was it a lot of money?- Well, it was at the time. It was £170.
0:27:25 > 0:27:31- Right.- Which I remember so clearly
0:27:31 > 0:27:36because it was the money that I got when I gave up my job,
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I took the pension fund out.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42- So you're sleeping on your pension fund?- Exactly! Yes, yes.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45I'd have thought that to go to Portobello Road now
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and buy something like this,
0:27:47 > 0:27:52certainly £2,500, and possibly a little bit more.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55But to you it's a precious object, the nuptial bed of 40 years.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I think it's wonderful. It's a lovely story.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59Sorry we got you out of bed,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and go back home and have a good night's sleep tonight!
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Ever since I've been a child,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11I've been really drawn to pictures that tell stories,
0:28:11 > 0:28:16and this is a picture that's all about teaching you about something.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18- Can you tell me about it?- Yes.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22This is, of course, a historical painting, it's Catherine de Medici
0:28:22 > 0:28:27instructing her son Charles IX to sign the order
0:28:27 > 0:28:29which meant that the next morning
0:28:29 > 0:28:34they were going to slaughter all the Protestants. Of France.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36It was a very, very tense moment in history,
0:28:36 > 0:28:37and I loved it as a historian,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41because you see the King is resisting his mother's pressure.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45His foot is pressing down, he's saying, "No, I don't want to do it,"
0:28:45 > 0:28:48and she's pointing, saying, "Do it. Do it. Do it."
0:28:48 > 0:28:52So this painting, it looks to me mid-19th century.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54It looks to me to be continental,
0:28:54 > 0:28:59possibly painted by a Flemish artist or even a French one.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03- It's all about detail and symbolism. - It is.- It's all about message.
0:29:03 > 0:29:07I mean, we forget these days with photography just the power
0:29:07 > 0:29:11- and the importance that art had. - Yes.- In telling you stories.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13One's eye, as it rolls over it,
0:29:13 > 0:29:17can actually see that everything is geared towards the document,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20which had catastrophic effects.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24This was to be the biggest slaughter of Protestants in Europe.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27And he knew that this is what he had to sign for.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29It was an appalling decision to make.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34- This is cinema of the mid-19th century, isn't it?- Yes, it is.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Do you know anything about the history of the picture?
0:29:36 > 0:29:40I know is that we've had 100 years and I've always loved it,
0:29:40 > 0:29:42and there's a remarkable story about it.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47My mother went up to Scotland once with a friend, in the 1930s.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49And a fortune-teller told her
0:29:49 > 0:29:52that this picture was immensely important and probably very valuable.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55The fortune-teller had never been to London.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58- Mother wasn't even thinking about it. - So let's get this right.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00The picture was not in the room.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04- No, no.- But the fortune teller... - Described it in detail.
0:30:04 > 0:30:07So the question is, has she foretold a great fortune in your life?
0:30:07 > 0:30:11Well, it would be nice if she has! That's for you to tell me.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15Well, it's a picture of age, it's a picture of some quality,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18not the best quality, but reasonable quality,
0:30:18 > 0:30:23but ultimately, this is not what the market really wants.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26I mean, if it were by a great known artist...
0:30:26 > 0:30:29- and I'm afraid I can't come up with an artist for this...- No.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Perhaps, who knows, after this, we may be able to,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35so therefore I think we have to value this
0:30:35 > 0:30:38as an anonymous painter of a subject that we know,
0:30:38 > 0:30:40but of a type of subject which,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43when you consider the onslaughts of modern art,
0:30:43 > 0:30:45is not fashionable any more.
0:30:45 > 0:30:46No. No.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49So, as far as valuation is concerned,
0:30:49 > 0:30:53I suspect the fortune teller was not a professional picture dealer.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57It's worth about £1,000-£1,500.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Well, I shall treasure it, all the same.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05And, who knows, one day it might suddenly prove to be quite different!
0:31:05 > 0:31:07One can only hope.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08Thank you very much.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12Well, a spinning wheel!
0:31:12 > 0:31:15What specifically do you want to know about it?
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Well, I'd love to know why it's the shape it is,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21because every other spinning wheel I've ever seen
0:31:21 > 0:31:27has been low-level with a big wheel and sometimes a smaller wheel,
0:31:27 > 0:31:32and this looks as if maybe it's just for decor rather than use.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34Well, it certainly is highly decorative.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36I think when you say the word "spinning",
0:31:36 > 0:31:39instantly, an image comes into your mind
0:31:39 > 0:31:41of a little old lady sitting in a cottage,
0:31:41 > 0:31:44and plainly, a spinning wheel like this
0:31:44 > 0:31:46has never seen the inside of a cottage.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50It's altogether so much more sophisticated.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55It would have been perfectly at home with someone like Jane Austin
0:31:55 > 0:31:58and her sisters in a drawing room.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03It was made around the late 18th, early 19th century
0:32:03 > 0:32:09and really reflects this change from spinning being a task,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12an essential task that had to be undertaken,
0:32:12 > 0:32:18and a move to it being, really, a sophisticated pastime.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21This spinning wheel completely reflects furniture
0:32:21 > 0:32:24that was made in that late 18th-century period.
0:32:24 > 0:32:25It's made of mahogany,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28and there's all sorts of detail and decoration on it
0:32:28 > 0:32:30that isn't essential at all.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35These wonderfully elegant square tapering spokes
0:32:35 > 0:32:38with boxwood stringing down the sides,
0:32:38 > 0:32:42just like legs on furniture of this late 18th-century period,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45and the quality of this brass mount just takes it to the next level.
0:32:45 > 0:32:50I think it was made by a spinning wheel maker based in Leeds
0:32:50 > 0:32:54called John Planter. Who did it originally belong to?
0:32:54 > 0:32:59My grandfather bought it in auction in Cork in the 1920s,
0:32:59 > 0:33:05and when he died, it was sold with other items from the family home,
0:33:05 > 0:33:09and my father decided to buy it, because he'd loved it as a child.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12What an extraordinarily thing for a man to buy,
0:33:12 > 0:33:16and it really must have clearly had nostalgic childhood memories.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20- Absolutely.- What did your father pay for it?
0:33:20 > 0:33:23He paid £50 in 1960.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Right.
0:33:25 > 0:33:32Well, it's currently worth around £500, so in real terms,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35- that's a pretty static level. - Absolutely.
0:33:35 > 0:33:41I think the fact that it is purely a decorative piece of furniture
0:33:41 > 0:33:46- indicates why the value hasn't increased greatly.- Yes.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Do you know, this is an absolutely wonderful collection of royal photographs.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53I mean, obviously, the Prince and Princess of Wales,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56but they are quite incredible.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58This sitting here, they've got everything.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00They've got far too many grapes. They'd never finish them!
0:34:00 > 0:34:02It's very formal, isn't it?
0:34:02 > 0:34:04That's what I like about Lord Snowdon's work.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06- His ideas come out in the photographs.- Yes.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10And he wanted a picnic, an old-fashioned picnic.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15- And you've got it signed here, and it's signed to?- Evelyn.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19Evelyn, there, and Tony signed there. Well, that's wonderful.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22But you know, this one up here, I think is really rather special.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Tell me when this was taken.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27That was at the end of Prince Harry's christening.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30This is Prince Harry here, and, obviously, the Princess of Wales.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Looking like a film star, a 1930s film star.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35They'd just finished the sitting,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38and the Princess of Wales just picked up Harry
0:34:38 > 0:34:41and was giving him a cuddle, and Lord Snowdon was walking out
0:34:41 > 0:34:44and he turned round, and as he said, "I snapped it."
0:34:44 > 0:34:47Well, it's the most brilliant snap, because the Princess of Wales,
0:34:47 > 0:34:50- her eyes are always slightly wary, aren't they?- Yes.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54She's not looking on this one, but it is so spontaneous.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57- It's mother holding baby. - It is just too good, isn't it?
0:34:57 > 0:34:59It really is absolutely fantastic.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01This one over here, now this is an odd one,
0:35:01 > 0:35:05because the boys are dressed in sort of country casuals,
0:35:05 > 0:35:06and don't have any shoes on,
0:35:06 > 0:35:09and their nanny has not given them any socks,
0:35:09 > 0:35:11as far as I can see,
0:35:11 > 0:35:13and the Princess of Wales is dressed up to kill!
0:35:13 > 0:35:15This was at the end of this sitting.
0:35:15 > 0:35:16The end of this sitting?
0:35:16 > 0:35:18The boys were still dressed,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21and they had gone off, I think to have their supper,
0:35:21 > 0:35:23and Mummy was carrying on with the photographic sitting,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26and the boys literally rushed in to see what Mummy was doing.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29So Mum went out of something casual,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33slipped into something formal and got the boys in.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36- Yes.- I don't think I've ever seen it before. Is it generally..?
0:35:36 > 0:35:37No, it's never been released.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41I saw them when we were going through them, so I said,
0:35:41 > 0:35:44is it possible I could have a copy, and he actually said yes.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48- Do you think the royal archives have a copy?- I wouldn't have thought so.
0:35:48 > 0:35:50- First on the BBC?- I think so, yes.
0:35:50 > 0:35:51Oh, wow!
0:35:51 > 0:35:53I love the hand on Harry, sort of, sit!
0:35:53 > 0:35:54- Yes, sit!- Sit!- Yes!
0:35:54 > 0:35:58Now, these other ones here, this one here.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01That was taken when I was 18.
0:36:01 > 0:36:02Oh, this is you here?
0:36:02 > 0:36:05That's me having my hair brushed by my elder sister,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07- and that's my little sister.- Yes.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09My father did Lord Snowdon's divorce,
0:36:09 > 0:36:13and my father's very old-fashioned and he didn't charge.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17- Good heavens!- So he happily helped Lord Snowdon out.- Helped him out?!
0:36:17 > 0:36:18This was a thank you!
0:36:18 > 0:36:21I love this one of you in a boat.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25It's at his old house, and the boat started to sink,
0:36:25 > 0:36:28it was on the lake, and I said to Lord Snowdon, it's sinking,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and all he came up with was, "Well, you can swim, can't you?"
0:36:31 > 0:36:32And I did end up swimming!
0:36:32 > 0:36:36This "Come and get me look" on your face means, "Get me out of this!"
0:36:36 > 0:36:37It was. It was getting rather wet.
0:36:37 > 0:36:43That's absolutely fantastic. Well, I can't tell you, this is so exciting.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46There are so many of them!
0:36:46 > 0:36:50And you've got the auction catalogue of all the dresses of Diana.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53- Yes, I have.- Some of them photographed by?- By Lord Snowdon.
0:36:53 > 0:36:55- And this is inscribed as well.- Yes.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Gosh. Not a lot of his stuff comes on the market.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01Very difficult to put a price on them,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04but they are absolutely stunning.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08Now, let's go to the best one. I think this one.
0:37:08 > 0:37:09That one I think on the market
0:37:09 > 0:37:12would certainly make somewhere between £500 and £800.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14Goodness!
0:37:14 > 0:37:16- £500 and £800.- Whoo!
0:37:16 > 0:37:23This one is terribly posed in a way that this one is just wonderful.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26- This one is £200 or £300.- Right.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30This one over here, I love the story behind that,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33and that shows how unstuffy she was, I suppose.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37That one at about £400, £500.
0:37:37 > 0:37:42Yours, well, I don't know. What are we going to price those?
0:37:42 > 0:37:46- Not an awful lot of money. They're tremendous fun.- They're personal.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47£100 each. The catalogue?
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Well, the catalogue is going to be nowadays about £300 or £400.
0:37:51 > 0:37:52Goodness.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55So we're talking about the best part of £2,000 here.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Whew!
0:37:57 > 0:38:00Wow!
0:38:00 > 0:38:04That rather knocks into cocked hat your father's picture, doesn't it?
0:38:04 > 0:38:05It does rather.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- Can't wait to tell him!- Right.
0:38:08 > 0:38:09Thank you.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12What an amazing array
0:38:12 > 0:38:15of characters we've got here.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17Have you played with them yourself?
0:38:17 > 0:38:19No, I've never played with them myself.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24I think to be a puppeteer of this calibre would be very difficult.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28I think they're late 19th century, which for puppets is quite early.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33- We're talking about maybe 1885, 1890.- Yes.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36These were nine characters that my mother bought in 1936.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39A man called Wanslaw, who was a puppeteer,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43was walking near Southampton one day near a farm and saw a box,
0:38:43 > 0:38:46and saw a leg sticking out of a box, and being a puppeteer,
0:38:46 > 0:38:48he knew exactly what this leg was,
0:38:48 > 0:38:50and so he found who the lady was
0:38:50 > 0:38:52and said, "May I have a look at your box?"
0:38:52 > 0:38:56And she said, "Oh, some junk that's been there since 1916."
0:38:56 > 0:39:01He bought the box with great glee and brought it to his studio in Chiswick,
0:39:01 > 0:39:06and my mother knew Wanslaw and fell in love with him and she was able...
0:39:06 > 0:39:08- With him or with them? - No, no, no, with them!
0:39:10 > 0:39:16What springs to mind is there was a famous group called Tiller and Clowes,
0:39:16 > 0:39:19and they were working in Southampton in the late 19th century,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22and they became very well-known as a troop around the country.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26They are indeed. Tiller Clowes Marionettes, yes.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30- Really?- Yes.- Because I am pretty certain they are made in England.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32It's always difficult to be totally certain,
0:39:32 > 0:39:37but the faces are like an Old Master painting, basically.
0:39:37 > 0:39:40They've got a base of wood, then there's got a layer of gesso
0:39:40 > 0:39:43and then oil paint over the top,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46and there are two here that have dropped...
0:39:46 > 0:39:48- This one.- This one.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50And that one, yes.
0:39:50 > 0:39:56This one, these two, and I think they were two of the first puppets
0:39:56 > 0:40:00to have these articulated faces.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Later on, they became more and more articulated,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06and they've all got these wonderful glass eyes,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09which I think were probably French, hand-blown.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14Anyway, I could go on and on, because I love this sort of thing.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18- And because there's so little of it these days.- Yes, very little.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22I mean, children's parties are not quite the same as they were.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26- They do need restringing, they need a lot of work on them.- And clothes.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27And clothes.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30But there are people that still entertain with these,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34and I should imagine that if you were to sell them en masse,
0:40:34 > 0:40:38all nine of them, that it would be a very narrow market,
0:40:38 > 0:40:43but I can see them making somewhere in the region of £2,000-£3,000.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Really?
0:40:48 > 0:40:49You want 'em?
0:41:03 > 0:41:04Well, in terms of railway tickets,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06this really is the daddy of them all.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09The longest place name in the United Kingdom,
0:41:09 > 0:41:13and if we look at the back of the ticket, we can probably see a date.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17- Yes, here we are. 3rd July, 1965. - That's right.- And why did you buy it?
0:41:17 > 0:41:20Just because I was on a walking tour at the time,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22and it seemed a good novelty to get.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25I'll probably never visit it again.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27I have never visited that station again.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29It was a platform ticket, you didn't travel on the train.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33- No, no.- It cost you thrupence.- Yes. - It's a fun, quirky item.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35It's not a great value.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38I could see this fetching perhaps £20 or £30,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40but it's a wonderful memory to have.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Now, most important thing, can you say the name of the town?
0:41:43 > 0:41:45I cannot, no.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47I've tried, but I've failed.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Well, I had a Welsh mother, and she taught me the name of this town
0:41:50 > 0:41:54when I was very young, and I think it's lodged in my memory ever since.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57So, with apologies to our Welsh viewers for my accent,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59- shall we give it a go?- Why not?
0:41:59 > 0:42:04Llanfairpwllgwyn-gyllgogerych- wyrndrobwllllantysilio-gogogoch.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06Well done!
0:42:10 > 0:42:12We've got three monumental bronzes here,
0:42:12 > 0:42:16and I'm just trying to think what they must look like in your home.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19They're pretty imposing. Tell me something about them.
0:42:19 > 0:42:26Well, the two...this one here and this, they are in the family
0:42:26 > 0:42:30many, many years ago, and this one has been purchased.
0:42:30 > 0:42:35We are very, very interested in bronzes, paintings etc,
0:42:35 > 0:42:40but these are very, very close to us, in particular, my daughters.
0:42:40 > 0:42:41They love them.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44But I need you, the expert, to give more information about them.
0:42:44 > 0:42:48- Well, let's hope that I can live up to that.- OK.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I think you would call yourself a collector, wouldn't you?
0:42:51 > 0:42:55- I am, actually, yes.- Right. How many bronzes do you have in the house?
0:42:55 > 0:42:57- A few.- A few?- Yes.- OK.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59Are these the biggest and the best?
0:42:59 > 0:43:00I think they are.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03OK. Well, certainly, it's not very often I get to deal with such large bronzes,
0:43:03 > 0:43:04so let's talk a bit about them.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07We've got some kind of classical themes going on here, haven't we?
0:43:07 > 0:43:13- Yes, we have.- This of course is Hercules.- Yes.- He's strength.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17This is Amalthea and Jupiter's goat.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Oh, I knew her as the beautiful maiden with the goat.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Right, well, that's as nice a way of knowing her as any,
0:43:24 > 0:43:27but that's her classical title, so to speak.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Now, these are both unsigned bronzes, which is quite unusual.
0:43:30 > 0:43:35I would expect big monumental bronzes of this type to have a signature on them,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37but they haven't got a signature on them.
0:43:37 > 0:43:42But what that tells me about them is they're a kind of very generic style of French,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46decorative bronze that was very popular in the 19th century.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48Yes, I knew this one was 19th century.
0:43:48 > 0:43:50Well, they're both 19th century,
0:43:50 > 0:43:54and they both date from around about the 1870s or 1880s.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59Your bronze in the centre here, this warrior, there's more information.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01If we look at him,
0:44:01 > 0:44:04you know already that there's quite a bit of information
0:44:04 > 0:44:06written on the plaque at the front here.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10- Yes.- It says Corybante. Now, that's him.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13This is Jupiter as a youngster.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18Now, this is by a well-known sculptor called Louis Cugnot.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20He was French, obviously.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24This bronze was cast in around about 1870,
0:44:24 > 0:44:28so actually, they all very much fit the same period.
0:44:28 > 0:44:31And they really fit that kind of feeling
0:44:31 > 0:44:36for classical kind of subjects, and indeed, they are very imposing.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39This gentleman seems to have been quite popular in some ways,
0:44:39 > 0:44:41because he seems to have quite a lot of wear on his pecs.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45- Yes.- You don't happen to kind of go like this occasionally, do you?
0:44:45 > 0:44:46Well... LAUGHTER
0:44:46 > 0:44:49I'm not saying! LAUGHTER
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Now, what happens is with particularly, I've found,
0:44:53 > 0:44:57bronzes of this nature, is that the market is quite cyclical.
0:44:57 > 0:45:00- They seem to fade in and out of fashion.- Of course.
0:45:00 > 0:45:02So I think we're going to have to talk about value,
0:45:02 > 0:45:05and I'm going to very much talk about a retail value,
0:45:05 > 0:45:11because I think if you had to buy these two in a retail, current retail situation,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15you would probably pay in the region of about £3,000-£5,000 each.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18- No!- Retail.- I had no idea.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23This figure here has more of a track record, in fact,
0:45:23 > 0:45:27and I know that one recently sold, absolutely identical to this,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30- in France, for just under £2,000. - OK.
0:45:30 > 0:45:36- At auction. So that gives you a fair idea.- Well, I'm delighted.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42We inherited it from my husband's stepmother,
0:45:42 > 0:45:46and we believe she acquired it or was perhaps given it
0:45:46 > 0:45:51when she worked for antique dealers in the '50s and '60s in London.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55It's from northern Italy, from the area of Lombardy.
0:45:55 > 0:46:01It's 18th-century, about 1760, 1780. It's like a little child's desk.
0:46:01 > 0:46:04We wondered whether it was a piece of child's furniture, yes.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08- Or somebody suggested it might be an apprentice piece.- Right.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12I like the idea, you've got this little...what we call a well,
0:46:12 > 0:46:15this slides back and forwards, for putting papers in.
0:46:15 > 0:46:19- A child wouldn't have something like that, would they?- Secret papers?
0:46:19 > 0:46:23- Maybe.- But, let me look at the front. Look at that.
0:46:24 > 0:46:28Walnut. The colour is absolutely fantastic, isn't it?
0:46:28 > 0:46:29It's a lovely patina, I think.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33Because when I saw you carry this in, and I saw this colour of the walnut,
0:46:33 > 0:46:35I thought, "Wow, that is really, really exciting."
0:46:35 > 0:46:38When you look at the handles, the handles are all original.
0:46:38 > 0:46:41And if you look, they're like little balusters.
0:46:41 > 0:46:44If you imagine a balustrade on the front of a property,
0:46:44 > 0:46:49that's what's being echoed here. Lovely, really, really nice.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52More often than not, these have been replaced, so to find
0:46:52 > 0:46:54the originals, the feet are original,
0:46:54 > 0:46:58the locks are original, all the boxes are ticked there for an avid collector.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00Great.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03- It isn't a child's piece.- No? Right.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05THEY LAUGH
0:47:05 > 0:47:08- Apprentice piece? - It's not an apprentice piece either.
0:47:08 > 0:47:13It made us wonder whether it was perhaps a prie-dieu,
0:47:13 > 0:47:15but then it doesn't go with the desk, does it?
0:47:15 > 0:47:17- Well, that's what it is. Exactly what it is.- Oh, right.
0:47:17 > 0:47:23This would have been, say, in a merchant's property, and, being Catholic,
0:47:23 > 0:47:27after you've done your work, you'd actually kneel and pray.
0:47:27 > 0:47:32- I must try it some time.- Yeah! And maybe your prayers will be answered!
0:47:32 > 0:47:35So you knew roughly what it was.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38We were puzzled by it, because it seemed a bit of a combination.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41It's rather small and it's a combination. Yes.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45No, it's a fine little piece of furniture. I think it's exquisite.
0:47:45 > 0:47:50- I would place a value on this of around £1,500.- Yeah. That's fine.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54We're not planning to sell it, but we just wanted to know more about it.
0:47:54 > 0:47:55- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01What a pretty little tea set. Royal Worcester, of course,
0:48:01 > 0:48:04and painted with Highland cattle by Harry Stinton.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Absolutely idyllic. How come you have it?
0:48:07 > 0:48:11Well, I got it as a gift at my christening from my grandmother,
0:48:11 > 0:48:16and I remember Mum used to walk in on me playing with it when I was younger.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19She caught me, but now I know to take care of it.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22- What, play with dolls, having tea?- Yes.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25HE LAUGHS
0:48:25 > 0:48:29But how marvellous that you had this as a gift at a christening.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31Marvellous. You love it, do you?
0:48:31 > 0:48:37- I love it a lot. It's so beautiful. - Royal Worcester, made in the 1920s.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41And Granny would have bought it, do you think?
0:48:41 > 0:48:46Possibly her mother, I would have thought.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49So going back generations now, three generations through the family. Lovely.
0:48:49 > 0:48:54It's a super little set, complete with the spoons and everything,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57absolutely gorgeous, and go on enjoying this,
0:48:57 > 0:49:01because, do you know, it's a rather valuable set.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05I think in value, about £3,000.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08Oh, OK. Well, thank you, Granny!
0:49:13 > 0:49:18Everyone loves a Giles cartoon. What's the story behind this one?
0:49:18 > 0:49:22Well, after the war, my great aunt worked at Middlesex Hospital,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25and Giles came into A&E with a septic toe.
0:49:25 > 0:49:26- Ooh! Must've been painful!- Yeah!
0:49:26 > 0:49:29And while he was waiting, he drew it and gave it to my aunt.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32He gave it to your aunt? I love what's happening here.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35They're tossing a coin, these two, to see which patient they get,
0:49:35 > 0:49:39the luscious woman here or the old drunk, by the looks of things.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43- And she knew it was Giles when he came in, did she? - Yeah, she'd always been a great fan.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47It was just amazing timing, really, for her to be there when he came in.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50So he just sat there, passed the time,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53and distracting himself from the pain of his septic toe, presumably,
0:49:53 > 0:49:56and just, what, handed it over to your great aunt at the end?
0:49:56 > 0:49:59And so, what happened to it then, did you have it in pride of place in the home?
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Yeah. It was framed and put up in the lounge, yeah.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05- And so where do you have it? - It was in the loft until last night.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09- Oh, gosh, so it's not on display any more?- No. It might be now, though!
0:50:09 > 0:50:12Well, I spoke to a couple of our paintings guys,
0:50:12 > 0:50:15who said they reckon this is probably worth certainly a few hundred pounds.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20- Oh, really?- Yeah.- Gosh. That's a surprise. Genuinely, I didn't think it was worth anything.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22So where are you going to put it now?
0:50:22 > 0:50:25If I'm honest, I think it might go in my downstairs toilet.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27- In the downstairs loo?!- Yeah!
0:50:27 > 0:50:31Doesn't it deserve a more dignified location than the downstairs loo?!
0:50:32 > 0:50:35I'm trying very hard to date this. Can you help me?
0:50:35 > 0:50:37- Do you know anything about it? - I don't know a lot.
0:50:37 > 0:50:42We bought it in Singapore about ten years ago, maybe eight or nine years ago,
0:50:42 > 0:50:46and we bought it in a shop which does mainly reproduction furniture,
0:50:46 > 0:50:51but it's a sort of warren, it's got five or six little hutches linked together,
0:50:51 > 0:50:54and we found this under a bunch of carpet or something,
0:50:54 > 0:50:57and I'm not sure that it was actually for sale, but it looked rather nice,
0:50:57 > 0:51:01it looked not reproduction, it looked like it may be a genuine antique,
0:51:01 > 0:51:06and so I sort of picked it up and we went to the little lady who was selling,
0:51:06 > 0:51:09had reasonably good English, and we agreed a price.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11I can't remember the price, but it was not a lot of money.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14It was in Singapore dollars, and not a lot of money.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16And I think as we were walking out of the shop,
0:51:16 > 0:51:22there was a very animated discussion between the little lady and her husband,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24and at that stage we sort of beat a rapid retreat
0:51:24 > 0:51:29in case somebody was suggesting that we pay a little bit more than we did for it.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33- So it could be a reproduction or a fake chair.- It could, absolutely.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36And that's one of the reasons why we're interested in finding out exactly what it is.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40It's clearly Chinese, I think it's Chinese provincial.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Where in that vast country it was actually made I don't know.
0:51:43 > 0:51:46There's not enough research yet being done, or done,
0:51:46 > 0:51:48but it is being done as we speak.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Firstly, just let me show what I love about it,
0:51:50 > 0:51:54it's typical of many Chinese pieces of furniture, it folds.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56Oh, gosh, isn't that glorious?
0:51:56 > 0:52:00It's the equivalent of a handmade six-inch nail holding it together.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Very, very crude, so very provincial,
0:52:02 > 0:52:05in some sort of fruit wood which has been stained a red colour
0:52:05 > 0:52:09to look like that Chinese cinnabar lacquer of the 19th century.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13And this is absolutely typical. You've got this lovely, lovely splat
0:52:13 > 0:52:18with bats' heads, leading down to this lotus in the centre,
0:52:18 > 0:52:22and then the bottom more or less repeats the top motif.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26What I love is this wonderful ming shape here,
0:52:26 > 0:52:29late 17th-century shape of this yoke-shaped top brow,
0:52:29 > 0:52:33reminding of a Chinese peasant with the yoke over the oxen,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36pulling the cart, and that's what that represents.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38It's a super, super thing.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40If it's a fake, it's a jolly good one,
0:52:40 > 0:52:43and I don't think ten years ago they were making fakes to this standard.
0:52:43 > 0:52:44Oh, right.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48It's almost certainly about 100 years old, if not a bit older.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51And I think they really, probably regret selling it to you.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55I have to value it. You can't remember the price. It doesn't really matter.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59- I'm going to put a figure of £500 on it now.- All right.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01That's a lot more than we paid for it, I know that.
0:53:01 > 0:53:03I don't know the exact amount,
0:53:03 > 0:53:05but I know it's a lot more than we paid for it.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08It's a wait-and-see. This market is beginning to explode.
0:53:12 > 0:53:17You know, it's a funny thing with this roadshow, because sometimes
0:53:17 > 0:53:20I think we daydream, and yesterday I was talking to a colleague
0:53:20 > 0:53:23who said, "What would you most like to see brought in at Wimbledon?"
0:53:23 > 0:53:26I said, "A really, really important looking brooch."
0:53:26 > 0:53:28"Really? What sort of brooch would that be?"
0:53:28 > 0:53:32"Oh, I don't know, turn of the century, something like that."
0:53:32 > 0:53:35And I had in my mind that it would be wonderful to see
0:53:35 > 0:53:38a really spectacular...
0:53:38 > 0:53:40butterfly brooch.
0:53:42 > 0:53:49And then lo and behold, you sit down at my table and you bring this out.
0:53:49 > 0:53:50Can you imagine how I felt?
0:53:50 > 0:53:55- THEY LAUGH Surprised!- Very pleased.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Now, I'd like you to tell me whatever you can about its history.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02It was given to me after my uncle died.
0:54:02 > 0:54:06It was part of his estate, he'd bought it for his wife.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10So what sort of timeframe would that have been? Is this the 1940s or 50s?
0:54:10 > 0:54:12Yes, that was the time, 1940s.
0:54:12 > 0:54:18And then he died, '58-59, something like that. And then it came to me.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21So there it is in the family. Then it's come down to you?
0:54:21 > 0:54:25- It's passed on to my daughter, yes. - What do you think about it?
0:54:25 > 0:54:28I think it's amazing, it's really lovely.
0:54:28 > 0:54:34- I've never worn it, unfortunately. - Is it because it's such a statement?
0:54:34 > 0:54:38- Well, yes. - Because it is, isn't it?- Yes!
0:54:38 > 0:54:42Now, the thing about it that makes it so impressive for me
0:54:42 > 0:54:46is that you've got this wonderful combination of stones.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Now, look at the stones themselves. They're diamonds, of course.
0:54:50 > 0:54:55You've got in the wings near-colourless diamonds,
0:54:55 > 0:54:57that's the main fabric of the piece.
0:54:57 > 0:55:02But here and here and here and here and here and here
0:55:02 > 0:55:05we have fancy brown diamonds.
0:55:05 > 0:55:10Now, the brooch itself was made in about 1900.
0:55:10 > 0:55:11I think it's turn-of-the-century.
0:55:11 > 0:55:16But from my perspective, why do I like these brown diamonds so much?
0:55:16 > 0:55:20Apart from the setting, is that these two principal ones,
0:55:20 > 0:55:23they go back to round about 1750.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27- Really?- Really.- Really?
0:55:27 > 0:55:31- So they've been in something else? - Exactly.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35They're old diamonds that have been extracted from some antique piece.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38Now, the diamonds themselves, when you get these old stones
0:55:38 > 0:55:41like this, do you know where they used to come from?
0:55:41 > 0:55:45- I've got no idea. - Around the Taj Mahal.- Really?
0:55:45 > 0:55:49They're old diamonds that sometimes were traded in places like Calcutta,
0:55:49 > 0:55:53- and that's where those diamonds come from.- Wow.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Do you see, you've got a medley of stones, different sources,
0:55:56 > 0:56:02all planted together in this wonderful butterfly.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04I'm going to go out on a limb, because I like it.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07It's got all this material packed into it.
0:56:07 > 0:56:12I would like to think that if this ever came up for auction, you know,
0:56:12 > 0:56:16so its market value, not insurance value, market value would be...
0:56:17 > 0:56:21What shall we say? £25,000-£30,000.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25Probably £30,000-£40,000.
0:56:25 > 0:56:29- That's a lot.- Which means an equivalent insurance valuation
0:56:29 > 0:56:35in the top London market would be something in the region of £60,000.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40ASTONISHED LAUGHTER
0:56:40 > 0:56:46Oh, my God. Oh, wow. I wasn't expecting... Oh, my God.
0:56:49 > 0:56:54In other words, get it back in the safe deposit from whence it comes.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58It is a very, very spectacular brooch. How wonderful.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02- Thank you very much.- Thank you. - Thank you very much. Thank you.- Wow.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08It's been wonderful to be here at Wimbledon today,
0:57:08 > 0:57:11the great home of Britain's tennis, and so many people
0:57:11 > 0:57:15have come along with items connected with tennis or connected with Wimbledon.
0:57:15 > 0:57:18One thing that's just come in, John Bradley, you're a big tennis fan,
0:57:18 > 0:57:19and you're very excited about this.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22It's one of the very earliest tennis rackets,
0:57:22 > 0:57:25made just when Wimbledon was starting back in the 1870s.
0:57:25 > 0:57:27So well over 100 years old. And look at the shape.
0:57:27 > 0:57:30It's such a funny shape. Why would it be that shape?
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Well, I think they didn't do much overhead shots,
0:57:32 > 0:57:34it was more sweeps from below,
0:57:34 > 0:57:36so it fits in with that sort of
0:57:36 > 0:57:38more genteel sort of tennis in those days.
0:57:38 > 0:57:39And who's this chap here?
0:57:39 > 0:57:44- He's the actual owner.- Oh! - Mr Bryant, sitting outside his shop.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47He was a very keen tennis player, and this is his actual racket,
0:57:47 > 0:57:48dating back to the 1870s.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52- Isn't it wonderful? Presumably quite valuable?- Very.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55I mean, to replace it today you're going to have to think about
0:57:55 > 0:57:57a figure of maybe between £3,000 and £4,000.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00Wow. Well, I can see why you're excited.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03From the very old, though, come over here, to the new.
0:58:03 > 0:58:07This has just been donated to the museum here at Wimbledon.
0:58:07 > 0:58:13It is a 1950s tennis skirt, look, it's a Fred Perry one,
0:58:13 > 0:58:17you can see Fred Perry on every single pleat here.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19So from one of the oldest items here, the tennis racket,
0:58:19 > 0:58:22to one of the most modern, well, the '50s, anyway,
0:58:22 > 0:58:25this lovely skirt. We've had such a great day here at Wimbledon.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27It's been a thrill to be here.
0:58:27 > 0:58:29I hope you've enjoyed it half as much as we have.
0:58:29 > 0:58:30Until next time, bye-bye.
0:58:53 > 0:58:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd