0:00:02 > 0:00:07Like any antique, a castle needs a bit of care. If it's not looked after, it can fall apart.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10By the late 19th century, this place had become something of a ruin.
0:00:10 > 0:00:17Its noble residents were long gone, tenant farmers were using the ground floor for livestock.
0:00:17 > 0:00:22Thankfully though, it had a knight in shining armour who restored it to its former glory.
0:00:22 > 0:00:28All of which means we can return for a second helping of the Antiques Roadshow from Hever Castle in Kent.
0:01:13 > 0:01:19This is William Waldorf Astor, Hever's rather unlikely hero.
0:01:19 > 0:01:25Astor inherited the family fortune in 1890 and was the richest man in America
0:01:25 > 0:01:31but after a spectacular falling out with his aunt, he declared, "America is no place for a gentleman,"
0:01:31 > 0:01:36and decided to move to England in search of the life of an English gent.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41With a 100 million fortune to his name and a love of European history, he bought
0:01:41 > 0:01:47Hever Castle in 1903 and resolved to restore it to its former glory.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50And you can see the results here in his study.
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Astor didn't just restore Hever,
0:01:52 > 0:01:59he transformed it into a place more decorated and elaborate than it had ever been in its heyday.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03But there was a problem... Hever Castle was much too small
0:02:03 > 0:02:07for a millionaire like him, who liked to hold huge parties.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And this is his ingenious solution...
0:02:10 > 0:02:16Look, his very own Tudor village, and its higgledy-piggledy design conceals a guest bedroom,
0:02:16 > 0:02:21servants' quarters, kitchens, 100 rooms in total.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30And Astor's grand plans also transformed Hever's grounds.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32The sheer scale of it all is incredible.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38This 35-acre lake may look natural,
0:02:38 > 0:02:43but it actually took 800 men to dig it over two years.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46And between them, they got through 45 gallons of beer a day,
0:02:46 > 0:02:51and a special train had to be laid on to bring them here from London.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54There isn't a special train today, but Hever's still welcoming
0:02:54 > 0:02:59the crowds, as the people of Kent bring their antiques to today's Roadshow.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Never let it be said that the Italians don't have a sense of humour,
0:03:03 > 0:03:07because when it comes to Lenci pottery, they are the masters.
0:03:07 > 0:03:12So did you... I've got to ask you if you bought this for a laugh...
0:03:12 > 0:03:14- but tell me. - It's not actually mine.- It's not?
0:03:14 > 0:03:16No. It belongs to my sister-in-law.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- Yes.- She couldn't be here, so she asked me to bring it.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22And all I know is that she inherited it from her grandfather.
0:03:22 > 0:03:29Ah, well let's have a look at it, because it is, of course, Don Quixote on his donkey, Rocinante.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32I've been practising that... Rocinante!
0:03:32 > 0:03:36And I mentioned the name Lenci
0:03:36 > 0:03:38because this is a maker whose name...
0:03:38 > 0:03:42if I turn it upside... the good thing is, underneath there
0:03:42 > 0:03:45is the name and you can just make out... and it's dated as well, isn't it?
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Can you read that date for me?
0:03:47 > 0:03:491938.
0:03:49 > 0:03:511938.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Well, the interesting thing about this particular factory
0:03:55 > 0:04:02is that they did incredibly stylish figures, and as I say, they're always incorporating humour.
0:04:02 > 0:04:09But in this case you've got a figure that's suffered a little bit with the ravages of time.
0:04:09 > 0:04:16For a start off his lance has been substituted by a rather handy knitting needle, OK?
0:04:16 > 0:04:22- Yes.- And I have to say that the Don has lost his head, because he's been glued back on.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28But the good news is that your Lenci collectors are very tolerant about damage.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33So you're now going to go back to your friend with this
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Italian masterpiece and you're going to have tell her what it's worth.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41And you're going to have to tell her that unfortunately
0:04:41 > 0:04:48the damage has reduced its value to between £2,000 and £3,000.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Oh, my word!
0:04:50 > 0:04:51Wow!
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I think she's going to be very happy with that.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58Just been having a look inside this ring and there's an inscription and it says,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00"When this you see, remember me."
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- Can you remember how you got hold of it?- I found it in a badger hole,
0:05:04 > 0:05:09freshly-dug earth and I thought it was the top of a bottle, picked it up, and it was this ring.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13My goodness, what were you doing near a badger hole?
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I've got some near where I live so it was quite close by to my house.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Yeah, well how exciting, I mean busy little badger obviously and to find this is really quite exciting.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Er, yes, very special.- Yes, indeed.
0:05:24 > 0:05:32Well, it's a lovely memento mori ring, so it's a memorial ring which dates from round about the 1700s
0:05:32 > 0:05:38and it's made of gold around the top and the band, and then there's also
0:05:38 > 0:05:43black enamelwork on it, which I'm sure you must have noticed, just underneath here.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48- Yes.- Just round there and then also some enamelwork down the shoulders
0:05:48 > 0:05:50but unfortunately that's worn away over time
0:05:50 > 0:05:54and it's not surprising if it's been down a badger hole for some time,
0:05:54 > 0:05:57it really would get worn away!
0:05:57 > 0:06:00The wonderful thing about it is that if you look inside the crystal top
0:06:00 > 0:06:05that you've got here, there's also hair, plaited hair, underneath.
0:06:05 > 0:06:06Oh, is it? Gosh, I did wonder.
0:06:06 > 0:06:12It's amazing, and then over the top of that you've got some entwined initials in gold, which would
0:06:12 > 0:06:18have been the initials of the person who was being remembered, or maybe even the person who it belonged to.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22Because during this period, there was an obsession with death,
0:06:22 > 0:06:27so unfortunately there was all this big fashion for memorial jewellery, basically.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Was this given to someone while they were still alive?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Yes, more than likely that it was worn by somebody whilst they were still alive
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- and it was there for them to remember that one day they're going to die. - Oh, gosh.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43Quite a few examples have skulls on, little coffins, really quite morbid
0:06:43 > 0:06:48decoration, but this is more of a straightforward piece with just the initials.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52So is it something that you've actually shown to a museum?
0:06:52 > 0:06:57- No, I haven't, no, no.- No, because it is an amazing piece of jewellery,
0:06:57 > 0:07:03but it does bring up some rather legal questions that need to be answered, because you found the ring,
0:07:03 > 0:07:09it didn't belong and didn't come down through your family, and so is it therefore technically yours to keep?
0:07:09 > 0:07:13- Well, it was on my property. - Ah.- So does that make a difference?
0:07:13 > 0:07:18Well, the best thing that you need to do is to take it to a museum,
0:07:18 > 0:07:24explain the situation and then they will basically decide whether it is a piece that you can keep,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28or whether it comes under what is commonly known as "treasure trove".
0:07:28 > 0:07:32They may find that it is something that is an important piece of jewellery
0:07:32 > 0:07:36and should be kept for the nation to see, and therefore kept in the museum,
0:07:36 > 0:07:42but hopefully they will release it back to you and then you can do with it whatever you wanted to.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47Gosh, I'm glad you told me that, my daughter's been wearing this ring so...
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Well, it is something to enjoy and it's interesting that somebody
0:07:50 > 0:07:54of the younger generation is wearing something that's so associated with death
0:07:54 > 0:07:57because it's not a pretty piece of jewellery,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01it's more of an interesting factual piece of jewellery, in many ways.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06Now, if it comes back to you and you do decide to sell it, then, at auction,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10a piece of jewellery like this will create quite a bit of interest
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and will fetch somewhere between £800 and £1,200.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18Wow! Gosh, that's amazing. Well, thank you very much for that.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Now as a seafaring nation,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24we obviously have a great naval tradition of wonderful ships.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27We also have a great naval tradition of wonderful ship models,
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and in a way somehow that is a reflection, I think,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33of our long-lasting enthusiasm for the sea
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and ships and all it represents.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40And I'm looking at a really classic model of HMS Majestic,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44a battleship of the late 19th century, an astonishing model.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It's amazing to see such detail.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Most of these models were made by shipyards.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54They were made by apprentices who were used to engineering skills,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58but I detect that this is somehow different. Is that right?
0:08:58 > 0:09:05I think so, in that it was made by my great-grandfather in about 1905.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The ship itself floundered and was torpedoed in 1915.
0:09:09 > 0:09:16Interestingly, it's very fat in the middle, mainly because he also
0:09:16 > 0:09:20not only made the ship, he made the steam turbines inside as well.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Actually, proportionately, it's slightly odd.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27Absolutely, and also for floating it on a boating lake,
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I suspect it was a little more stable this way.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32So this is a working model. So this is him, of course.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35That's my great-grandfather, Colonel Kelly,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and he was a colonel in the Essex Regiment and in his spare time
0:09:39 > 0:09:44- he made various models, this being one of the most important. - Do we know why he picked this one?
0:09:44 > 0:09:50No, and again, I suspect that there were lots of patriotic magazines of those days.
0:09:50 > 0:09:56He was keen on modelling and there were magazines with templates and various drawings
0:09:56 > 0:10:00that you could build out of metal and wood, which this ultimately is.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04This is a class of ship that was built from the 1880s into the '90s.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06At the time they were the latest thing
0:10:06 > 0:10:09and it's interesting that it's called Majestic,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13because it has echoes of certain liners of that period.
0:10:13 > 0:10:19These Olympics, Titanics, these great words are reflective of the quality of the ship.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23We could spend hours talking at detail because everything works.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's a working model. What I want to see is the machinery.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- Can we get into that? - Indeed. It takes three movements.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32One, the funnels.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34We have to remove two funnels.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40And finally we remove part of the fo'c'sle with...
0:10:42 > 0:10:46..and you can reveal the detail that took place.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52We've got the boiler and we've got the power plant itself.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Everything is there.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56Of course we've got to remember this is where he started.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01The machinery he had to build first and then he had to adapt the vessel
0:11:01 > 0:11:04around that and this is why he's changed the shape slightly.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06Yes, and it fires on meths,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08so you've got your methylated spirit tank there.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- Yes, tank there.- And the turbines.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14And I can see that this was the great age of the pond yacht,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16of the steamer that worked.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Had he been a lesser man, he would have gone out
0:11:19 > 0:11:21and bought a Marklin tin-plate warship,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and wound it up with clockwork and it would have sailed round
0:11:24 > 0:11:28the pond just the same, but he went to the greater extent of making
0:11:28 > 0:11:32a wonderful model of a great ship of the line of that period.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35So, it's a hand-built, scratch-built model,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38he's adapted the shape a bit, which is fair enough.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43The detail is meticulous, we've got everything that you can think of
0:11:43 > 0:11:46that was actually on the ship, and it works.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48What more could one want?
0:11:48 > 0:11:53I suppose this is a £10,000 model. It could be more.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56It's such a splendid thing and it's such a one-off.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- Thank you very much.- My pleasure.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03We get all sorts of visitors coming to the Roadshow from America,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07from Australia, today we have a whole crowd who've come over
0:12:07 > 0:12:11from Beijing in China and they all work in television in China.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16And you make a programme that is like the Antiques Roadshow in China, is that right?
0:12:16 > 0:12:20- Yes, we've got an antique shul. Antiques shul.- Antiques shul.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- Yes.- So antiques show?- Yes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Even I could manage that.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31And I've heard that if someone brings along an item which is fake,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36which is not real, that you smash it, you break it. Is that right?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- Yes.- Really?!
0:12:38 > 0:12:41It's the last step of the programme,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44when the people go to the last step, the presenter will ask you,
0:12:44 > 0:12:49"Are you aware go to the last step, just you, if this not real,
0:12:49 > 0:12:50"we will break it.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55"If it's a real one, very good one you'll have a big surprise."
0:12:55 > 0:12:59- "Are you willing to go to that?" - I see, so when they...
0:12:59 > 0:13:02..we're much more genteel over here. We don't quite do it like that,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06but when the person brings along their antique,
0:13:06 > 0:13:11they don't know whether the expert will say that it's very expensive
0:13:11 > 0:13:16or just break it, they just don't know which way it will go.
0:13:16 > 0:13:22No, they don't know, so it's a big surprise to the audience.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- Yes, well to the person who owns it, presumably.- Yes, sure.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29I don't think we're quite ready for that, do you?
0:13:29 > 0:13:33- But how fascinating to hear that. Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39When I was young, I adored Isadora Duncan.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43I think it was the romance, but of course Anna Pavlova
0:13:43 > 0:13:48was the greatest classical dancer ever in many people's opinion,
0:13:48 > 0:13:54and you have the most marvellous collection of Anna Pavlova memorabilia. Tell me about it.
0:13:54 > 0:14:01It belonged to my great-aunt who knew Pavlova and befriended a lot of white Russians
0:14:01 > 0:14:05who fled Russia during the Revolution,
0:14:05 > 0:14:11and she then went on to become a very keen fan
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and a huge collector,
0:14:13 > 0:14:20so I have hundreds of photographs and programmes, all sorts of things.
0:14:20 > 0:14:27One of the things she bought was this table when Ivy House had to be sold, when Pavlova died.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- And Ivy House was where she lived in Hampstead, Golders Green.- Yes.
0:14:30 > 0:14:36And here we have the wonderful Anna Pavlova in her fabulous garden
0:14:36 > 0:14:40- with the furniture behind.- Yes.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43She had tea parties in there apparently, with her friends.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48So Anna Pavlova, born near St Petersburg in Russia, 1881.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53A great mystery surrounds her father.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57But she was a very talented youngster,
0:14:57 > 0:15:03became a prima ballerina in 1906 with the Russian Imperial Ballet, Ballets Russes.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07She was an icon of her time and so stylish and they said that she had so many fans
0:15:07 > 0:15:13that they called them Pavlovatzis, so they followed her everywhere.
0:15:13 > 0:15:15They were a huge fanbase, yes.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19She really was, and still today, we've got our Darcey Bussell,
0:15:19 > 0:15:22but there's nothing like Anna Pavlova.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27And some beautiful things here, wonderful pieces of memorabilia,
0:15:27 > 0:15:32her ballet shoes, the fans she used, wonderful photographs of her
0:15:32 > 0:15:36in the garden with her swans, which of course is very evocative
0:15:36 > 0:15:42because of her superb performance in The Dying Swan.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45And these were her pet swans. And she obviously had flamingos too.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47But she was particularly fond of the swans.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50She looked after them and spent a lot of time with them,
0:15:50 > 0:15:55studying them to see how they moved and apparently when she died,
0:15:55 > 0:16:01the female pined away and died soon afterwards
0:16:01 > 0:16:04and then the male died within a month of her.
0:16:04 > 0:16:10And, of course, died tragically in 1931 and I think before she died
0:16:10 > 0:16:15they wanted to give her an operation for her pneumonia
0:16:15 > 0:16:19but they told her that she would never dance again and she said,
0:16:19 > 0:16:23"If I can't dance, I'd rather die."
0:16:23 > 0:16:30- So she was a true star of her day. - Yes.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31And tell me about this.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36It was amongst her collection
0:16:36 > 0:16:40and it's a white feather from the Dying Swan costume.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- And we know that, do we? We know it's definitely from...?- We don't know.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47- We don't know.- All I know is, because she was a friend of hers,
0:16:47 > 0:16:52because she knew her, I don't think she'd put a white feather in a frame for any other reason.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56Well, I believe it. I'm there. She...
0:16:56 > 0:16:57Look at this photograph of her.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02So beautiful, and seemingly, when she started training as a ballerina,
0:17:02 > 0:17:09the other ballerinas laughed at her, because she had very thick feet and she wasn't as nimble
0:17:09 > 0:17:14as some of the ballerinas, but she had passion
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- and superb skills.- Yes.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20So she was the most fantastic idol of her day.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24I mean, here we are sitting on her chairs, her table.
0:17:24 > 0:17:31You have hundreds of photographs, programmes, letters,
0:17:31 > 0:17:36- telegrams and so it's a very difficult thing to value.- I know.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39But I feel that in a specialist sale,
0:17:39 > 0:17:46- you'd certainly be looking at £5,000, £10,000.- Yes.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24Well, what I can say is this is an absolute hybrid.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I've never seen anything quite like it.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I mean, the arms are turned table legs.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33I think it's one of those things that was put together by somebody
0:18:33 > 0:18:37who had all these elements around him and just thought,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41"I'll make a bench today." But a pure antique this is not.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44I feel it must have got a bit of a story.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46It does actually, yes, yes.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51I bought it in an auction in 1998 at West Heath School,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53where Princess Diana went to school.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- Which is just up the road, isn't it? - Yes, yes, it is.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59And I went to the auction to buy a dancing cup
0:18:59 > 0:19:05because she won a cup for dancing, and came away with this instead.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09The dancing cup went for a little more than I could pay.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- So you went for a dancing cup.- Yes. - And what did that make?
0:19:12 > 0:19:17- It made £7,000. - So you were the underbidder.
0:19:17 > 0:19:22I was the mystery bidder and I pulled out at £6,800.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24And what on Earth made you buy this instead?
0:19:24 > 0:19:29Well, I just saw it and loved it and thought, "She may have sat on this."
0:19:29 > 0:19:34- So I just had to have it. - Well, we can only dream.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39I haven't found the initials DS on it yet but I'm still looking.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40I hope you didn't pay an awful lot.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45I think somewhere verging around £150 to £200.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50- That would sound about right, yes. - You weren't robbed.- I know.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56So water, water everywhere and we've been driven inside this little tent
0:19:56 > 0:20:00to talk about your things, but these come from water, don't they?
0:20:00 > 0:20:02- Tell us about it.- Yeah they do.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05I've been field-walking, metal-detecting for some 30 years
0:20:05 > 0:20:10and, probably for the last 20 years, I've been going to the Thames
0:20:10 > 0:20:15in London and doing surface metal detecting with my dad here.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20- Some of the items here, the ring was found by my granddad so it comes down a long line.- Wow.
0:20:20 > 0:20:27The interest in the history and the other two items are items that myself and my dad found.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Marvellous, and so mud-larking, the great pleasure of it is that
0:20:31 > 0:20:35your footprints are going into the mud where others have been in the past,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38and these things are found on the banks of the Thames.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41You wait until the tide goes down and you use a metal detector.
0:20:41 > 0:20:46I use a metal detector, and two tides a day, so I pick a tide, normally at a weekend,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50go down there and scavenge around the dirty mud,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54and it doesn't have to be anything special, it could be just the smallest of objects.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Whether it's a pot shard or a pipe,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59it all goes up to the Museum of London for recording
0:20:59 > 0:21:03and I've pieces which are on display in the Museum of London,
0:21:03 > 0:21:05but the key thing is everything gets recorded.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08It's our heritage and we have to look after it. Lovely.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11I want to start with this one, which is a pilgrim badge,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and it's fairly evident to me that this was brought back
0:21:14 > 0:21:16from a holy place by a pilgrim
0:21:16 > 0:21:19who must have crossed the river at London and lost it then.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22But what I can say is that he or she had been to the site
0:21:22 > 0:21:28where the Virgin Mary was venerated because this is her monogram above here.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31It has every letter of the word "Maria" above it,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35and it shines above everything else, which of course is the Crucifixion.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It's central to Catholic liturgy.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39This is from a Catholic country where this was made,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42where teeming sensors, painted ceilings,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47silver chalices, plainsong, was something that you could see,
0:21:47 > 0:21:51and these people didn't hope to go to heaven. They had been to heaven.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54They went to these places because they viewed it as a window
0:21:54 > 0:21:57into another world, and they wanted to bring back a souvenir
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and perhaps they didn't have much money, so out of gold and silver,
0:22:00 > 0:22:05and scented oils and song, they bring something made of lead
0:22:05 > 0:22:09to remind them of the fact that they've nearly gone to heaven.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12I assume that probably when they crossed the river on a barge,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15that that was lost and we can only imagine what that would've felt like
0:22:15 > 0:22:19to somebody who'd made a long pilgrimage to somewhere, perhaps Walsingham,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22where the Cult of Our Lady was very powerful.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25How could you ask for anything more magical? It's wonderful stuff.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27And another loss, and another find, isn't it?
0:22:27 > 0:22:31That was actually found by my granddad years ago,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35field-walking, so would be long before the time of metal detectors
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and that could be thing that started it all off.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42I think it started it off and it's almost certainly a 15th-century ring, probably contemporary,
0:22:42 > 0:22:47with the lead pilgrim badge, but here is nearly pure gold, set with a garnet in the middle.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50The stones on the other side are glass. They're rather rubbed.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54I don't think that matters. Glass turns up in ancient jewellery
0:22:54 > 0:22:58and adds colour where colour was rarely seen in medieval society.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01People's clothes were coloured with vegetable dyes,
0:23:01 > 0:23:03so bring colour into this, one way of doing it
0:23:03 > 0:23:06was to go and visit a cathedral to venerate the shrine of a saint
0:23:06 > 0:23:08and the other was through jewellery.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13This is much later, much later, 150 years later,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17maybe 16th or 17th century, probably more likely 16th century.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20- Have you thought about who the saint is?- I believe it's of St Peter
0:23:20 > 0:23:23but I'm not sure. Is it bone or ivory?
0:23:23 > 0:23:26It's certainly an organic substance and it now looks like bronze
0:23:26 > 0:23:28because it's been lying in the mud.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31But what I like about it is it's the sort of knife
0:23:31 > 0:23:35that would've been carried by a fairly high-ranking, devout person
0:23:35 > 0:23:38to carry the image of a saint with him, to his food,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40with an image of a saint on it.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Christianity was all-encompassing, all-focusing, a driving force
0:23:44 > 0:23:47in art and spirituality and here we have it again.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52But what I like about this is, it's almost exactly contemporary with Hever Castle,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55and when you came to a place like this, you brought your own knife.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58The concept of a fork was probably quite foreign.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I'm sure it was, in fact, and this is a constant reminder of St Peter,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05who is the man that is going to open the Gates of Heaven for you,
0:24:05 > 0:24:10which you had seen perhaps by venerating a shrine earlier on.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14They're all linked, they're marvellous objects, they make me breathless with excitement
0:24:14 > 0:24:17and they make you breathless, don't they? And your father.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22The excitement doesn't change. I've been doing it so many years.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I suppose we have to try to measure other people's love of them
0:24:25 > 0:24:28and curiously enough, it may not be very valuable,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31its value might be measured in low hundreds of pounds.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35If you were lucky enough to buy it, maybe £200, £300, £400.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Be utterly delighted for me to have that one.
0:24:37 > 0:24:44And an English Renaissance knife handle, it's up for grabs, isn't it?
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Is it worth £500, £600? It would be to me.
0:24:48 > 0:24:53This one, curiously enough, is easier. This is a very modest,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56sweet English ring from the 15th century,
0:24:56 > 0:25:01and in my view it must be worth £3,000-£4,000, £5,000, something like that.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03How could it be worth less?
0:25:03 > 0:25:07I'm amazed. The value... I'd no idea of the values,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10the ring especially, and it's secondary to me.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Initially, that's not why I got involved in this,
0:25:12 > 0:25:16but when you see it on this programme, when the jaws drop,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19- and I actually felt my jaw... - Did you? Did it drop?- So thank you.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21You dropped my jaw for different reasons.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26I don't care about the money. It's so exciting and moving and thank you for bringing it.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30You really are a very lucky girl, you know.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34You brought these along to the one Roadshow
0:25:34 > 0:25:39where we have round about 30 guests from Beijing TV station behind you here.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43- Hi.- Hello!- Ni hao.- Ni hao!
0:25:43 > 0:25:45ALL: Ni hao!
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Fabulous pair of Chinese porcelain plaques.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Despite the rain, they're porcelain, it's fine, they won't get any damage in them.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54What's so lovely about these plaques
0:25:54 > 0:25:58is they are illustrating the process of porcelain production.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02You can see this figure sitting here, holding a paintbrush
0:26:02 > 0:26:04with a lovely vase on the side here with a dragon
0:26:04 > 0:26:06and a sacred pearl of wisdom.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Here we've got a chap wearing the most wonderful spectacles.
0:26:09 > 0:26:10- Aren't they great?- Fabulous.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16I think he may be painting a crane or something. We have a bitong, or a brush pot, here.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21The plaque nearer you has the kiln and here are the finished vases
0:26:21 > 0:26:25coming out of the kiln. Terrific things. Where did you get them?
0:26:25 > 0:26:29They were my great-aunt and uncle's and I remember when I was small,
0:26:29 > 0:26:33visiting their home, they were always on the wall, and I inherited them.
0:26:33 > 0:26:37- And I know nothing else about them. - What about you? Did you say, "I want those plaques?"
0:26:37 > 0:26:40I did like them and admire them every time I visited.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45The detail in them, the colours, the images...just fabulous.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49In terms of the date they were made, this style of decoration,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52which is known as famille verte, it's a term coined in France
0:26:52 > 0:26:57in the 19th century, but it's called famille verte decoration,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00was first made during the reign of the Emperor Kangxi.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03He reigned 1662 to 1722.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08But styles and techniques were copied, so these actually don't date from the Kangxi period.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12They date from the 19th century. But they are so beautifully done.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16What's also interesting about them is all this calligraphy on them.
0:27:16 > 0:27:20I'm not very au fait at reading Chinese Imperial reign marks,
0:27:20 > 0:27:26but I guess these are describing what's going on.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Here is our luck.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Would you be kind enough to see if you can help us with these pieces?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35- OK.- We start with this one up here.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40- It means a place to paint those products.- OK.
0:27:40 > 0:27:47- And here?- Painting bottle.- Painting the bottle. And this one here?
0:27:47 > 0:27:53I think that means the guy who is taking charge of this place.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- He's the boss.- Yeah, yeah. - And on this panel?
0:27:55 > 0:28:01- Um... Here it means kiln.- Kiln. - Kiln.- Yeah.
0:28:01 > 0:28:08And here means open the kiln and it means after the process is finished,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12- this one, take this one, take the bottle.- OK.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16And this means moving the bottle, and then after all this,
0:28:16 > 0:28:19they take these away and to the market, maybe.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22- So it's the narrative of what's going on in the scenes.- Yeah.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25I think they're really interesting, lovely things.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28- Mm.- Very, very nice indeed, and thank you for that.
0:28:28 > 0:28:33Presumably you brought them here because you want an idea of what they're worth.
0:28:33 > 0:28:39It was more about why they were made and the description, the narrative.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42They're made, really, to be decorative plaques.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44They may have fitted inside a table screen.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47It's not uncommon to see woods, sometimes zitan,
0:28:47 > 0:28:50or other Chinese hardwoods, table screens,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53with porcelain plaques which are inset into them,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56or sometimes they're just framed as decorative objects.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Obviously, if they were 17th century, if they were Kangxi period,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03they would be very much more valuable than they are.
0:29:03 > 0:29:09- In a Chinese auction, I think these would fetch at least £10,000.- Wow.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Which is, in Renminbi, that would be...
0:29:13 > 0:29:17- 120,000 Yuan?- That's right.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22120,000 Yuan, but terrific things, really nice things to see.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Thank you very much for coming.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26- And thank you.- Thank you.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Xie xie and thank you.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30My pleasure, my pleasure.
0:29:33 > 0:29:37I inherited the Titanic medal, as it's known in the family,
0:29:37 > 0:29:42from my godmother, who was my mother's eldest sister.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44She in turn inherited it from her mother
0:29:44 > 0:29:49and she obviously inherited it from her father, who was David Eaton,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52who was shipwright on the RMS Carpathia and he built
0:29:52 > 0:29:56the bunks and the accommodation for the survivors of the Titanic.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59- Because the Carpathia was a Cunard ship...- Absolutely.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01..that basically picked up signals
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- saying that the Titanic was in distress.- Yes.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08And Rostron, the captain of the Carpathia,
0:30:08 > 0:30:13obviously steamed, as you would, to the aid of the Titanic.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Yes, he put huge pressure on the boilers
0:30:15 > 0:30:17to get there as quickly as he could.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20They shut down every superfluous thing on the ship,
0:30:20 > 0:30:22- the electricity, the generators. - Central heating.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24The passengers froze.
0:30:24 > 0:30:27To get as much speed as they could out of the Carpathia.
0:30:27 > 0:30:29Now we all know about the loss of life,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32but what many perhaps don't know is how many lives were saved,
0:30:32 > 0:30:36and the Carpathia and its crew saved over 700 souls from the Titanic.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Now what's very poignant about that is that
0:30:39 > 0:30:42perhaps your relative would have been one of those people
0:30:42 > 0:30:44who was pulling those people from the water.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46He definitely was, yes, yes.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49He would have had to deal with the tragedy of probably pulling a lot of...
0:30:49 > 0:30:53A lot of people who froze to death and what a lot of people don't know
0:30:53 > 0:30:56is that people continued dying after they were rescued
0:30:56 > 0:30:58through being, well, hypothermic.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Well, all the officers and crew on the Carpathia
0:31:01 > 0:31:03were awarded a medal and depending on your status,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06you were either awarded a bronze medal for the crew,
0:31:06 > 0:31:10silver medal for officers and a gold medal for the captain.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13- I think there were two or three gold medals actually.- Yes, there were.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15It's a myth that never seems to be quite resolved
0:31:15 > 0:31:18- about how many gold medals were issued.- Absolutely right.
0:31:18 > 0:31:20We're fairly certain about the silver medals.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Here is his silver medal, and if we have a quick look at it,
0:31:23 > 0:31:26you can see it's a lovely, detailed medal.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28We turn it over, it has an inscription on the reverse,
0:31:28 > 0:31:33"Presented to captain, officers & crew of RMS 'Carpathia'
0:31:33 > 0:31:35"in recognition of gallant & heroic services
0:31:35 > 0:31:40"from the survivors, SS 'Titanic'."
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Now, it is a remarkably poignant thing and you must be,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47how can I say, very, very proud to have this in the family.
0:31:47 > 0:31:51Oh, immensely proud, it... Although I inherited it,
0:31:51 > 0:31:56I don't believe or accept that it actually belongs to me.
0:31:56 > 0:31:57It's a family thing
0:31:57 > 0:32:01and it will continue to go through the eldest of each generation.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04- You're the custodian for a while. - I am, yes.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07I hate to talk about value when it comes to these items,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09because they're almost beyond value,
0:32:09 > 0:32:13but given the proximity of the centenary
0:32:13 > 0:32:15of the sinking of the Titanic,
0:32:15 > 0:32:19of course, interest is strong, and, you know,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23if this were to come to auction, this would make £7,000 to £10,000.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26Mm, doesn't surprise me, to be honest.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28It's a lot of money. But, as I say,
0:32:28 > 0:32:29I feel it's beyond value,
0:32:29 > 0:32:32- because it will never leave your family.- No, never.
0:32:32 > 0:32:38Well, I've been collecting glass now for about 30-odd years,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40and the majority I've bought very, very cheaply.
0:32:40 > 0:32:44I have to admit that that one is not mine,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47it belongs to my brother, he asked me to bring it along.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51- He bought that for 50p at a car-boot sale.- OK, and what about the rest?
0:32:51 > 0:32:53The decanters, for instance?
0:32:53 > 0:32:57This was the first one I ever acquired, again,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59I got it at an antique fair...
0:32:59 > 0:33:01The chap had had it on his stall for months.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I didn't know what it was, he didn't know what it was
0:33:04 > 0:33:05and I bought it for £2.50.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08OK, well, I mean, talk about manna from heaven,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11so you've got great stuff that's cost nothing.
0:33:11 > 0:33:12Yeah, love it.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16So I'm particularly well-known for decanters
0:33:16 > 0:33:20and they're just terrific examples of extremely rare things.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24I had never previously handled one of those...
0:33:24 > 0:33:26straight-sided mallet,
0:33:26 > 0:33:32dating 1725, so that's almost 300 years old.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35I mean that's just an incredibly rare thing. I mean I've written...
0:33:35 > 0:33:38You know, I spent six years writing a book on the decanter
0:33:38 > 0:33:42- and I've never handled one until this came into my hands.- Wow.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46So that's just sheer delight, wonderful to see.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50You've bought them well and the values are great,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52you know, really good values.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55This little Lynn tumbler here,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58that dates from 1740-1745
0:33:58 > 0:34:01and is worth, maybe £300.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03I mean look at it, look at how tiny that is,
0:34:03 > 0:34:06and that's 300, that's a 300-quid glass.
0:34:06 > 0:34:07I paid £15 for that.
0:34:07 > 0:34:0915, well, I'll give you 16,
0:34:09 > 0:34:13show you a profit, man, don't you fret.
0:34:13 > 0:34:18Cruciform decanters. Again, these are all... 1730 is their date,
0:34:18 > 0:34:19really rare.
0:34:19 > 0:34:25What happened with the cruciform is that the wine was so disgusting at this date,
0:34:25 > 0:34:26that what they did is,
0:34:26 > 0:34:30they immersed it in cisterns of iced water
0:34:30 > 0:34:34and that form enabled the water, the iced water,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37to cool the wine, to chill it to a point
0:34:37 > 0:34:39where you couldn't actually taste it,
0:34:39 > 0:34:43and that way you could actually drink this disgusting filth
0:34:43 > 0:34:46that passed for wine of the period.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50But the mystery one, the one that is the most compelling here,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53is this little baby, which is clearly the pretty one.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55We have a domed and folded foot,
0:34:55 > 0:35:01this is a really early 1720-1730 characteristic, right?
0:35:01 > 0:35:06And we come up here to gadrooning here and this white...
0:35:06 > 0:35:11It's a white wine glass, so we have the slightly pinched-in bowl.
0:35:11 > 0:35:17Now Thomas Betts's inventory of 1765 describes these
0:35:17 > 0:35:22as egg-shaped mead glasses for champagne.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26So the dome suggests to me 1730.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29I'm slightly worried about a later repro,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33- whether this is a Victorian copy. - Right.
0:35:33 > 0:35:38But if this is right, this 50p glass is £1,000.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Wow.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47My brother will be very pleased.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49It's a bit of a wreck.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52- It is. - How long has it been like this?
0:35:52 > 0:35:54Quite some time now.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56And why did you bring it?
0:35:56 > 0:36:00I was going to throw it away and I thought I'd just bring it down.
0:36:00 > 0:36:03Let's just see what's happened to it.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Oh, my goodness, that is a real disaster, isn't it?
0:36:06 > 0:36:10- It is. - At some stage somebody thought it was worth saving the bits,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and saving them for the man who came along on his bike with his rivets,
0:36:13 > 0:36:16to rivet the whole thing together again.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19I mean, the whole thing is heaving, I can sort of feel it.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Dear oh, dear. OK, well, tell me the story behind it.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24How did it come to you?
0:36:24 > 0:36:30Well, it was my granddad's and it was on his bedroom wall at the head of his bed and it was always there.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32And was he a religious man?
0:36:32 > 0:36:34He was, yes.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Which is why it was there, because this is a religious theme,
0:36:37 > 0:36:41it shows the Assumption of the Virgin rising on clouds into heaven,
0:36:41 > 0:36:43and an incredibly elaborate border.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47Now do you know your baroque from your rococo?
0:36:47 > 0:36:48No, not at all.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50The baroque comes first.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53It's very grand, very symmetrical, but it's very swirly and whirly.
0:36:53 > 0:36:59And then it's followed by the rococo when it gets sort of slightly pushed to one side,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03it's shifted, and lots of scrolls and shells enter, so you've got a mixture here.
0:37:03 > 0:37:08It's slightly baroque but then there's a bit of rococo,
0:37:08 > 0:37:12- so I reckon that this is on the cusp of one moving to the other.- Yes.
0:37:12 > 0:37:14And that will take us to 1730-1740.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16And this is a holy water stoup,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19and you put water in there and, of course,
0:37:19 > 0:37:23whenever you are crossing yourself,
0:37:23 > 0:37:26or making a prayer, this comes in useful for making your prayers.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28It was made in Italy,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32almost certainly by a factory called Doccia and they specialised in
0:37:32 > 0:37:37picking out the shade of little bodies like these with stippling.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41You can, it almost looks like a sort of five o'clock shadow,
0:37:41 > 0:37:44- and you see the way the faces are done, down there.- Yes.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48That's a particular sign of this factory.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52The question is it worth restoring a very badly damaged 18th-century holy water stoup?
0:37:52 > 0:37:54What do you think?
0:37:55 > 0:37:56No idea.
0:37:56 > 0:38:01To get it restored, you're going to spend £200, I guess.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04What's it worth when you've done it?
0:38:04 > 0:38:05£1,000.
0:38:05 > 0:38:06Right.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10- That's very good, yes. - HE LAUGHS
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Now something very odd is going on here,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18because a bee has been attracted to these boxes,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22because he can see this astonishing gleam of gold in the summer sunlight
0:38:22 > 0:38:25and it duped him into thinking this was a buttercup,
0:38:25 > 0:38:30because it's buttercup yellow and the presence of gold in sunlight,
0:38:30 > 0:38:34for heaven's sake, we're starting on a winning wicket here, aren't we?
0:38:34 > 0:38:35Tell me about them with you.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38How long have you had them? What's the story?
0:38:38 > 0:38:41I think we've had them about 30 years, probably.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45They belonged to our father and he was given them by a client.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50I knew he had these two snuffboxes but I'd never ever seen them.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54It was only when we were clearing out Mum's house that we found them in the loft in a tin box.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57- Amazing!- So that's how.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59You'd seen them, but you'd not seen them?
0:38:59 > 0:39:00I've never seen them.
0:39:00 > 0:39:01- Never seen them?- No.
0:39:01 > 0:39:02Well, look at them.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06These are the ultimate status symbols from the 18th century
0:39:06 > 0:39:07and the early 19th century.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10These were a sign that you had certainly arrived
0:39:10 > 0:39:13and they would be part of very complicated arrangements
0:39:13 > 0:39:16- which would probably involve a gold-mounted cane...- Oh, right.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20..and a superb waistcoat shot with silk, covered in peacocks and I don't know what else,
0:39:20 > 0:39:23- and they were objects of great curiosity.- Right.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28And one tended to use them, there was a slight feeling of souvenir quality to them.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32They would come from where you had been, because you were able to travel
0:39:32 > 0:39:35in a time when travel was very difficult.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39You would take an entourage with you of servants to make the travel easier,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41and you would go, more often than not, to Italy,
0:39:41 > 0:39:43because it was accessible,
0:39:43 > 0:39:45- and it's from Italy that this one comes.- Oh, right.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- And it comes from Italy in the mid-18th century.- Right.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Have you ever thought what it's made of?
0:39:51 > 0:39:53I think it's made of tortoiseshell.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57It is, but it's made of a very particular tortoiseshell
0:39:57 > 0:39:59- and it doesn't come from a tortoise. - Oh, right.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04It comes from a turtle, and more complicatedly, it comes from the underside of the turtle,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06which has what we call blonde tortoiseshell,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10so it's this extraordinary amber effect and we call it piquet work
0:40:10 > 0:40:13and tortoiseshell is very malleable, it's curious,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17it looks a tiny bit like plastic, I'm afraid, and it reacts like it,
0:40:17 > 0:40:19and so you build up the image of gold
0:40:19 > 0:40:22- by sawing it out and piercing it...- Right.
0:40:22 > 0:40:27..put it into a dye and force it against the tortoiseshell and some heat and steam
0:40:27 > 0:40:33and the tortoiseshell receives it, it becomes cool and the organic nature of the thing
0:40:33 > 0:40:36- grips the gold and it seems to grip it like an absolute vice.- Right.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39And it's an astonishing sight.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43It evokes Italy in every possible way, there's a sort of Arcadian ruin here,
0:40:43 > 0:40:49- a tiny whiff of perhaps the Castel Sant'Angelo, which is in Rome.- Oh, right.
0:40:49 > 0:40:53Superb condition, utterly marvellous object, but that's the 18th century.
0:40:53 > 0:40:57The tradition for gold boxes creeps into the 19th century and in some ways
0:40:57 > 0:41:04it isn't quite as inspired as sort of the vivacity of this object is extraordinary,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07I mean it's alive, it's trembling out of the rococo,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10it's asymmetrical, it's wonderful - this is neoclassical.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15Everything about it is very severe lines, but astonishingly beautiful as well,
0:41:15 > 0:41:24and it's lined with gold to keep the snuff fresh and this material here is also tortoiseshell,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26but it's almost jet black.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28What did you think the technique was?
0:41:28 > 0:41:30- I haven't a clue. - No, not really.- No, not a clue.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34You could easily be forgiven for thinking it was a painting.
0:41:34 > 0:41:35It does look like one.
0:41:35 > 0:41:40It's anything but. And the miracle of this one is that it's micro-mosaic.
0:41:40 > 0:41:46It's a tiny tessera of probably glass and stone, of unbelievable sophistication
0:41:46 > 0:41:50and this is micro-mosaic at its absolutely finest.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54Oddly enough, the product probably of Rome, where micro-mosaic
0:41:54 > 0:42:00was the technique inherited from the surroundings, the architecture, and then boiled down into this,
0:42:00 > 0:42:03distilled into this snuffbox.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07But then, the panel was Italian without doubt,
0:42:07 > 0:42:09but the box is actually Swiss.
0:42:09 > 0:42:11- It has Swiss gold marks inside. - Oh, right.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14And again, it's in astonishingly good condition,
0:42:14 > 0:42:18- because it's still contained in this utterly pristine box.- Yeah.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21So 1760 for this. 1820 for this.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25we can practically hear the guns of Waterloo above us
0:42:25 > 0:42:27- when we look at this.- Right.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31It's neoclassical, it's unbelievably refined craftsmanship,
0:42:31 > 0:42:35perfectly preserved, very enviable, very collectable.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37So I think this one here
0:42:37 > 0:42:42is worth £8,000 to £10,000 for this one.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44THEY LAUGH
0:42:44 > 0:42:46Amazing.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49And maybe £6,000 to £8,000 for that one.
0:42:49 > 0:42:51- Oh, my God!- That's a lot of money.
0:42:51 > 0:42:558,000 to 10,000! And this one was?
0:42:55 > 0:42:58- 6,000 to 8,000. - 6,000 to 8,000, oh, my...!
0:42:58 > 0:43:01- So it's all right!- Yes, very good. - What else is in the attic?
0:43:06 > 0:43:08Do you remember earlier I met that Chinese TV executive
0:43:08 > 0:43:11who was telling me about the programme in China,
0:43:11 > 0:43:16where if someone brings along a fake or a kind of valueless object to the programme,
0:43:16 > 0:43:17they smash it at the end?
0:43:17 > 0:43:21I've been thinking... Do you think it might catch on?
0:43:23 > 0:43:26I don't think it will, actually.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29Had you going though, didn't I?
0:43:29 > 0:43:32From the Antiques Roadshow, until next time, bye-bye.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40Subtitles by Ericsson