0:00:11 > 0:00:12It'll come as no surprise to you
0:00:12 > 0:00:16to learn that we are very weather dependent on the Antiques Roadshow,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18and the series so far has experienced
0:00:18 > 0:00:21some of the wettest weather since records began.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23So today we've been praying for a break in the clouds,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and it looks like our venue has answered our prayers,
0:00:26 > 0:00:28because one has just appeared.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31But then, this was a very important place of worship
0:00:31 > 0:00:33nearly 800 years ago.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Welcome to the ruins of Fountains Abbey
0:00:35 > 0:00:37near Ripon in North Yorkshire.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30You might think it's crazy to set up a Roadshow in a ruin.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33I mean, what if this brief burst of sunshine doesn't last,
0:01:33 > 0:01:35and it starts to rain again?
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Well, usually we use a marquee,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41but this time we have the oldest wet-weather cover we've ever used.
0:01:47 > 0:01:50Known as the solarium, it started out life as a refectory,
0:01:50 > 0:01:54and then it was used as a store for the Abbey's food and produce,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58and amazingly, it's in almost as good a nick now
0:01:58 > 0:02:01as it was when it was built back in 1170.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Quite an achievement for 13 disillusioned monks
0:02:04 > 0:02:08with a dream to set up a monastery in the middle of nowhere.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15The Cistercian monks led austere lives,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19and spent most of the day in silent meditation and prayer.
0:02:19 > 0:02:20They were known as the White Monks,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23because of the coarse sheep's wool robes they wore,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26and they didn't wear underwear beneath them,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29just to make them that bit more uncomfortable.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36It took 80 years to build Fountains Abbey, and as it grew,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39so too did its economic and political clout.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43It was a highly organised and self-sufficient community,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and eventually became one of the wealthiest monasteries in Britain,
0:02:46 > 0:02:50lived in by 500 people - that's equivalent to a medieval town.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Fountains Abbey was home to the monks for four centuries,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57until Henry VIII ordered its dissolution,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00since when it's remained a ruin,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04albeit one of the biggest and best-preserved in Europe.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05And let's hope our visitors,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08flocking in from nearby towns like Ripon and Harrogate
0:03:08 > 0:03:11won't need to take advantage of the wet-weather cover
0:03:11 > 0:03:13kindly provided by the monks.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18This is just the kind of thing you'd need
0:03:18 > 0:03:20if you'd been standing in a long queue at the Antiques Roadshow
0:03:20 > 0:03:22- for a couple of hours.- Yeah.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27A seat or stool, and formed from three lovely squidgy cushions,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30and you think, "Wow that's going to be comfortable," until you do that.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32HOLLOW KNOCKING
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Then you realise they're not three squidgy cushions at all,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38- it's all made from pottery, isn't it?- Yes.- Where did you get it?
0:03:38 > 0:03:44Well, I bought it in auction, it was damaged, it cost £100,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46you know, which I felt was a good price.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48- Right. But it was damaged?- Yes.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Faulty goods.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Cost £500 - I had to repair it.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53THEY LAUGH
0:03:53 > 0:03:57- So, £500?- Yes, yeah.
0:03:57 > 0:03:58But it's worth it.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59Yeah, well, absolutely.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I mean, look - the restoration's been beautifully done,
0:04:02 > 0:04:03so that's fine.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06But, I mean, you don't know where it's from or anything like that.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07No, no history, no.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Well, it's a garden seat, and that's the name we give
0:04:10 > 0:04:14to seats which are often made out of pottery or porcelain,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and they're made for use in the garden or in a conservatory,
0:04:17 > 0:04:18where it's damp and wet,
0:04:18 > 0:04:21and you couldn't have wooden furniture or upholstered furniture.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22- Yeah.- This is ideal.
0:04:22 > 0:04:23Um...
0:04:23 > 0:04:27What's interesting about this, apart from the fantastic modelling -
0:04:27 > 0:04:29you know, it's just a brilliant idea, isn't it,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31three cushions like this -
0:04:31 > 0:04:33but it's the wonderful painting on it.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37This is a style of painting that I recognise so well.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41- It originates, actually, in Wales in the 1820s.- Oh, right.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45And it makes it really interesting and easy to date a piece like this,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- just by virtue of these wonderful flower sprays.- Yes, yeah.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52And we're looking at a date of around 1835 or 1840.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Lovely.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I don't think it actually matters who made it,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58or when it was made, just look at it.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59- Right.- It's glorious.- Yeah.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01Actually, I don't know who made it.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04That's the problem, there's not a mark on it.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Minton would have been a candidate,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08but it's not in the Minton shape books -
0:05:08 > 0:05:09I've checked.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10Right.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14So we just have to say an English pottery garden seat.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Still a mystery.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- Still a mystery, but it's English, and we've dated it.- Good.
0:05:18 > 0:05:23- Good.- And your £100 purchase price...
0:05:23 > 0:05:25£500 restoration job...
0:05:25 > 0:05:28you must have felt a bit anxious after that, did you?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- It's a beautiful piece, and I love it to bits.- Yeah.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- So you don't care, really? - I don't care about the cost.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35You just invested the money because you wanted...
0:05:35 > 0:05:38- I've never seen another one. - No, you won't see another one.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39I've never seen one.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40No.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42But I think the fact that it's restored doesn't matter.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44I don't think anyone will care.
0:05:44 > 0:05:45They will just look at this,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48and they will fall in love, as I have done, as you did.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49Yeah, yeah.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50And I think they'd pay...
0:05:52 > 0:05:54- ..£3,000 for it.- Lovely, yes.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56- Maybe more.- Yes.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Good for the family's future.
0:05:58 > 0:05:59Absolutely.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00Yes.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Now, I'm very fond of clocks, but I'll tell you something,
0:06:04 > 0:06:06I'm quite glad I don't own this,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08because I wouldn't want to move it around the house too much.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11No, it doesn't get moved a lot, no, you're all right.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- HE LAUGHS - What sort of weight is it?
0:06:13 > 0:06:17It's about 125lb, somewhere there.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20It's a massive calendar mantel clock.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23And obviously, something big like this,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25it's been a presentation or something of that sort.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27What do you know about it?
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Me mother bought it 60 year ago at a house clearance sale.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- What did she pay? Do you remember? - 30 shillings.
0:06:34 > 0:06:3530 shillings?
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- That's, what, £1.50 in new money, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42You said it came with a pair of vases.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Yes, but she gave them away, she didn't want 'em.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Well, I mean it would have been new then,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48it would have been a very generous present.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49- It would, wouldn't it?- Ooh, yeah.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52The black slate - and I say black slate because this is slate,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- it's not black marble.- Yeah, yeah.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Obviously, the brown is marble, but this is black slate,
0:06:57 > 0:06:59and it was used, basically, as a symbol of mourning
0:06:59 > 0:07:01after the death of Prince Albert.
0:07:01 > 0:07:06- Ah.- And this is the sort of full-blown example of it,
0:07:06 > 0:07:08within two decades after his death.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11You can see the visible Brocot escapement there,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14with the ruby pallets, obviously striking nicely.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17You've got a lovely barometer there, beautifully enamelled,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20absolutely lovely, and then this is the piece that I adore,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22is this perpetual calendar.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- And you've seen that click... - That doesn't work.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25- It doesn't work?- No.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- It would be quite easy to get it going, I'm sure.- Yes.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32But I mean, you've got the moon, the phases of the moon in there,
0:07:32 > 0:07:37and then you've got, obviously, day, date and month,
0:07:37 > 0:07:38and it will be perpetual,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42- it will absolutely counteract for each leap year as well.- Yeah.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44- Yes.- It should be that good.
0:07:44 > 0:07:50It's a top-of-the-range item, very, very busy, even down to the bezels.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54When you think that most bezels are just gilt brass,
0:07:54 > 0:07:56but this - you've actually got it all chased.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01It's been beautifully done with gold flower heads.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03It's superb quality.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04Is it French?
0:08:04 > 0:08:07- French throughout. - That's what I thought, yeah.
0:08:07 > 0:08:08Apart from the fact of the case,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11which might have been made of Belgian slate.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16The only thing that I'm slightly not happy about is the eagle.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I bought that a year ago, just to set it off.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20- To set it off! - HE LAUGHS
0:08:20 > 0:08:23- To make it even taller!- Yes! THEY LAUGH
0:08:23 > 0:08:26I don't what was... could have been a lion on top.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30I mean, I think that this is absolutely right,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- can I just remove that?- Yeah.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34But that's obviously pretty new, and I'm not...
0:08:34 > 0:08:37I don't think it goes with it terribly well, to be honest.
0:08:37 > 0:08:38Well, I like it.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- That's all that matters. - THEY LAUGH
0:08:40 > 0:08:43- Size is slightly against it.- Yeah.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45If it was a little bit smaller, it'd be rather more money,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47but at auction it's still going to make
0:08:47 > 0:08:50£2,500 to £3,000.
0:08:50 > 0:08:51Mm-hmm, yeah.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53- Are you happy with that? - Yes, yes, yes.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54Good.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57I'll tell you something, it's not a bad investment on 30 bob, is it?
0:08:57 > 0:08:59Ah, no, no, no.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Takes a lot of polishing.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03THEY LAUGH
0:09:04 > 0:09:07What a wonderful collection of Inuit carvings.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Where did you get them?
0:09:09 > 0:09:13In the late '60s, I was a dental officer on Baffin Island,
0:09:13 > 0:09:14in the high Arctic,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17travelling from settlement to settlement,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19and providing dental care.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24In the process, I got very interested in their carvings.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28But each of these is carved by a man -
0:09:28 > 0:09:29or a woman -
0:09:29 > 0:09:36that I treated, and so some of them were for payment for the dentistry,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39but others I would negotiate and buy off them.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41And did they have good teeth?
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Oh, no, their teeth was absolutely terrible, really.
0:09:44 > 0:09:45SHE LAUGHS
0:09:45 > 0:09:49I extracted over 7,000 teeth in three years.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50My goodness.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52And what about this one?
0:09:52 > 0:09:54This is, I think, the most interesting.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Um...
0:09:56 > 0:10:00The carver is a man, or was a man called Noah - he's dead now -
0:10:00 > 0:10:03one of the most famous of the carvers, born in 1900,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and he needed new dentures.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10So I made him some new dentures, and because I knew he was a carver,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12I said, would he carve me something?
0:10:12 > 0:10:15And he came back a few days later with this.
0:10:16 > 0:10:21And it is a man who has a very bad abscess on a tooth,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25which is closing his eye, there.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27That's fascinating, and of course,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31you've got wonderful examples of the Inuit, with their Shamanist...
0:10:31 > 0:10:35- That's right.- ..inspiration, and also their transformation.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36- A man transforming.- This one, yes.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41This is a Shaman, he's dancing, he's beating his drum,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46and he's going into a trance and changing into a wolf.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51This is a very interesting piece, it's by a 14-year-old girl,
0:10:51 > 0:10:56- and it's a piece of caribou thigh bone carved as a musk ox.- Musk ox.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01And this is a seal hunter, and as soon as they kill a seal,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04they blow some water into the mouth of the seal,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05and say a little prayer,
0:11:05 > 0:11:10thanking the seal for the food that he's giving to them.
0:11:10 > 0:11:15- And this - I love this - again a Shamanistic subject.- That's right.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19That was Joe Curley, and he was a Shaman.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23He had three wives and 24 children,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27and that again is a Shaman, but changing into an arrow.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Of course, Shamans were the witch doctors of the Inuit.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- Yes.- And very important in their society.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37And inherited, so you could only be a Shaman
0:11:37 > 0:11:40if your father or mother was a Shaman.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43And, of course, a lot of these carvings were made of soapstone.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47That's right, and interestingly, each village has its own supply,
0:11:47 > 0:11:52so just by looking at the colour, you would know this is Lake Havar.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55By looking at that, you would know that was Eskimo Point,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59and so they're absolutely characteristic of each village.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01And a tremendous amount of the carvings here
0:12:01 > 0:12:04were inspired by and supported by James Houston,
0:12:04 > 0:12:09who actually went and lived with the Inuit in Cape Dorset.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13That's right, an Englishman, an artist in his own right,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16who settled in the Arctic and saw the potential,
0:12:16 > 0:12:21encouraged them to do carvings and also paintings and prints.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24These pieces came from really what we call the "Golden Era"
0:12:24 > 0:12:26- of Inuit carving.- Yes, yes.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29And of course these are the pieces now that are being sought after,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32and in terms of when you were buying them,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34you were obviously swapping for dental work
0:12:34 > 0:12:36or doing a bit of bartering.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38That's right, two or three extractions and a carving.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39SHE LAUGHS
0:12:39 > 0:12:42Well, it certainly was the best-paid dental work
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I think you will have had,
0:12:44 > 0:12:49because a carving like this nowadays would sell
0:12:49 > 0:12:53for anywhere between £4,000 and £5,000.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56And the same with the Shaman turning into the wolf -
0:12:56 > 0:12:59that's an important subject, especially with the drum,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01- so again, the same.- Yes, indeed.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03So we're looking at probably here,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06in excess of £15,000.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Well, they're not for sale, because, as I said,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12each one has a very personal relationship to me.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15And I hope you've written that down.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17I'm in the process of doing it, yes.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18Good.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21So, where do you keep this?
0:13:21 > 0:13:23This is kept in our dining room.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Right...
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I inherited it from my mother, who died in February,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32but it's come from my great aunt, who was born in 1886.
0:13:32 > 0:13:33I don't know the date of it.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37I'd love to know if it came from my great-grandfather.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41Well, I'm not sure if you're aware - it was never a dining room piece.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- Ah.- It was always intended for the kitchen.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45Ah, I thought so.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47It is a dresser base,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50and the rack would have been tied or screwed to the wall.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Ah, that explains...
0:13:53 > 0:13:55There's no evidence of marks on here, where -
0:13:55 > 0:13:58what we call shoes - there's no marks there.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02So the rack would have been tied to the wall or screwed to the wall.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04It's not very deep, so you can actually get to it.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07I understand, thank you, yes, that's interesting.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10This is made out of oak.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12The linings, when you open the drawers, is pine.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15So it's a country piece.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It was never - as I say - a sophisticated town piece.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Um...
0:14:20 > 0:14:22The handles have been put on later.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26Originally, when we look at it as a whole,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30you see these lovely brass swan neck handles - they weren't there.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34They just had handles just below the escutcheon there.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37- Oh, I understand, yes.- And that's why we've got that little shadow.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39- I wondered about that.- You see?
0:14:39 > 0:14:42The date of it is around 1800,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44so it's George III period,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and it's standing on little pad feet
0:14:46 > 0:14:49just to give it a little bit of elegance.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51The condition is very, very good.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55I love the idea we've got these three long boards and no splits.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00They haven't warped or undulated, and the colour is very, very good.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03The shame is that the handles have been replaced,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07because the collectors, who go nuts for this,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11they want to tick all the boxes knowing it's all original.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14It's worth, in this condition,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16um...
0:15:16 > 0:15:19around £1,200 to £1,500.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- If it had the original handles... - Mmm...
0:15:22 > 0:15:24..it goes up to £2,000.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28So we've got to pull it back because it's not quite original.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30I still love it as it is.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35I love animals, and I love horses,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38and that's what attracted me to this piece.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40What's the story behind it?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43It belonged to my husband's grandparents.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46It's been in the family for about - I think - 100 years.
0:15:46 > 0:15:53Um... And the story was that Grandpa went to Paris with his wife,
0:15:53 > 0:15:57and she saw it, and I think she burst into tears
0:15:57 > 0:16:01because she was so moved by it, and he bought it for her.
0:16:01 > 0:16:08It made me feel very poignant, and I mean, it's such a beautiful thing.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12I mean, I don't know much about the artist, to be honest.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15It's signed, "E Drappier" -
0:16:15 > 0:16:21that's Edmond Ernest Drappier, I believe - and it's dated 1906.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23And it was cast in a French foundry,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27- but it's got all the accoutrements of war.- Yes.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31And "Epave" on the front which I think means wreck in French.
0:16:31 > 0:16:36- Yes.- And it's the wreck of a horse, really, the wreck of a relationship.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38- I mean, it's actually quite topical...- Yes, it is.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42- ..because of the film War Horse. - Yes, absolutely. Because of Joey.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45Which was a powerful testimony to the relationship
0:16:45 > 0:16:48between a soldier and his horse,
0:16:48 > 0:16:53and this bronze is real storytelling -
0:16:53 > 0:16:57it's storytelling by the fact that something's missing.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01It tells a story because of the thing that's not there,
0:17:01 > 0:17:02and that's the rider.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08And I find that so moving, and it's just beautifully modelled, and...
0:17:08 > 0:17:10it does everything for me.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13There's the butt of his rifle, there's a broken wagon wheel.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15A helmet.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Helmet, it's from the Franco-Prussian War.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20- I would have thought.- Yes, that's what we think, yes.- From the date.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21And from the helmet.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23And...
0:17:23 > 0:17:25You know, I've looked up auction records for this
0:17:25 > 0:17:29and it actually makes a reasonable amount of money.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33I think one like this came up in April this year,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and it made £3,000.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37Yes, I can believe that.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39It's worth every bit of it, isn't it?
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- Beautifully done.- Well, I just think it's wonderful.- Yes.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48The phrase, "Talk softly but carry a big stick" comes to mind.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50- It's pretty impressive, isn't it? - It is indeed.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52And where does it come from?
0:17:52 > 0:17:53It's a Fijian war club.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55But it was bought in this country, though,
0:17:55 > 0:17:57so we didn't export it illegally.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01And we were on leave from Fiji in 1969,
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and I went into the local pub in a village in County Durham,
0:18:05 > 0:18:10saw this on the wall, and knew exactly what it was,
0:18:10 > 0:18:15and so I offered the publican a price for it, and he said,
0:18:15 > 0:18:17"Well, I'll think about it,"
0:18:17 > 0:18:19and three years later, when I was on leave again,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22I went back into the pub and I said, "Have you thought about it?"
0:18:22 > 0:18:25- and he said, "Yes, I'll sell it to you."- And it was still on the wall?
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Well, by that time he'd decided that hunting prints were the decor,
0:18:29 > 0:18:30so he'd put this into a store room,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32and he kept his word, he sold it to me.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35And do you have a connection?
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Yes, and this is my grandson, who is my Fijian war club carrier.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42- So it's quite appropriate, then? - Yes.
0:18:42 > 0:18:43THEY LAUGH
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Do you know much about how they were made, or the age, and..?
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I don't know too much about how they're made.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I think it's a couple of hundred years old,
0:18:51 > 0:18:53because it's a very fine specimen.
0:18:53 > 0:18:54Yeah. It really is a fine specimen.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57You get whacked by that, you're going to know about it.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59But the way they would make them is -
0:18:59 > 0:19:02as a sapling, they would bend them, tie them off,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05you would choose the one you wanted, which would be...
0:19:05 > 0:19:07Cos this, in its natural form without carving,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09would be incredibly strong.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12They would tie it off and let it grow like that.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14When it got to a big size, chop it around and decorate it.
0:19:14 > 0:19:18And I think it's an indigenous wood called vesi or something like that.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19- Vesi.- Vesi, yeah.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It's just such an impressive piece.
0:19:22 > 0:19:28I mean, if you're the tribal leader, you're the club carrier,
0:19:28 > 0:19:30so eventually you're going to get it.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32- Eventually. - THEY LAUGH
0:19:32 > 0:19:34I mean, they are really sought-after.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37I mean, this one has taken a bit of a battering.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Er... You know, there's a few marks on it,
0:19:39 > 0:19:40but it's so beautifully carved,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43and over the last few years, the market for these has shot up,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46everyone is trying to get back what was originally theirs -
0:19:46 > 0:19:48you know - their heritage, as it were.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And it would have a good value.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51Mm-hmm.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52£8,000?
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Whoo!
0:19:55 > 0:19:57- It's good money. - HE LAUGHS
0:19:57 > 0:20:00We know there isn't a better specimen in the Fiji Museum.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02- Well, that's why I would value it to that.- Yes.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04And I think that could be conservative,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06because these are so sought-after.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09- You like it more, don't you? - THEY LAUGH
0:20:09 > 0:20:11I'm not saying anything!
0:20:11 > 0:20:14And I'll hand it to you, then, as the club carrier, it's yours.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15You should have it like this, James.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17- Like this?- No, like that.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18- Both hands.- Right.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22- No Fijian chief carries his own war club.- Well, there you go.
0:20:22 > 0:20:23He always has a carrier.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25But you'll soon have your own carrier.
0:20:25 > 0:20:26Oh! One day, hopefully.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- HE LAUGHS - Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:20:28 > 0:20:29Thank you.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44When it comes to our Basic, Better & Best challenge this week,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I like to think I might have a reasonable chance
0:20:46 > 0:20:47of getting it right this time,
0:20:47 > 0:20:51because we're looking at handbags, vintage handbags.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I like to think I know a little bit about those,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55well, certainly I like to wear them on my arm, anyway.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Our specialist, Ronnie Archer Morgan,
0:20:57 > 0:20:58has brought three handbags along
0:20:58 > 0:21:00from the '30s, '40s and '50s.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04The basic one is worth £200, the better, £1,000,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08and the best, the princely sum of £2,000.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10So, I'm going to enjoy looking at these,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13and we'll see what our visitors think, as well.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Which do you think is which?
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Um...I think the basic one is the green.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Which do you think is which?
0:21:21 > 0:21:24- This is the bottom one. - That's basic, OK.- Yes.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26I'd be tempted with that one.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It's the only one that would tempt me, yes.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32The better, I would say, would be this one.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Can I ask you, which of these handbags would you choose
0:21:34 > 0:21:37as the best for your fair wife?
0:21:37 > 0:21:38I think I'd choose this one.
0:21:38 > 0:21:39That's the best, OK.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42And the best, the little jewelled handbag.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44I would say this one here.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45Oh, dear.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47And this is the best.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Do you think I've ever bought a handbag for her after 50 years?
0:21:50 > 0:21:52SHE LAUGHS
0:21:53 > 0:21:57This is a lovely French 18th-century picture of Diana and Actaeon.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00So where did you get this from?
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Um... I actually found it in a junk shop in Australia,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06in the Southern Highlands, near a place called Barrol.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08- Many years ago?- Um...
0:22:08 > 0:22:10About eight years ago, so quite recently.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- And have you done some research on it?- Yeah.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Did a bit of research, looked on the internet for ages,
0:22:15 > 0:22:17and came up with a print, or an etching,
0:22:17 > 0:22:19which seems to relate to the picture.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20- Could I have a look at that?- Yeah.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25And by Pierre Berchet,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29and it's almost...it's the reverse image of this picture,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31because Diana and Actaeon as a subject matter
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- was painted quite a lot in the 18th century.- Right.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39And he was born in 1659. As you probably know, he died in 1720.
0:22:39 > 0:22:40Yeah.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Now, is this by him?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Well, looking at the quality, this is actually quite good quality,
0:22:46 > 0:22:47and I would certainly say this is French,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49and the story is,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Actaeon comes along and looks at Diana,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54and of course, not supposed to do that -
0:22:54 > 0:22:57she's nude - and he starts turning into a stag,
0:22:57 > 0:23:02and then eventually the hounds jump onto him and he's killed.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03Right.
0:23:03 > 0:23:04But it is beautifully done,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08and the quality, actually, of the face here is very, very good.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Now, it was very dirty, was it, when you got it?
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Yeah, it looked interesting, but I'm not an expert on art by any means.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- It was filthy...- Mmm.
0:23:18 > 0:23:20..and I had it restored, and the person that did it
0:23:20 > 0:23:21said it was covered in flies and filth,
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and it was really thick and dirty, you couldn't really see anything,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27and it was only... Until she cleaned it, you could see...
0:23:27 > 0:23:29- Well, it's cleaned really well. - Yeah.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Now, is it a copy of this picture, or another version?
0:23:31 > 0:23:32Yeah.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Well, I can't stand here and tell you that is definitely by him.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37- Yeah. - But it's certainly "school of."
0:23:37 > 0:23:40- And it is 18th century.- Yeah.
0:23:40 > 0:23:41Um...
0:23:41 > 0:23:42What did you pay for it?
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Off the top of my head, about £600. £600-£700.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Well, I think, just on pure decorative quality,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53- and taking into account the age on this...- Yeah.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56I think it's worth about £6,000 to £8,000 in the current market,
0:23:56 > 0:23:57- it's really nice.- Yeah.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59You obviously spent some money having it restored.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Yes, a bit, yeah, yeah.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02So, did you put the frame on here?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04I did. It was my attempt to try and get something
0:24:04 > 0:24:07that I thought went with it, and it looks quite new and shiny,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09I have to say, at the moment, looking at it here.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12It would be quite nice to have an 18th-century frame on here,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14because it would make it look much more important.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15And it just so happens
0:24:15 > 0:24:18that Rupert's been looking at one just before I came on.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19Right.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22- So I'm going to hand this to you... - Thanks.- ..and have a look at it.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- Now, take one end of this, Dendy. - OK, OK, OK.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28- Let's have a look, now, let's just see.- Over there.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Now, what do you think about that?
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Would you like this on the picture?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Yeah, it looks good, doesn't it? With a bit of age to it, I think.
0:24:34 > 0:24:35Looks really good.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37And so, having valued it at £6,000 to £8,000,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39I think that with that on,
0:24:39 > 0:24:41because the frame must be worth - as it's partially carved -
0:24:41 > 0:24:43a couple of thousand pounds,
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I think it makes it more like £10,000, doesn't it?
0:24:45 > 0:24:46I think it really looks the business.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Gives you an idea of what it's going to look like, that's the main thing.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52- Yeah.- You can just see it hanging in someone's palazzo.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54And I think it makes it...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56It makes it a much more important thing in the period frame.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Pictures maketh a room.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58Yeah.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00- HE LAUGHS - Marvellous.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02- Brilliant. Thank you, thanks a lot. - There you are, job done.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- I'm afraid you can't have the frame. - HE LAUGHS
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Well, this looks like an extraordinarily luxurious object.
0:25:10 > 0:25:11Tell me about it with you.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Well, I inherited it from my mother,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17who I think must have inherited from her great-grandmother, possibly.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19Um... Apart from that, I know very little about it.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21My mother never wore it, it would not have been her style -
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I think it's a bit ostentatious.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27I do remember as a child raiding the dressing table
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and taking it out, occasionally playing -
0:25:29 > 0:25:32- I think that's probably where it got slight damage.- Aah!
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- You didn't bite it, did you? - Possibly!
0:25:34 > 0:25:37- Yes, I thought I could see teeth... - Fed it to the dog or something!
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Yes, quite! But what we can be absolutely certain of
0:25:39 > 0:25:42is that it's actually sold in London,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43because the lid satin of the case
0:25:43 > 0:25:45tells us it was sold in Oxford Street,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and it's presented in the most extraordinarily luxurious way.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51What it is presenting, into this wonderful sunlight today,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53is the illusion of pure gold.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55And I'll say the illusion of pure gold,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57because it is made of a gold alloy,
0:25:57 > 0:26:00but the surface has actually been enriched with gilding,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02and there was a purpose in all of this.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Because this is what we call Etruscan jewellery.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08It's in the Etruscan manner,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10and Victorian society was driven nearly mad
0:26:10 > 0:26:12by archaeological pursuits.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14The love of the past transcended anything
0:26:14 > 0:26:15the Antiques Roadshow could do.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17There were books about the past,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19there were photographs of ancient jewellery,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23and it actually inspired people to dress up as Etrurian princesses
0:26:23 > 0:26:27in smoggy old London, and this was a prevalent style.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29And this rich gold surface is actually harking back
0:26:29 > 0:26:33to the ancient jewellery found in Etruria and Ancient Greece
0:26:33 > 0:26:34and in Rome,
0:26:34 > 0:26:38and it's an odd concept to have a pious Victorian lady
0:26:38 > 0:26:40walking around wearing these.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43We know it belonged to a Victorian lady, we know it's 1860,
0:26:43 > 0:26:45we know that she's prosperous enough to afford gold,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48to shop in Oxford Street for the finest jewellery,
0:26:48 > 0:26:49so we can raise her ghost a little.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51But she was almost certainly a widow.
0:26:51 > 0:26:52Right.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55We see here in the front that there are vine leaves and grapes.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57The vine is actually an emblem of death.
0:26:57 > 0:27:03And so we have quite a joyful thing, um...blazing with gold,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05but it's harking to somebody who's gone from her life.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07Oh, right, this is fascinating.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- And this is unusual to have gold jewellery for mourning.- Mmm.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13More often than not it was made of jet or steel or something like that.
0:27:13 > 0:27:14But perhaps she's long into mourning,
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and coming into a new part of her life,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19but we can, I think, be absolutely certain that that's the case.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20So, value.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Um... In a funny way, perhaps one doesn't necessarily want jewellery
0:27:24 > 0:27:26that is evocative of, frankly, the grave.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28But I think this is extraordinarily wearable.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Anybody would be pleased to give in the region of
0:27:31 > 0:27:33£800 to £1,200 for this suite of jewellery,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37and they'd walk away with a complete entity from the past
0:27:37 > 0:27:39that they could wear and enjoy,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41and it's thrilling to see it, thank you very much.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42Mm, well, thank you.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59Now, earlier on, I was telling you about these vintage handbags
0:27:59 > 0:28:02that our specialist Ronnie Archer Morgan has brought in
0:28:02 > 0:28:03for our Basic, Better & Best challenge.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05I've been showing them to our visitors.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07They've all come up with a different idea
0:28:07 > 0:28:09of which is the basic, worth £200,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13the better, worth £1,000, and the best, worth £2,000.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15Now, Ronnie, I've...
0:28:15 > 0:28:17I've just gone along and chosen what I like the best,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19because I find it so hard to tell,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22because these are '30s, '40s and '50s handbags, aren't they?
0:28:22 > 0:28:24- Yeah.- Now, you are very interested in handbags,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27which isn't necessarily an interest you'd associate with a chap.
0:28:27 > 0:28:28HE LAUGHS
0:28:28 > 0:28:30So what gets you excited about vintage handbags?
0:28:30 > 0:28:34Well, when I came into the antique business,
0:28:34 > 0:28:37I came from a fashion-connected background,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41and as I was going round the markets and the salerooms,
0:28:41 > 0:28:43I saw an opening for handbags.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Because I just thought they were fantastically made,
0:28:46 > 0:28:50beautiful objects, that were being neglected by collectors.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53And, as we know, some handbags are worth a fortune.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55- Did you have your own collection? - Yes, I did.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58I had about 50 bags,
0:28:58 > 0:29:03and I needed the deposit for a flat,
0:29:03 > 0:29:07so I had the idea of taking them to a gallery,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10suggesting the idea of an exhibition,
0:29:10 > 0:29:11which had never been done before.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13- An exhibition of vintage handbags? - Exactly, yeah.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15And contacting the fashion press...
0:29:15 > 0:29:18and, in fact, the fashion press were really interested,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21and about three or four major fashion magazines
0:29:21 > 0:29:22covered that exhibition.
0:29:22 > 0:29:24And...
0:29:24 > 0:29:25the result of that was,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28I had the deposit to buy the most important thing
0:29:28 > 0:29:30that I've ever bought in my life - my home.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32So, talk us through these bags, then.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35I mean, as I say, I've made my selection here,
0:29:35 > 0:29:38basic, better and best, simply because I like this one the best.
0:29:38 > 0:29:39I love that one, yeah.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42But go on, how do we assess these bags?
0:29:42 > 0:29:46Well, I think your fashion instincts and your sense of dress
0:29:46 > 0:29:49has worked here, because you've got the best right.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52- But you've got the other two wrong. - Oh!
0:29:52 > 0:29:53- Which...- OK.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55So where do we start, then? Which is the basic?
0:29:57 > 0:30:00This is the basic, so we'll put that there.
0:30:00 > 0:30:02Now tell us about this bag then, cos it looks like it has...
0:30:02 > 0:30:05You know, I mean, they could be semi-precious stones, I don't know.
0:30:05 > 0:30:06This is suede.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10It's all paste, and the enamel's cold-painted.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13The silver frame is not silver, it's just made to look like silver.
0:30:13 > 0:30:19But it is fantastic quality antelope suede, and it's from the 1930s,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23and that one is the one that's worth about 200.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26- So the better one, £1,000, then. - Yeah.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28- And what is this?- It's crocodile.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31- Gosh.- But it's turquoise green, it's a very, very rare colour.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35It's hard to tan that colour to that kind of purity.
0:30:35 > 0:30:38It's a fantastic size. It's a very unusual shape.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41I love these crossed circular rings here,
0:30:41 > 0:30:45and this cylindrical catch with the cuts in it,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47and it's in immaculate condition,
0:30:47 > 0:30:50and when you open it up, it's bottle-green kid leather inside,
0:30:50 > 0:30:52piped in gold.
0:30:52 > 0:30:53A fantastic bag.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57But it doesn't have a great maker - it's not a maker that anybody knows.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59- And this is what, '40s, '50s? - 1940s.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02- Well, it's a fabulous colour, certainly, I thought that.- Yeah.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03So, hooray, this is the best one.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05This looks like it's made out of fancy string.
0:31:05 > 0:31:06It is.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10It's made by a wonderful designer, one of my favourites,
0:31:10 > 0:31:14called Roberta di Camerino, in the mid-'50s.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16When she was a little girl,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18she helped out in her grandfather's pigment factory,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21and learned to mix pigments, hence you get these exciting colours,
0:31:21 > 0:31:25bubblegum pink and peppermint green.
0:31:25 > 0:31:29But it's dyed cord, but it's laid over bright pink...
0:31:29 > 0:31:30Ohh!
0:31:30 > 0:31:32That's lovely.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35..kid leather, and inside, the same.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39The chain... The handles here are adjustable.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41And it's in beautiful condition, isn't it?
0:31:41 > 0:31:44It is in amazing condition.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47The people that carried her bags were people like Grace Kelly,
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Elizabeth Taylor...
0:31:49 > 0:31:51She's a designer's designer,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54and nearly all the handbag designers of today
0:31:54 > 0:31:57look to her early designs for inspiration.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59- And that's why it's worth £2,000. - That is.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01And it's a very rare survivor.
0:32:01 > 0:32:02Ronnie, thank you very much,
0:32:02 > 0:32:04certainly that is a beautiful handbag.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06And who knows? You might have a bag or two
0:32:06 > 0:32:09belonging to your mother or your grandmother languishing at home,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12or, like me, you might have thrown them away and be regretting it now.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15If you still have got them, bring them along to a Roadshow,
0:32:15 > 0:32:16we'd love to have a look at them.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Have a look on our website for more details about handbags
0:32:19 > 0:32:22and what to look for, that's...
0:32:28 > 0:32:34Today, we've had silver from China, from Russia, from Turkey,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38all round Europe, North America, South America,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40and I'm glad to say we've now got something
0:32:40 > 0:32:44from the other corner of the Earth, because, looking at the kangaroo,
0:32:44 > 0:32:47it's fairly obvious where this piece comes from.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51So how did a piece of Australian silver end up in Yorkshire?
0:32:52 > 0:32:54I've no idea, to be honest.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Um... It was my grandfather's, who then gave it to my mother,
0:32:57 > 0:32:58who then gave it to me.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02And it's been in a cabinet at my house for several years now,
0:33:02 > 0:33:04and I've often wondered where it's come from,
0:33:04 > 0:33:06so I'm hoping you can shed some light on it.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10Well, I have to say that Australian silver
0:33:10 > 0:33:15sometimes lacks a little bit of interest and quality,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18but this is really superb quality.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23The way the base is textured, we've got these lovely sinuous palm trees,
0:33:23 > 0:33:28the leaves falling down and then supporting this bowl at the top.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32We've got fruiting vines at the ends with parrots perched on the top,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34we've got everything here,
0:33:34 > 0:33:39but most important of all is we've got some marks at the bottom,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43and an awful lot of these cups are not marked.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47This one has the mark for Kilpatrick and Company.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50They were from the State of Victoria.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Founded in Melbourne in the mid-19th century,
0:33:53 > 0:33:58and this piece dates from round about 1865,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01so it's pretty old, and it always fascinates me,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04how things of that age from the other side of the world
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- end up here in Yorkshire.- Yeah.
0:34:07 > 0:34:09Now, there's one thing missing about this,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12which you may not have ever realised.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15It should have been covered with an emu's egg.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19- Oh, really? - This is the lining, the inside.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22So the outside would have been this grey-blue colour,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24and if you look around the edges,
0:34:24 > 0:34:25you can see there's a gap
0:34:25 > 0:34:29where the egg would have fitted down inside these mounts,
0:34:29 > 0:34:32and on the top and on the bottom.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Having said that, you know, this is a good piece.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41I would expect, if this went into auction, you would get
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- at least £2,000, maybe more. - Goodness.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48That's been sat there for years! SHE LAUGHS
0:34:48 > 0:34:50- Amazing.- What's going to happen now?
0:34:50 > 0:34:53I'll get it insured. THEY LAUGH
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Well, you've got to put probably £3,000 or more on it for insurance.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00- Right.- It is a very rare thing. - Really?
0:35:00 > 0:35:02And especially to get it hallmarked,
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and just wonderful to see a thing from so far away end up here.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Well, thank you very much, that's been a big surprise!
0:35:08 > 0:35:10- SHE LAUGHS - Thank you.- Thank you.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13Two pottery figures.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14Where do they come from?
0:35:14 > 0:35:17Um...they belonged to our grandmother,
0:35:17 > 0:35:21- and she was one of the first women doctors.- Uh-huh.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24And in order to fund her training,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26because she was first of all a nurse,
0:35:26 > 0:35:31she went to work as a nanny, nurse-cum-governess,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35for a family, and they were into jute,
0:35:35 > 0:35:39and so they of course travelled a lot around those parts,
0:35:39 > 0:35:44- and they gifted her a few quite special things.- Yes.
0:35:44 > 0:35:47And these were two of the things that were gifted.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49And what did she think she'd been given?
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Tang dynasty figures.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53- Right, so she thinks they're Chinese.- Yes.
0:35:53 > 0:35:55- And you think they're Chinese?- Yes.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57- And you think they're Tang?- Yes.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58Of course they are Tang dynasty -
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I say "of course" because earlier on today,
0:36:00 > 0:36:05I saw a very good imitation of a Tang pottery figure -
0:36:05 > 0:36:06but these are genuine,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09and there are various reasons for telling you that,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12but just take it from me, for the time being, they are genuine.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15I fished them out because, um... they're all to do with death.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Mmm.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19We are only a few yards away from the dead door
0:36:19 > 0:36:21here at Fountains Abbey.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24The door through which the corpses were taken
0:36:24 > 0:36:27to be buried in the ground just behind us,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31and in China from the...well, right up until the second century BC,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34if you were very important, if you were an emperor,
0:36:34 > 0:36:38or king of your own particular part, when you died...
0:36:38 > 0:36:41"I'm sorry, you're going to have to die!"
0:36:41 > 0:36:42LAUGHTER
0:36:42 > 0:36:47Because you would want all of your retinue to come into your tomb dead
0:36:47 > 0:36:52as well, and of course that would include your 250-odd wives.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53This practice, oddly enough,
0:36:53 > 0:36:59seemed to be really quite unpopular with the general population.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03So they started replacing human sacrifice by pottery sacrifice,
0:37:03 > 0:37:05and of course the most famous pottery sacrifice
0:37:05 > 0:37:10is the Terracotta Army, created for the Chinese Emperor Qin Shi Huang
0:37:10 > 0:37:14in just - well, just before 200BC.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17And those are life size, those are about seven feet high.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20They're the first, sort of, real replacements
0:37:20 > 0:37:22for human and animal sacrifice.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25And by the time we get to the Tang Dynasty...
0:37:25 > 0:37:27they get down to this size.
0:37:27 > 0:37:28So there they are, lovely.
0:37:28 > 0:37:33Now, those would have been quite valuable, um...30 years ago.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35But so many have come out of the ground,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38that unless they are very unusually coloured -
0:37:38 > 0:37:40blue glazes or something like that -
0:37:40 > 0:37:42the value's not particularly high,
0:37:42 > 0:37:44considering, yes, they are, they were made
0:37:44 > 0:37:48somewhere between, let's say 700AD and 1000AD.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51- Yes.- You know, before this place was built.- Yes, yes.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Er... And I'm going to put a value of about...
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Mmm... Let's say...
0:37:58 > 0:38:00£400 to £600 on each.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02On each, ooh, very nice.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04They're lovely though, aren't they wonderful?
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- I think they're great.- Yes.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Now, this looks like an ordinary wedding band,
0:38:09 > 0:38:13so I'm interested, why did you decide to bring this in?
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Well, me husband's had it for 25 years-plus.
0:38:17 > 0:38:20He's always thought there was something different about it,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23because it's got no hallmarks, but it's got some writing on it.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27But everyone just says it's just a bit of old scrap metal.
0:38:27 > 0:38:32And then we went to the jewellers to take in some old broken jewellery,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36and we got offered £108 scrap value for it.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38- What, for this, or..?- For that.
0:38:38 > 0:38:39- For that on its own.- When was this?
0:38:39 > 0:38:42- Last week.- Last week!- Yeah!
0:38:42 > 0:38:44- THEY LAUGH - £108 last week?- Yeah, yeah.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Fantastic.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51Going back 25 years ago, how did your husband acquire it?
0:38:51 > 0:38:55He was on a camping trip with the boys, just really young,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57and he was in this stream, and just come across it.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00And it was just - this gold just glinting in the stream
0:39:00 > 0:39:02- and he just picked it up. - Yeah, yeah.
0:39:02 > 0:39:03And then what happened?
0:39:03 > 0:39:05- So £108 last week...- Mm-hmm.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07So what stopped you from melting it down?
0:39:07 > 0:39:12Um... The jeweller started to ask if he found it in the mud,
0:39:12 > 0:39:17or something like that, um... and he went, "No, in a stream,"
0:39:17 > 0:39:19and he started raising his eyebrows a little bit, and said,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22"If I was you I, would take it to an auctioneer,"
0:39:22 > 0:39:27and the auctioneer - my husband took it then, this week -
0:39:27 > 0:39:30and they said again "Yes, it's just scrap value, £135."
0:39:30 > 0:39:33So we've come just for the day out, just to try it!
0:39:33 > 0:39:36LAUGHTER Just in hope!
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Well, I am delighted that you came with this ring.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Um...I love the feel of gold.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48There's that allure of gold that's captured man's imagination
0:39:48 > 0:39:51for thousands and thousands of years,
0:39:51 > 0:39:54and it's got this beautiful yellow shine to it, hasn't it?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57And you can feel, sort of, the weight of history, actually,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00when you pick it up, and it's...
0:40:00 > 0:40:04- Because it's 22 carat gold - quite a high carat gold.- Yeah.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07- But what this is, is your poesy ring.- Mm-hmm.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10And a poesy ring... A sort of a loose translation,
0:40:10 > 0:40:12- it's like a poetry ring...- Yeah.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15..because it has the inscriptions inside,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18usually from a loved one or to a loved one.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23And inside here is the inscription, in English,
0:40:23 > 0:40:26"A virtuous wife preserveth life."
0:40:26 > 0:40:27Right.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29So that's what it... that's what it means -
0:40:29 > 0:40:31that's what it's saying inside.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34And this is about 17th century.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36- This is incredible!- I know! - 17th century!
0:40:36 > 0:40:39It's when I were looking at it, they kept saying 17th century,
0:40:39 > 0:40:42I'm thinking, "Well, it's got to be worth more than £100, surely..."
0:40:42 > 0:40:44- That's what I thought! - Exactly! Absolutely.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48Well, the value is a little bit more than £108.
0:40:48 > 0:40:49Right...
0:40:49 > 0:40:51THEY LAUGH
0:40:51 > 0:40:54So, I would say the value would be in the region
0:40:54 > 0:40:56of about £2,500.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58Oh, well...
0:40:58 > 0:40:59Yeah...
0:40:59 > 0:41:00It's more, isn't it?
0:41:00 > 0:41:04I am so pleased you didn't take £108 last week,
0:41:04 > 0:41:07and have melted down a 17th-century ring.
0:41:07 > 0:41:08- Yeah.- Can you imagine?
0:41:08 > 0:41:09I know, yeah.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12I know your husband found this a very long time ago,
0:41:12 > 0:41:16but you should really just contact your museum, your local museum,
0:41:16 > 0:41:18- and declare it.- Mm-hmm.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22And so then they can go through with you the procedures,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25the correct procedures for when you find something
0:41:25 > 0:41:27that could possibly be under the Treasure Trove Act.
0:41:27 > 0:41:28- Right.- It's a bit of history,
0:41:28 > 0:41:31and to find this and have this brought along here
0:41:31 > 0:41:33in this amazing abbey, fantastic.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35- Thank you both very much indeed. - Thank you, thank you.
0:41:36 > 0:41:40Well, this is a very pretty, girly thing,
0:41:40 > 0:41:43but that isn't really the point here,
0:41:43 > 0:41:45because you're a lady on a mission, aren't you?
0:41:45 > 0:41:46Yes, yes.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50Um... Basically, it's one of the very few things of my grandmother's
0:41:50 > 0:41:51that I own,
0:41:51 > 0:41:54and she was brought up in Vienna, and had to come to this country
0:41:54 > 0:41:57just before the war, so I'd just like to know,
0:41:57 > 0:42:01is this one of her special objects that she brought from home?
0:42:01 > 0:42:05Well, I mean - you know - I've got goose bumps at that,
0:42:05 > 0:42:08because of the implications of leaving Vienna in 1938.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12I mean, there's one reason why people left Vienna in 1938.
0:42:12 > 0:42:13Yes, absolutely.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15And the other - what happened..?
0:42:15 > 0:42:19Well, my sick grandfather, because he was over retirement age,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23he couldn't come into England, and so he had to stay in Vienna,
0:42:23 > 0:42:25and so it was just my grandmother and her children,
0:42:25 > 0:42:28including my father, that were allowed out.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30So, come on, what happened?
0:42:30 > 0:42:35I believe that he stayed in Vienna for two years,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38and then he was rounded up, and eventually ended up in Riga,
0:42:38 > 0:42:41where he died, probably about three months later.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Ooh.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47Well...
0:42:47 > 0:42:49I mean, it's absolutely right.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52I mean, you know, this is Viennese.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55We know it's Viennese, because, actually, it's written on it.
0:42:55 > 0:42:56You...
0:42:56 > 0:42:59That means nothing to you,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03this little portcullis gilded logo in the bottom,
0:43:03 > 0:43:05but that is the gilded logo
0:43:05 > 0:43:09of one of the finest glass companies in the world,
0:43:09 > 0:43:15which is J & L Lobmeyr, who shared the same bonds as your family.
0:43:15 > 0:43:18So they had a really hard time, too.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22And they are still in the same premises in Vienna
0:43:22 > 0:43:25that they've occupied for 150 years.
0:43:25 > 0:43:26So, what is this?
0:43:26 > 0:43:30Well, the object itself is historic revival -
0:43:30 > 0:43:31what we have is,
0:43:31 > 0:43:37the original vessels of this type were firstly shells, sea shells,
0:43:37 > 0:43:38and then rock crystal -
0:43:38 > 0:43:43they were carved out of mineral rock crystal in baroque...
0:43:43 > 0:43:50slash - coming into Rococo style, from the 17th century.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52And so...and then you get into the 18th century
0:43:52 > 0:43:58with these Rococo archetypal opposing sea scrolls in enamels,
0:43:58 > 0:44:01highlighted in gold,
0:44:01 > 0:44:07this little chap coming up here in 18th-century costume,
0:44:07 > 0:44:10and I suppose, stylistically, you get the idea of the shell
0:44:10 > 0:44:13- in the fact that it's asymmetric here.- Yes.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18Made in Vienna in about 1900,
0:44:18 > 0:44:22and you'd get about £400 or £500 for it, you know, if you sold it.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24But, I mean, how big's the story?
0:44:24 > 0:44:26Absolutely, no - I've no intention of selling it,
0:44:26 > 0:44:29as I said, I just wanted to know its history, thank you very much indeed.
0:44:29 > 0:44:33- It's a wonderful thing, back to you. - It's beautiful, thank you.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37I'm almost totally bowled over by seeing this collection.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41They are the most glorious set of little skittles
0:44:41 > 0:44:43in the form of elephants.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45They're made out of felt,
0:44:45 > 0:44:49they're stuffed with a kind of wood straw, and the king pin -
0:44:49 > 0:44:53this wonderful king elephant with his crown and his jacket -
0:44:53 > 0:44:54absolutely fantastic.
0:44:54 > 0:44:55Now where did you buy them?
0:44:55 > 0:44:56- We didn't buy them.- Oh!
0:44:56 > 0:45:01They belonged to my mother-in-law's cousin...
0:45:01 > 0:45:05A lovely wee Irish lady - and towards the end of her life,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07she lived with my parents-in-law
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and when we would go over and visit and bring our children with us,
0:45:10 > 0:45:14occasionally these skittles came out of the cupboard,
0:45:14 > 0:45:16and were allowed to be played with down the corridor,
0:45:16 > 0:45:19and they would roll balls at them, then they were put away again,
0:45:19 > 0:45:22so we've always sort of known that they were there,
0:45:22 > 0:45:25and I think they might have been Alice's childhood toy,
0:45:25 > 0:45:27- but I don't know how old they are. - How fascinating.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29When do you think she was born?
0:45:29 > 0:45:32Um... Round about 1897.
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Sounds like a rather precise "about!"
0:45:34 > 0:45:37- SHE LAUGHS I...- That's fine, it's perfect.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40Because that fits in with the date of these.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42They're made by a company called Steiff,
0:45:42 > 0:45:48- who are perhaps better known for making teddy bears.- Mmm.
0:45:48 > 0:45:52Margarete Steiff - the lady who set up the Steiff factory -
0:45:52 > 0:45:56started the business in Germany in 1880,
0:45:56 > 0:45:59and the very first product she made was an elephant.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02- Right.- She was always very partial to elephants.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05The first little product in fact wasn't a toy,
0:46:05 > 0:46:08- it was an elephant-shaped pincushion.- Right.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11So I don't know where this love for elephants came, but she was -
0:46:11 > 0:46:17you know - very much, that was her... Her little icon, if you like.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21And the first thing that people usually say about Steiff is,
0:46:21 > 0:46:24"Oh, I know all about Steiff, they have a button in their ear."
0:46:24 > 0:46:26- Yeah.- OK, where's the button?
0:46:26 > 0:46:27They don't have any buttons.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30They have bells round their necks, but no buttons.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34And that's because the buttons didn't come in until 1904.
0:46:34 > 0:46:36Oh, right.
0:46:36 > 0:46:39- That makes sense.- So that's why I wanted to know how old Alice was,
0:46:39 > 0:46:42because if Alice was born in 1897, you know,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45- if she got these at the age of five or six...- Yes.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48- ..that would actually fit in quite...- It would, wouldn't it? Yes.
0:46:48 > 0:46:49- ..fit in quite well.- Yeah.
0:46:49 > 0:46:54Er... They are - I think - absolutely charming,
0:46:54 > 0:46:57I mean, they come in different, er...qualities -
0:46:57 > 0:46:59some of them come in velvet.
0:46:59 > 0:47:02- Right.- These, as I mentioned, are felt ones.- Mmm.
0:47:02 > 0:47:03And felt, I think...
0:47:03 > 0:47:08As you have noticed, felt is the kind of caviar for moths.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11- Absolutely!- If there is any bit of fabric in the house
0:47:11 > 0:47:14that's made of felt, they will zero in on it.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16So who's done a bit of cross stitch on there?
0:47:16 > 0:47:17Alice must have done that, yes.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19Nobody else has touched them.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21They've never been out of her hands, I don't think.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23Well, she obviously loved them hugely.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26To keep them for 90... 93 years, I think.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- And...and to darn them.- Yes, yeah.
0:47:29 > 0:47:30And they have a value.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32They are very collectable
0:47:32 > 0:47:36and the auction price, I would say, would be
0:47:36 > 0:47:38between £9,000 and £10,000.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41No!
0:47:41 > 0:47:45All stitched up, with...knocks and stuffing coming out like that?
0:47:45 > 0:47:46I thought...
0:47:47 > 0:47:50I don't know what to say!
0:47:50 > 0:47:54I just wanted to know they were old...and loved.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56Wow!
0:47:56 > 0:47:58Well done, Alice! SHE LAUGHS
0:47:58 > 0:47:59Gosh!
0:47:59 > 0:48:02- Well done, Alice.- Oh, goodness! - Old and loved indeed.
0:48:02 > 0:48:03Yes, yeah.
0:48:03 > 0:48:06- Thank you very much.- Thank you. Thank you.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09Do you know, in the two or three days before we arrived here
0:48:09 > 0:48:11at Fountains Abbey,
0:48:11 > 0:48:14much of the grounds here were submerged in water,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18and we all worried this whole thing was going to be a total wash-out.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22But, look, we've had the first day of sunshine we've had in weeks.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Must be divine intervention.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26From the ruins of Fountains Abbey,
0:48:26 > 0:48:28and the Roadshow team, until next time,
0:48:28 > 0:48:29bye-bye.