0:00:02 > 0:00:05For two weeks every year, the eyes of the world are on the championships here
0:00:05 > 0:00:09at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in South London, and even though there are no matches on today,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12we've attracted some pretty impressive crowds of our own.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14So much so, that we would like to welcome you to
0:00:14 > 0:00:17a second service of the Antiques Roadshow at Wimbledon.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03The Wimbledon Championships have become almost bigger
0:01:03 > 0:01:05than the club itself, but for most of the year,
0:01:05 > 0:01:09the All England Lawn Tennis Club is just that - a tennis club,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12famous for its distinguished sporting history
0:01:12 > 0:01:13and its love of tradition.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15So it's a rare privilege to be invited here,
0:01:15 > 0:01:20to grounds that are normally reserved for serious sportsmen and women only.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24All England Club members use these courts and club house all year round.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26And today, instead of having tea and strawberries,
0:01:26 > 0:01:30overlooking the tennis, they're getting a grandstand view
0:01:30 > 0:01:32of the cream of British antiques specialists,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34valuing items for the Roadshow.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36I know you're a member of the club here
0:01:36 > 0:01:38and you've brought along something to be valued later.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41You've also got a family tradition stretching back
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- here at Wimbledon, haven't you? - I certainly have.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47My grandmother played at Wimbledon, and this is a picture of her.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Look at her.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52She was one of the first ladies to serve overarm in the championships.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56- Oh, gosh! So, until then, it was all underarm.- Yes, yes.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- So she was a bit of a pioneer, then. - She certainly was.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01And you've got other photographs. Who have you got there?
0:02:01 > 0:02:05This is my father. He played here for 11 years
0:02:05 > 0:02:08and my mother also played, but sadly I haven't got a picture of her.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12- Did you play? - I played Junior Wimbledon, yes.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Well, that's pretty good.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18And this is my son, who played here.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22- Oh, I should have guessed. Tim Henman.- Absolutely.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25So, you're Tim Henman's mother, Jane. Look at him there.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Well, you must have been a very -
0:02:27 > 0:02:29- and still are, I'm sure - a very proud mum.- I am.
0:02:29 > 0:02:33And spent many agonising afternoons here at Wimbledon.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35- Lots of nail-biting.- I bet.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- Well, let's hope... He's got two daughters, hasn't he?- Three.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39Three daughters.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Let's hope they carry on in the Wimbledon tradition.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- And I hope you have a good valuation later on.- Thank you very much.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Well, let's see
0:02:45 > 0:02:50if there are any more surprises awaiting our experts at the tables.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53This is a really fabulous quality case.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55I always hope, when I see something of this quality,
0:02:55 > 0:02:59there's something inside that's going to match the outside.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Have a look inside.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04"Phew, what a stunner!" as the tabloids would say.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09That's absolutely wonderful. Do you know what it is?
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Yes, I understand that it's a coffee cup, which was presented
0:03:13 > 0:03:16to a Captain Langlands by the Pasha,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19who was the brother of the Khedive of Egypt.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24I think he reigned in Egypt around about the 1870s, 1880s -
0:03:24 > 0:03:27some time in that period, so, I guess that's what it is.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Right, well, you've got it
0:03:29 > 0:03:34absolutely right. The name that it's normally called is a zarf
0:03:34 > 0:03:36and it's for holding Turkish coffee.
0:03:36 > 0:03:37Right.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41But they're nearly always made in one place - not Turkey,
0:03:41 > 0:03:42but in Switzerland.
0:03:42 > 0:03:48- Ah.- And this one is absolutely fabulous, it's made in blue enamel.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52These are all real, these are diamonds.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55And do you know what it's actually made of, underneath the enamel?
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Well, I believe it's gold, but I'm not certain of that.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01It doesn't look like it, it looks more like copper, but...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's a coppery-coloured gold. It is gold.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08But it's got these beautiful enamel plaques on
0:04:08 > 0:04:14and absolutely laden with diamonds, and it's a really fabulous thing.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16It does have a little bit of damage on it,
0:04:16 > 0:04:20and I notice that one of the panels here has got a chip out of it.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25- Yes, right.- So, you've got, though, a really super thing.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And it dates from a little earlier than you say.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- It dates from about 1830.- Oh, right.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36And it's one of the prettiest ones I've seen in a long, long time.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Oh, right.
0:04:38 > 0:04:45So, a gold zarf of about 1830 is quite a valuable thing.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50And I think, you know, if it was put into auction,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54you would get, comfortably, between £6,000 and £8,000.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- Good heavens!- Oh, wow!
0:04:56 > 0:05:00That is astonishing, I'd never have thought of that. Wow.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- I mean, it would be even more if it wasn't for the damage.- Really?
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- But it's an absolute little gem, I love it.- Right.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16These, to me, are usually piano dolls, they're put on a piano
0:05:16 > 0:05:20and when someone plays the piano, they dance, so it's very unusual
0:05:20 > 0:05:24to have them in a box like this with a musical movement.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Tell me, have you played with them yourself?
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- They originally belonged to my husband's grandmother.- Yes.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33And...she used to play them to her grandchildren
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and visitors who came to their house.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Eventually, they went to my mother-in-law
0:05:38 > 0:05:41and it was a treat for her grandchildren - our children,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and other visiting children - for her to bring them out and play them.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47I think that's absolutely lovely
0:05:47 > 0:05:49because that's why they're in such good condition.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52- They haven't been allowed to be played with.- No, definitely.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54So, it's like a Sunday toy.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58- So, they are French and they're made of papier-mache.- Are they?
0:05:58 > 0:06:04- And they're on little tiny metal rungs, if you like.- Yes.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- Tiny little... almost like little pins.- Yes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:13And they are attached to a musical movement, and it's a joy to watch.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I particularly like the one that's on the swing at the top.
0:06:16 > 0:06:22On the swing at the top, absolutely. They date to the 1820s, so early.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24- Oh, really? As early as that? - Very early, yes, yes.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27And absolutely enchanting.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30- I hope to bring them out for my grandchildren as a treat.- Good.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33I suppose you don't really want to know what they're worth, do you?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35THEY LAUGH
0:06:35 > 0:06:39It's interesting, but we're not... I'm not planning to get rid of them.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- No.- No way.- So, well, maybe you should insure them,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45and I think you should insure them for £2,000.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- For 2,000, really?- Yes, yes. - They are lovely.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50So, shall we get them going?
0:06:50 > 0:06:54So, shall I do it? I think this is the music.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And this is the movement.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08GENTLE TUNE PLAYS
0:07:18 > 0:07:22Well, a glorious piece of art glass, but do you know where it's from?
0:07:22 > 0:07:26No, and I suspect you're probably going to say it's from Woolworths.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30But I know where I got it from. I was given it by my husband's aunt,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33and I don't know where she got it from.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36If only it were Woolworths!
0:07:36 > 0:07:38We have to go slightly more highbrow than that,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and actually what I'm going to do is take us back to the early part
0:07:42 > 0:07:47of the 20th century, to France, and I'm going to take us to Nancy.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Because what we're looking at is a wonderful example
0:07:49 > 0:07:51of French Art Nouveau
0:07:51 > 0:07:54into Art Deco glass.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Made by a great factory, made by a great maker,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00and what we're looking at is a piece of Schneider -
0:08:00 > 0:08:01Le Verre Francais.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04Oh, my mother was French, so she'd have been thrilled.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- Oh, this is all tying in beautifully.- Absolutely.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10But Schneider, Charles Schneider, actually learned his craft
0:08:10 > 0:08:12very early on, at the beginning of the 20th century,
0:08:12 > 0:08:14at the factory of Daum.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18But, by 1909, he had spread his wings, he had grown and established
0:08:18 > 0:08:23his own factory, but it was 1918 that was a pivotal moment for them.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Because around Nancy there are many, many factories producing
0:08:27 > 0:08:31beautiful glass, and a name we often hear - Emile Galle.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- Yes.- A very famous name.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Well, in 1918, there was a fire - a terrible fire - at Galle's factory,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41which suddenly found a whole number of workers out of employment.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44So what they did - they upped their tools
0:08:44 > 0:08:47and moved across to the Schneider factory, and it was at that point
0:08:47 > 0:08:51that Schneider started to learn some of the wonderful techniques
0:08:51 > 0:08:54in French cameo glass,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57and he literally went rocketing up the scale.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00He became such a huge force
0:09:00 > 0:09:05and developed a range that we see here, which is the Le Verre Francais.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08He was a great experimenter, and if we look at the body,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10you see all these lovely powdered colours,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13and these would have been picked up on the body of the glass
0:09:13 > 0:09:17to then be cut through to give all this wonderful texture.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Now, this is an early one, because if we look to the underside,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23all we've got is a little cane there,
0:09:23 > 0:09:25a little signature cane that's been let into the base.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Oh, I was looking for a signature.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30- I didn't realise the significance of that.- There it is.- Great.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Now, later pieces, he did actually engrave his name -
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Schneider, Le Verre Francais,
0:09:34 > 0:09:39but this is an early piece, and it's going to be 1920-25.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41And these pieces were sold in the greatest establishments.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Shall we just say that Les Galeries Lafayette
0:09:43 > 0:09:46is maybe a little bit smarter than Woolworths.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49LAUGHTER
0:09:49 > 0:09:53Yeah, not nowadays, not a lot, but...it used to be, yeah.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- Well, that's where this probably would have come from.- Right.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00So, today, it's a desired piece, it's a beautiful example,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03it's quite a famous pattern for Le Verre Francais,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06but it sums up everything that they were doing, so nicely.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08And as such, at auction,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12this would comfortably realise in excess of £800 to £1,200.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19Lovely. I'll dust it with greater care on the few occasions when I do!
0:10:24 > 0:10:31# Into each life Some rain must fall
0:10:31 > 0:10:35# But too much, too much Is fallin' in mine... #
0:10:37 > 0:10:42We have a very venerable-looking Victorian gentleman,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45we have a bracelet and we have a lady. What's the connection
0:10:45 > 0:10:49and, more importantly, what's the connection to you?
0:10:49 > 0:10:53With me, well, the pictures were given to me by an old family friend,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56and the gentleman was his great grandfather -
0:10:56 > 0:11:03Senator of Minnesota, Morton Smith Wilkinson and his wife, Sarah.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07So, what sort of time period are we talking about?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11- Mid-Victorian, late-Victorian? - Yes, 1860s.- 1860s.- Yeah.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13What do you know about him?
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Well, he was the first senator of Minnesota
0:11:17 > 0:11:20and he was responsible for the criminal code,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22which I think was 1858,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25and these two pictures were painted
0:11:25 > 0:11:28when they were invited to Lincoln's inaugural ball.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- So, he was a major player at that particular time.- Yes.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35He would have been a close confidant, friend
0:11:35 > 0:11:37and political colleague of Lincoln.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- And his wife - we don't know a great deal more about her.- Sarah.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44- Sarah.- No.- So this is... Right.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49- There's a slight suggestion there. - Yes, there is a slight suggestion
0:11:49 > 0:11:54and that is a bracelet that he bought her...
0:11:54 > 0:11:58- Right.- ..to wear at Lincoln's inaugural ball. And this is it.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01So, this is the bracelet that would have been worn at this time,
0:12:01 > 0:12:06so from a perspective of the American history...
0:12:06 > 0:12:11- Yes.- ..it's really rather significant, isn't it?- It's really very special.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Yes, it is.- OK. Let me talk to you about the bracelet.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19It is a gold mesh - very, very fine mesh.
0:12:19 > 0:12:26- It has a centre piece set with a line of five natural pearls.- Yes.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30It's in a gold scallop-style frame.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33It has black enamel sort of highlights on the frame.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37- I hadn't noticed that. - And we have... Did you see that little black edging there?
0:12:37 > 0:12:42- I can see now, yes, indeed, yes. - You know the feature of this.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45- They expand.- Yes.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48They're flexible, they're on slide pieces
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and we have a name for jewellery like that, it's called Milanese pattern.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56- Milanese.- And it's typical of the mid-19th century.- Yes.
0:12:56 > 0:13:01Now, on the down side, the condition is very, very worn.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02Do you wear it?
0:13:02 > 0:13:07- I do. Yes.- The problem with Milanese is that it often deteriorates.- Right.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11- And you've got the beginnings of little bits of defect...- Yes.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13..to the edges of the bracelet.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16If a bracelet like this were to be put into auction,
0:13:16 > 0:13:21without the provenance that it's got, then the value of it
0:13:21 > 0:13:24would, frankly, not be that dramatic.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- Why? Because it's damaged.- Right.
0:13:27 > 0:13:33Because of the fact that the style is very sturdy and Victorian,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and there is another feature.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- Can you see here at the end of the box?- Yes.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39There's a gap, there's a space.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I think the reason is that originally there would have been a fringe.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48- Yes, I understood that. - And the fringe has gone.- Yes.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50- So, it's less than perfect because of that.- Yeah.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54- But then you run into the fact of provenance.- Yeah.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- In the AMERICAN market...- Yes.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59..oh, my goodness me,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02anything connected with Lincoln, the particular time,
0:14:02 > 0:14:08with the man who made laws in Minnesota - going back to that time.
0:14:08 > 0:14:13- Yeah.- In this country, this bracelet's worth £1,500 to £2,000.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18- Right.- In America, how much shall we say?
0:14:18 > 0:14:19I have no idea.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23- £7,500 to £10,000.- Really? Wow! - Or more.- That is unbelievable.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27- Because over there, you're buying a national treasure.- Gosh.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Wow!
0:14:33 > 0:14:38Sicilian cart panels - I've never seen so many.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41- There are 14 of them.- 14?- 14.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45- Well, these are very close to my heart, these things.- Why?
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Well, I'll tell you, once you've told me
0:14:49 > 0:14:51how they came to be in your possession.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53I found them in my attic.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56They were just floorboards in the attic,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59they were turned upside down, and I could see holes in the side,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and I just went up to one of the sides, saw that it was carved,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05turned it over and I saw these painted panels.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09So, how long had they been in your attic before you discovered them?
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- Well, we bought the house in 1986.- Yeah.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15But the house was built in the 1930s.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17No idea where these panels came from.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Amazing. So, you don't know how they arrived there
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- and you don't know the history of the house?- No clue, no clue.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23Why I said, "Wow!"
0:15:23 > 0:15:26is I've never seen so many, and why they're close to my heart
0:15:26 > 0:15:32is because one of the first things I ever bought as an antique dealer
0:15:32 > 0:15:34was a Sicilian cart panel, and I kept it for years.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- Just one?- Just one.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40I've never seen this number! I mean, it's extraordinary.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43They're 19th century, these panels, late-19th century, I would think,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47and they're depicting scenes from the history of Sicily
0:15:47 > 0:15:53and were painted by local artisans in a sort of naive kind of way.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57You know, they're always painted in these very bright colours
0:15:57 > 0:16:01and originally they were painted so that illiterate people
0:16:01 > 0:16:06could know the history that shaped the island they lived on.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10So, they would be confronted daily with these carts passing to and fro,
0:16:10 > 0:16:15with historic events on them, and they're amazing, and what a story.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19- Do you know how much these things are worth?- No clue.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21They're plentiful, I must be honest.
0:16:21 > 0:16:27Well, a small piece is £50, £60, £70,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29so, panels of this size...
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I mean...
0:16:31 > 0:16:34£200 - £300 each.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- Each?- Times 14.- £4,200.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41I can't do the maths. Oh, you've just done it.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Very expensive floorboards.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52Well, with the London Olympics being so much in the news,
0:16:52 > 0:16:54it seems entirely appropriate that you've brought along this
0:16:54 > 0:16:56wonderful print of the Olympic champions
0:16:56 > 0:16:58the first time the Games
0:16:58 > 0:17:00were held in London in 1908.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03- And it was in the White City, wasn't it?- It was in the White City, yes.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Yes, and if we look at this print, we can see all the Olympic champions
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and one or two sports that we don't have these days,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14such as the tug-of-war, and here you have tandem cyclists.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17I don't think we have tandems any more these days,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20do we, in the velodrome? And look at this, terrific -
0:17:20 > 0:17:22a man hurling himself horizontally over the pole vault.
0:17:22 > 0:17:28And all the champions displayed, and I believe you're related to one of these people in the photograph.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Yes, the gentleman here with the megaphone
0:17:32 > 0:17:35was my great-grandfather, William Knight Smith, and it was his job
0:17:35 > 0:17:40to report on what was going on, and to give the results as well.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Of course, no PA system in those days.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45- No, no PA system, no.- No, no.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48And here we have the same megaphone that is featured in this print.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- The very one.- Gosh! So, that's come down through the family.- It has.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55And also, you've brought along something quite incredible -
0:17:55 > 0:17:57a gold medal won at these Olympics.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58Yes.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04And if we have a look at it here, in its original leather case -
0:18:04 > 0:18:09"Olympic Games Winner five miles run, London 1908".
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Five miles - they don't do that any more cos it's in metres
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and I suppose five miles is about between 5,000 and 10,000 metres,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17- isn't it? I think. - Yeah.- That sort of distance.
0:18:17 > 0:18:24And there we have inside, the gold medal. Made of nine-carat gold.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29On this side, you can see a picture of St George and the dragon,
0:18:29 > 0:18:35and if we turn it over, on the other side we have an athlete
0:18:35 > 0:18:39being crowned with a wreath of laurel leaves by two maidens.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- And who won it?- It was won by this man called Voigt...
0:18:43 > 0:18:48- Here we are, number 29, yes. - ..who was British.- Glad to hear it.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52His parents were emigrated from Germany and he lived in Manchester.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55So, how did the medal come here today?
0:18:55 > 0:19:00It's owned by a friend of mine and he asked me if I'd like to bring it.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01Well, I'm delighted that he did.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05Well, Olympic memorabilia is enormously sought-after
0:19:05 > 0:19:10and there are a lot of collectors and to see these three pieces together are absolutely wonderful.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15Now, I think the print - because it's so unusual, that print -
0:19:15 > 0:19:17and not many examples of its type come up,
0:19:17 > 0:19:20it would probably fetch £400 or £500 at auction.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Brilliant.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26Yes. The megaphone, well, that's something entirely different.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29It's wonderful, and I believe you've got its original cane case, as well.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- Yes, I have, yes, yes. - If it did come up at auction,
0:19:32 > 0:19:36- I could see that fetching £1,500 - £2,000.- Oh, really?- Yeah, yeah.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37And then, of course,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41we come to the gold medal that belongs to your friend.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Olympic gold medals do not often appear on the market
0:19:44 > 0:19:46and there are a lot of collectors.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49I suspect if that came up at auction, it would probably fetch
0:19:49 > 0:19:51somewhere between £6,000 and £8,000,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55and on a good day might even make £10,000.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Absolutely terrific.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Three carriage clocks.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Lots of us have carriage clocks - maybe you've got one at home -
0:20:10 > 0:20:14but I bet you haven't got one quite as expensive as one of these.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17You know how this works by now - this week, our expert, Ben Wright,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19has brought these three carriage clocks along.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23The basic one is worth about £1,500.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26The better one, worth £3,000.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29The best - £30,000.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Now, I'm going to ask our visitors what they think,
0:20:31 > 0:20:35but I also thought I'd put some of our experts to the test to see if they know their onions.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I've got no idea about carriage clocks.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- That's why I've asked you. - That's why you've asked me!
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- So one of these clocks is worth 30,000?- Yes, so be very careful.- OK.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Now, it's all about movement - watches usually is about movements.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Here we have father and son, Philip Mould, our art expert of course,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- and Oliver.- That's right. - Welcome to the Roadshow.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Come on, then, put your money where your mouth is.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00- All right, I think I'm going to go for this one.- OK.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03I'm going go to better and then I'm going to go to best.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- And why do you think this is the best one?- Because it's the simplest.
0:21:07 > 0:21:12I think that the most expensive is the one on the right here.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I think a close second is this one over here
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and the least expensive - which, curiously, I like the most.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Is the most elaborate and beautiful. Basic? Right.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27- That, I think, is too obvious to be the best one, that's the basic.- OK.
0:21:27 > 0:21:35That one has two buttons to the top. Yes - basic, better, best.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38I reckon the best is probably this one
0:21:38 > 0:21:42- and probably the medium expensive. - The better one.- Better one, yes, I reckon probably that one.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- This is the basic? - That's the complete opposite of me.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48Yeah, 'fraid so.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52And if I'm really, really wrong, please can I come back and have me job next year?
0:21:53 > 0:21:54No.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01You are, of course, well known here at Wimbledon
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and I gather you've already been speaking with Fiona.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07And what you've brought me is not tennis related,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10it's a wonderful fruit service. Tell me about it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15Well, it was left me by my grandmother's cousin.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18I admired it as a child, and she left it to me
0:22:18 > 0:22:20and I really would love to know a little about it.
0:22:20 > 0:22:25Yes, it does look so splendid when you set out a full dessert service
0:22:25 > 0:22:28like this, as every grand Victorian home did.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31They tended to vie with themselves to get the best
0:22:31 > 0:22:32and most impressive set
0:22:32 > 0:22:35to show off to their guests, and I think in this case,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39your family did extremely well in choosing
0:22:39 > 0:22:41something that sums up everything about Victorian taste.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43What do you think of the design?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Oh, I love it. I've always had a soft spot for butterflies
0:22:46 > 0:22:51and every one's different, and they even have butterflies on the back.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- Oh, it's right underneath there, as well, isn't it?- So, I just love it.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58These are three great Victorian obsessions
0:22:58 > 0:23:00here, on a plate,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03with the collecting of butterflies was such a popular pastime
0:23:03 > 0:23:05and these are real specimens
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and I suppose the painter at Royal Worcester who made this set
0:23:08 > 0:23:10has just copied a collection of butterflies
0:23:10 > 0:23:12to make them look as real as possible,
0:23:12 > 0:23:16and they do look real on these plates, don't they?
0:23:16 > 0:23:19But also, you've got the other Victorian love of ferns,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21ferns and grasses.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Do you remember they used to stick specimens of ferns
0:23:24 > 0:23:25and plants into albums
0:23:25 > 0:23:29and it was a great fad to collect nature from the fields around.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31And here, the painters at Worcester
0:23:31 > 0:23:34have put a different flower on each piece.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36What a background, isn't it?
0:23:36 > 0:23:41With these little symbols. They're not tennis balls, are they?
0:23:41 > 0:23:44These are Japanese symbols, little emblems.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48They're family mons, crests, badges from ancient Japan.
0:23:48 > 0:23:54And in 1876, when this was made, that was the taste of the time.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Not only are all the butterflies different, they're all superbly painted.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00They might be by James Sheriff,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03he was perhaps the best butterfly painter of Royal Worcester then, in the 1870s.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Do you have it on display?
0:24:05 > 0:24:09No, sadly, it's been in the attic for many years, wrapped up safely,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11but, having got it out for this event,
0:24:11 > 0:24:12I've fallen in love with it again,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and I'm going to try and find somewhere
0:24:15 > 0:24:16where I can display it at home.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19It deserves to be seen, doesn't it?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22I mean, you daren't use it because the painting is too delicate.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I mean, a typical full Victorian set were 12 plates,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28with six of the comports or cake stands.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32But to show off the impact of the whole design together,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34you couldn't imagine a better site
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and it's not inconsiderable value too.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- I suppose a set like this is today £3,000.- Really? Thank you.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45What an impact it makes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50From what I understand, your great-grandfather,
0:24:50 > 0:24:55in the world of magic and illusion, was someone quite special.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- Can you just tell me a bit about him?- Yes, sure.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02From an early age, I think he realised that he could
0:25:02 > 0:25:05entertain people by using magic and illusions.
0:25:05 > 0:25:13And, after a career in the navy, he started, in the 1860s,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17to perform illusions and magic generally, as a living.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18Right.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20He travelled all over the world,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24so he was a globetrotter in the 19th century.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26And when he was in America,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29somebody came to one of his shows
0:25:29 > 0:25:31and was inspired.
0:25:31 > 0:25:37- Absolutely right, yes. He was doing a show in Milwaukee...- Right.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40..where one of the illusions was that he seemed to
0:25:40 > 0:25:44cut a man into small pieces and then put him together again.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45Right.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49And in the audience was a young lad of five years old,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52who later became Houdini.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56And this young boy was found by his parents at the end of the show,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01on the stage, at the foot of my great-grandfather...
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Right.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07..who was producing eggs out of his mouth, and fascinating the young boy.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10And it's sort of in the family, isn't it?
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Not only was your great-grandfather an illusionist
0:26:13 > 0:26:16but also his son was then someone special.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19- Yes, he was an illusionist, as well...- OK.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23..who also performed under the title of Dr Lynn.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27- You see here, we've got my grandfather with Houdini.- Right.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30And this is the calling card that Houdini produced,
0:26:30 > 0:26:37"Harry Handcuffs Houdini", when he visited my grandfather in the UK.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41- In 1914, it's dated.- In 1914. - Right.- That's right.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45But I suppose that my grandfather never hit the dizzy heights
0:26:45 > 0:26:48of my great-grandfather...
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- Yes.- ..who, for example, performed for people like Victor Hugo.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54Absolutely. We've got a little translation,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57a transcript of everything that he says - he's absolutely gushing
0:26:57 > 0:27:01with enthusiasm about how wonderful he is at performing
0:27:01 > 0:27:05and, you know, wants him to come again and do other tricks as well,
0:27:05 > 0:27:06- doesn't he?- Yes.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10It is a fantastic sort of archive of material you've got here,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13you know, the fact that he inspired Houdini,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16the greatest illusionist that one can think of.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21I think if you add up the whole lot - you showed me some other material that you have.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- Yes.- Letters from your grandfather to Houdini.- To Houdini.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27I think you're looking at a collection that could easily
0:27:27 > 0:27:28- be worth £10,000.- Really?
0:27:28 > 0:27:33Absolutely, it's a really, really staggering collection of material.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Well, that's interesting, because I wouldn't have thought
0:27:35 > 0:27:38it would have amounted to as much as that.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42Ben Wright, you set us
0:27:42 > 0:27:45a fiendish task with these three carriage clocks.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48One is basic, worth £1,500.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53The better one is worth £3,000 and the best one - a whopping £30,000.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Now, I asked our visitors, I also asked some of our experts,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- all of whom came to different conclusions.- Excellent.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03The one conclusion we all came to is, none of us really knew what we were looking for.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04So, where should we start?
0:28:04 > 0:28:09This is a battle of the French against the English, essentially.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13All three carriage clocks signed by the same maker - Charles Frodsham.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17- Yes, that didn't help at all. - No, it doesn't, does it? I'm really sorry about that.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20I often come across carriage clocks on the Roadshow
0:28:20 > 0:28:24that are signed by an English maker, sometimes a jeweller/retailer, that are, in fact, French.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27- And why does that matter? - That's a very good question.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30The French made around - between 1850 and 1900 -
0:28:30 > 0:28:33about 50,000 carriage clocks a year.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36The English made about 20 a year.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41The English carriage clocks were made by two or three main English carriage clockmakers,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44and they were predominantly precision clockmakers.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47They made marine chronometers and precision clocks for observatories.
0:28:47 > 0:28:52And Charles Frodsham was the foremost amongst them, but he also retailed
0:28:52 > 0:28:56French carriage clocks because he saw a market for more decorative ones.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00What, he bought clocks from France and sold them under his own name?
0:29:00 > 0:29:01Yes.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05As did a myriad of English clockmakers and English jewellers.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08OK, so, it's French versus English. So, which is the more valuable then?
0:29:08 > 0:29:11The English is the rarer, and the English is the more valuable,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14but the problem we've got is, all of them are signed Charles Frodsham.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16So the question is - which one's English?
0:29:16 > 0:29:20So, the closest to you - French.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22This one - French.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26This is your English one - signed on the dial, "London".
0:29:26 > 0:29:30These two are signed "Charles Frodsham, Paris" actually.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32- You may have missed that. - I did.- Yeah.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- And is that all... That's it? - That's not quite all there is to it, no.- Right. OK.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38This looks as though it's going to be the better one,
0:29:38 > 0:29:41- because it's an engraved case. - I thought it was originally, yes.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44It looks the part, beautifully engraved, but the movement's relatively simple,
0:29:44 > 0:29:48it has a plain spring barrel on either side, one to tell the time,
0:29:48 > 0:29:52one to strike the hours. It's very simple. If this didn't have the porcelain panels,
0:29:52 > 0:29:56you'd see inside, the movement exactly the same. On this one, we've got lovely porcelain panels.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01- These are lovely, absolutely beautiful.- Aren't they beautiful? - Mm.- And so this is a cut above.
0:30:01 > 0:30:07This, on the other hand, is your English carriage clock with extreme complexity inside.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10You've got this slightly strange conical-shaped wheel,
0:30:10 > 0:30:14and that's called the fusee. Only English carriage clocks used fusees,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17and then it has two repeat buttons, which is most unusual, even for Frodsham -
0:30:17 > 0:30:21I think it's a one-off. When you press this one, it strikes the hours,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25and when you press this one, it repeats the quarter hours back to you.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27It's an anomaly - I've no idea why.
0:30:27 > 0:30:33The other thing is that this case is beautiful and refined. If you're a carriage clock collector,
0:30:33 > 0:30:36this is the ultimate English carriage clock.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Hang on a minute. I thought this was basic,
0:30:38 > 0:30:42this was better and this was best, just because it's so beautiful.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46- Right.- But in actual fact... I've got it completely wrong.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- So, this is basic.- That's the basic.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51This is better - these are the two French ones.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54- Absolutely right.- And the best... - Is the plainest of all.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57- ..is the plainest.- Sorry, bit of a swine, that one.- And £30,000.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00- £30,000.- Why such a high figure?
0:31:00 > 0:31:01It's cheap at £30,000.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04In my opinion, it's worth £30,000 to £40,000
0:31:04 > 0:31:07and it might even make £50,000 at auction for all the complexity,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10the size, the maker's name, quality of the movement, everything about it.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14- It's delightful.- And I thought it was basic. What do I know?
0:31:14 > 0:31:18At least you might have some tips if you have a carriage clock at home, you know what to look for now.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20Or if you want to bring one along to the Roadshow -
0:31:20 > 0:31:23to Ben or to our other clock experts - have a look at our locations -
0:31:23 > 0:31:26you can check out where we're going to be coming to, on our website.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Vibrant, bold, colourful, modern.
0:31:41 > 0:31:44You've brought in three fabulous lino cuts
0:31:44 > 0:31:48which must be from the Grosvenor School of Art.
0:31:48 > 0:31:54Yes, we think so, but we're not sure, because my elderly maiden aunt -
0:31:54 > 0:31:58who lived in a very remote part of North Norfolk -
0:31:58 > 0:32:01whose only interests were, as far as we knew as a family,
0:32:01 > 0:32:03cats and ornithology.
0:32:03 > 0:32:08And it wasn't until she died that we knew that she had this vibrant past.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13- Absolutely. - She didn't want us to know about it.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18Well, I see one's signed U Fookes - that must be Ursula Fookes.
0:32:18 > 0:32:19Yes, yes.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22And, of course, she did go to the Grosvenor School of Art and studied
0:32:22 > 0:32:25under Claude Flight in the late 1920s
0:32:25 > 0:32:29and these are very rare lino cuts.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Have you got a whole group of them?
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Well, I'll tell you how we came to have them,
0:32:34 > 0:32:36because she didn't actually leave them to us.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40What happened was that we were phoned by the auctioneer,
0:32:40 > 0:32:42in Melton Constable - near where she lived -
0:32:42 > 0:32:46to say, A, that she'd died, and B, were we interested in anything
0:32:46 > 0:32:50that was coming up in a forthcoming auction.
0:32:50 > 0:32:55And we said, "Well, if we let you have a ceiling of £200 to spend,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58"could you please get some memorabilia,"
0:32:58 > 0:33:02so we could remember her, really, because we did like her very much.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07And then about a month later in the post, came a bundle.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11And in the bundle was a range of these lino cuts
0:33:11 > 0:33:16and we suddenly realised that she had this very creative side.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18What an interesting life.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21The Grosvenor School lasted till about 1939,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25and in the last great show of these modern prints at Birmingham,
0:33:25 > 0:33:30she was represented. Claude Flight asked her to give him a few pictures
0:33:30 > 0:33:32for that show, so he obviously rated her.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36And it's rare to see her work, actually,
0:33:36 > 0:33:38at auction - she's not that well represented
0:33:38 > 0:33:42and I think, from 1939 onwards, she moved into other things.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44She moved away from her artist work.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46But, you know, this liner is kind of carving
0:33:46 > 0:33:49right the way through the water.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53It's a great, powerful design, simple in its colour
0:33:53 > 0:33:56but particularly powerful. And then the figures with their umbrellas,
0:33:56 > 0:33:59you feel they're really fighting against the wind...
0:33:59 > 0:34:03- Yes.- ..and the rain, but what I particularly like - and my favourite - is the rugby players,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06this great piece of colour and design beneath,
0:34:06 > 0:34:10and the figures look very futuristic, almost machine-like.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13These are very rare lino cuts, very strong,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16and very sought-after in the present market.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20The one at the top is signed and it's numbered "6 out of 50"
0:34:20 > 0:34:23which means an edition, 6 out of 50.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26That's worth at least £1,000 to £1,500 at auction.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Wow. Wow.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32The umbrellas beneath is not signed and numbered
0:34:32 > 0:34:34but still it's a great, great design, that,
0:34:34 > 0:34:39and I think it's worth just as much as the other one - at least £1,000 to £1,500.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43The rugby players - my favourite - I think that's really quite special
0:34:43 > 0:34:47and I think that could make at least £1,500 to £2,500.
0:34:48 > 0:34:55So, collectively, your folio is going to be worth many thousands of pounds.
0:34:55 > 0:34:56Right...
0:34:56 > 0:34:57What a...
0:34:57 > 0:34:59LAUGHTER
0:34:59 > 0:35:01What an amazing aunt!
0:35:01 > 0:35:03What an amazing aunt.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08So, I'm looking at a late-18th century Bohemian beaker.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12It's a classic form, there's no question.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15But this is a version with a difference,
0:35:15 > 0:35:20because there's a wonderful Catholic bishop's armorial on here
0:35:20 > 0:35:23and you know all about it, don't you?
0:35:23 > 0:35:27It was in the household of Pope Pius VII
0:35:27 > 0:35:29and the reason I know that
0:35:29 > 0:35:33is because my grandma - who gave it to me -
0:35:33 > 0:35:35went to the V&A 40 years ago
0:35:35 > 0:35:37to see an expert, see, what is this?
0:35:37 > 0:35:42- And they wrote her a letter, so, do you want to...- OK.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46So, it's from a keeper of the library at the V&A and he's saying,
0:35:46 > 0:35:50"I've now identified the coats of arms engraved and painted onto
0:35:50 > 0:35:53"the glasses belonging to Gregorio Barbara Chiaromonti,
0:35:53 > 0:35:56"successively Bishop of Tivoli and Bishop of Imola,
0:35:56 > 0:36:00"then Pope Pius VII, 1800-1823".
0:36:00 > 0:36:02So, that fits in with the date.
0:36:02 > 0:36:07So, this belonged to Pope Pius VII
0:36:07 > 0:36:10and there's a great story about Pope Pius, isn't there?
0:36:10 > 0:36:15Well, he's well known for the coronation of Napoleon,
0:36:15 > 0:36:17because there was controversy over
0:36:17 > 0:36:20the fact that the Pope was supposed to put the crown on his head.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Napoleon took the crown, put it on his head.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26And what an explosive story that is.
0:36:26 > 0:36:31Here is the crown heading towards him, and he grabs it out of the Pope's hands.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35And whacks onto his own head, usurping the power of the church,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38asserting the power of the state over the church.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42And here you have a little artefact that tumbles out of history to us,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and ends up in our hands today - it's brilliant.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Where did it come from? I mean, was this...?
0:36:47 > 0:36:51So, my grandmother got it in a junk shop 40 years ago,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54and gave it to me, so...
0:36:54 > 0:36:57- How fab is that?- Yeah. - This all holds water.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59- This seems to me to be right.- Yes.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01And that's great documentary evidence,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04because you can have a coat of arms which means absolutely nothing.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08- Yes.- Or you have a coat of arms that means a lot.- Yeah, yeah.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12- So... And that's value adjusting. - Yeah.
0:37:12 > 0:37:18Because if you have an enamelled armorial on a glass of this date,
0:37:18 > 0:37:21that just came without the story...
0:37:21 > 0:37:25- Yes.- ..then you're £250 to £300. - Right.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28But you add the story,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31- and you triple the value...- Right.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34..turning your £200-£300 glass into one that,
0:37:34 > 0:37:39if it were to sell for less than £1,000, I'd eat a bishop's hat.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42SHE LAUGHS Thank you very much.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47Well, I hope most people looking at this portrait,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51would recognise it as being Admiral Lord Nelson
0:37:51 > 0:37:55and I see from looking at the labels near to
0:37:55 > 0:37:57the other little objects you've brought along as well,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00that they're also supposed to be related to Nelson.
0:38:00 > 0:38:04- So, are you a descendant of Nelson's?- No, I'm not a descendant.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08I work at the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk,
0:38:08 > 0:38:12which is a school that was founded in 1712.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15And how does Nelson relate to the school?
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Nelson actually served on the school's committee
0:38:18 > 0:38:23from 1801 to 1805 and was essentially a governor of the school.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26And all these things, have they been donated to the school?
0:38:26 > 0:38:28Well, we believe so.
0:38:28 > 0:38:33Certainly, the dirk there at the back,
0:38:33 > 0:38:38that was donated, by Vice Admiral Parry, to the school in 1948.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Well, looking at the piece itself, it certainly is of the period of Nelson.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45This is a naval dirk that would have been carried by...
0:38:45 > 0:38:48perhaps a junior officer, I have to say, at the time.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52But let's look at some of the other objects you've brought in, as well.
0:38:52 > 0:38:56You've brought in a little tiny heart-shaped pendant
0:38:56 > 0:38:58with a letter "N".
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Now, I guess that N is supposed to represent Nelson, is it?
0:39:01 > 0:39:03On the documentation we've got,
0:39:03 > 0:39:08it's referred to as a jewel that Nelson gave to Lady Hamilton.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11And this watch movement - we haven't got the whole watch,
0:39:11 > 0:39:15the watch case isn't here - but if you look on the movement,
0:39:15 > 0:39:16it says,
0:39:16 > 0:39:22"Admiral Nelson, Lord of the Nile, August 1798".
0:39:22 > 0:39:26Now, that, of course, commemorates the Battle of the Nile.
0:39:26 > 0:39:30But just looking further, we've got a pair of little shoe buckles
0:39:30 > 0:39:31and a magnifying glass.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36- Yes.- Let's actually take a closer look at one or two of these items.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39Looking firstly at the little heart-shaped pendant,
0:39:39 > 0:39:44the capital letter N is very much a block capital.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49Now, that wasn't the sort of style of N - style of letter -
0:39:49 > 0:39:52that was used around 1800-1805,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54it wasn't that style.
0:39:54 > 0:39:59And, in fact, I can date that to about 1870,
0:39:59 > 0:40:04so that could not possibly have been given to Emma Hamilton, I'm afraid.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06- What a shame.- I know, it is!
0:40:06 > 0:40:09Looking at the watch,
0:40:09 > 0:40:12it's absolutely of that period,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15so the watch, there is a possibility that could be genuine.
0:40:15 > 0:40:18Move on to the shoe buckles - rather than being shoe buckles,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22which is what the label says - I think are breeches buckles,
0:40:22 > 0:40:26which went around the bottom of the leg of the breeches.
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- Right, just here, then? - Yeah, exactly, just there.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Certainly, these could date to that period.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37Looking at the eyeglass, there are quite a number of eyeglasses
0:40:37 > 0:40:39in collections all over the world,
0:40:39 > 0:40:43all purporting to have been used by Nelson, and in fact he did have
0:40:43 > 0:40:47quite bad eyesight in his remaining eye, so he did use an eyeglass.
0:40:47 > 0:40:51But the difficulty is in the provenance,
0:40:51 > 0:40:55and unless it can be proved absolutely,
0:40:55 > 0:41:00- to go back from present day... - Yeah.- ..right back to Nelson,
0:41:00 > 0:41:04then it's impossible to prove that the item is absolutely genuine.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06However, looking at values,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09the dirk is going to be worth
0:41:09 > 0:41:11£200 to £300 in that condition.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15If it can be proven that it belonged to Nelson,
0:41:15 > 0:41:19that could be worth £20,000 to £30,000.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21The heart-shaped pendant, we know,
0:41:21 > 0:41:26could not possibly have been given to Emma Hamilton by Nelson.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28And that's worth £100.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30Looking at the eyeglass,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34and the buckles, £40. £50, perhaps.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Looking at the watch, now...
0:41:37 > 0:41:38again, if that can be proved,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41that takes the value from a few hundred pounds, which it's worth
0:41:41 > 0:41:43without any provenance,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45to £30,000-£40,000,
0:41:45 > 0:41:49if that can be proved that it belonged to Nelson.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53- But you can't prove it! - We need to get up in the attic. - And that's the tragedy.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57Anyway, look, let's go to the value of the picture now.
0:41:57 > 0:42:03This is a wonderful portrait of Nelson. But I can't value it.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05But I know a man who can.
0:42:05 > 0:42:10Philip Mould is one of our picture experts here today and he happens
0:42:10 > 0:42:14to be a specialist in portraits, so I think we should show that to him.
0:42:14 > 0:42:15Thank you very much indeed.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20Do you know, I rarely get to write a cheque these days.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23- The cheque is a dying kind of entity, isn't it?- Absolutely, yes.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28But, had I had £7,350 in 1969,
0:42:28 > 0:42:31I would have been writing a pretty meaty cheque.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Now, let's look at the signature,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36because that kind of says why it's for such a lot of money.
0:42:36 > 0:42:41- It's signed "George Harrison", one of The Beatles.- Absolutely, yes.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45Why have you got one of George Harrison's cancelled cheques?
0:42:45 > 0:42:51Well, we were a small family business specialising in high-performance sports cars
0:42:51 > 0:42:54and quite a lot of celebrities came in to buy cars from us,
0:42:54 > 0:42:58even though we were a small company. George Harrison came in one day
0:42:58 > 0:43:01and he wanted to buy two Jensen Interceptors -
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I'm not quite sure why he wanted two -
0:43:04 > 0:43:07and, at some stage, he must have changed his mind.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09And I think it might have been because, at that time,
0:43:09 > 0:43:11we were selling De Tomaso sports cars
0:43:11 > 0:43:14and I do believe that he bought one of those instead.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17He went for the Italian option, obviously. It's a bit of a shame.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19But maybe... Was that twice the price? I don't know.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23- I think it probably was, yes.- Yeah, what a fascinating little story.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26- So, obviously the cheque was cancelled.- It was.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29- I presume he wrote a new cheque... - He did.- ..for the De Tomaso.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32It's a really, very interesting little collectable item
0:43:32 > 0:43:34and how did it survive?
0:43:34 > 0:43:38- Was it a conscious decision that was made?- Not at all, no.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40In fact, it was just among my papers,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44because I was also company secretary, and I lost it.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47I remembered seeing it, and I lost it, and three days ago
0:43:47 > 0:43:49my son was clearing out his bedroom -
0:43:49 > 0:43:51which is very unusual - and he found it.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54I thought, "Well, I'll pop it along and show it to someone
0:43:54 > 0:43:58- "at the Antiques Roadshow."- Well, that's very fortunate because - and very fortunate that you found it -
0:43:58 > 0:44:01for the simple reason that it's actually worth £1,000.
0:44:01 > 0:44:05- Wow, that's amazing for a piece of paper.- For a cancelled cheque.- Yes.
0:44:05 > 0:44:10Yes, but, of course, it has a great little history, it's George Harrison.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14I just think it's a fabulous little object with a great family history.
0:44:14 > 0:44:15- Thank you very much.- My pleasure.
0:44:17 > 0:44:18I know you've been talking to Graham Lay
0:44:18 > 0:44:21and I gather you've had some rather sort of bad news,
0:44:21 > 0:44:25that your Nelson items are not perhaps exactly what you hoped for.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Well, I'm going to be working very hard on the provenance
0:44:28 > 0:44:30over the next few months, so I live in hope.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32Right. And head boy and head girl, am I right in thinking?
0:44:32 > 0:44:36- How do you feel about that?- Bit disappointing that we can't prove it.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Yeah, I bet. He was - after all, you know -
0:44:38 > 0:44:43the greatest figure associated with your school. But let's go to the face, the body, the portrait.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47The delight about dealing with a painting, or, in this case,
0:44:47 > 0:44:50a drawing, is you can work out if it does have the characteristics
0:44:50 > 0:44:55of an artist who was associated with the great man, in this case, Nelson.
0:44:55 > 0:44:59Now, the characteristics of this picture would suggest
0:44:59 > 0:45:02the work of an artist called Henry Edridge.
0:45:02 > 0:45:05I'm not saying whether it IS by Edridge or not yet,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08but Edridge is a really interesting man, because he goes
0:45:08 > 0:45:12from a miniature painter - and you can look at the quality of that face
0:45:12 > 0:45:15and see that this is the work of someone who's used to working
0:45:15 > 0:45:19with tiny tools in a very minute way - to slightly longer portraits.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23In fact, he developed his own particular type of Edridge look,
0:45:23 > 0:45:27it was a sort of mannequin full length, very much like this.
0:45:27 > 0:45:30Now, the next question is,
0:45:30 > 0:45:33what do you know about the history of this drawing?
0:45:33 > 0:45:36This seems to have been gifted to the school
0:45:36 > 0:45:42in 1854 by a Sir Everard Home
0:45:42 > 0:45:46who apparently acquired it from Earl St Vincent - or his father did -
0:45:46 > 0:45:48in the 1820s.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52So, is it something that has sort of grown to be part of the school?
0:45:52 > 0:45:55I mean, have you guys come across it? Do you see it regularly?
0:45:55 > 0:45:57We have it on the wall as we go into our boarding house
0:45:57 > 0:46:00and it's just there every day, we see it and don't take much notice.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02You don't show it respect?
0:46:02 > 0:46:04Well, ball games have been played around it,
0:46:04 > 0:46:06- and, luckily, it hasn't been hit. - Right.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10Well, let's look at the face of the guy you play ball games around, OK.
0:46:10 > 0:46:15Because I think this is a peculiarly potent image of the great man.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18I mean he is, after all, you know, the greatest naval hero -
0:46:18 > 0:46:21probably in many ways the greatest hero in English history.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24But the delight about this particular image
0:46:24 > 0:46:27is that there's a lot of the individual man.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32You know, the date of this is going to be late-18th century,
0:46:32 > 0:46:36he's lost his arm. He's lost the sight of one eye.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39We know this man was in great pain, but we also know that
0:46:39 > 0:46:43he was a man of tremendous valour, huge bravery.
0:46:43 > 0:46:45And looking into those eyes, looking into those features,
0:46:45 > 0:46:49I think there's a side of the man that we don't normally encounter
0:46:49 > 0:46:52in those rather brassy oil paintings.
0:46:52 > 0:46:58So, this is about 1798, 1799, 1800.
0:46:58 > 0:47:00He's getting famous.
0:47:00 > 0:47:05The individual that we know as Nelson was becoming recognised,
0:47:05 > 0:47:08but, of course, it's five years away until the Battle of Trafalgar.
0:47:08 > 0:47:12So, I'm now going to come to whether or not it is by Edridge,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15and I have to say, I know his work pretty well
0:47:15 > 0:47:19and there's a very particular type of crosshatching.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21In other words, I think this IS by Edridge,
0:47:21 > 0:47:23so it's getting a little bit more exciting.
0:47:23 > 0:47:30I know that this is just the sort of image of the great Lord Nelson
0:47:30 > 0:47:34that many collectors across the world would almost die for.
0:47:34 > 0:47:35Why?
0:47:35 > 0:47:39Because you have the great man, the hero, the victor of Trafalgar
0:47:39 > 0:47:43who tragically died, with ships behind on one level.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45You've also got the soul of the man, as well.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48You have both aspects of the great hero.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51I think this picture is worth about £100,000.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Wow! Wow!
0:47:56 > 0:47:57Amazing.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Well, hopefully we'll make sure that the ball games stop
0:48:01 > 0:48:04and we put it on show
0:48:04 > 0:48:07so that the public can see it, as well as the students, I think.
0:48:07 > 0:48:10- Are you going to show a bit more respect to it in the future? - Of course!
0:48:10 > 0:48:17Well, isn't that a fantastic antidote to the disappointment of the other Nelson objects?
0:48:17 > 0:48:22And I'm reliably informed now that the school is going to set aside a room as a kind of museum,
0:48:22 > 0:48:26and that sketch will take pride of place within it.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28We've had such a great day here at Wimbledon.
0:48:28 > 0:48:32What a thrill to be at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35Do you know, there are days when I love my job.
0:48:35 > 0:48:39Until next time, from the whole Roadshow team, bye-bye.