Scarborough Grand Spa Hall 1 Antiques Roadshow

ORCHESTRA PLAYS THEME TUNE

Last time the Antiques Roadshow visited Scarborough,

one lucky visitor went home with some very good news.

Their family treasure turned out to be worth £40,000!

-Ladies, do you think this could happen to one of you today?

-Hope so.

Yes, well, stay tuned to find out.

Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from North Yorkshire.

Ladies and gentlemen, it's almost time for curtain up,

and today's theatrical setting

is the perfect location for our Roadshow,

with plenty of thrills and spills in store.

For at least two centuries it's been Scarborough's passion

for putting on a good show, combined with its traditional seaside charm

that's made the town so popular with holidaymakers.

And they've got quite a record in pioneering

new forms of entertainment.

In the early days,

concert parties played to visitors

right here on the beach, and then in 1839, a Gothic saloon

with a concert hall to seat 500 was built here on the seafront

and instantly, seaside entertainment went up-market.

But it was so popular that from the very start,

it couldn't cope with the demand.

A bigger and better Scarborough Spa threw open its doors in August 1880

and ushered in an era of spectacular music hall shows

second only to London in popularity.

All the big names of the day flocked to perform here,

from Dame Nellie Melba to Ivor Novello.

More recently, concerts from the Palm Court in Scarborough

were regularly broadcast to millions on BBC radio,

conducted by Max Jaffa.

And all sorts of variety shows still take place

and wow audiences here at The Spa.

And with our own little bit of showbiz magic,

in just a few hours we've gone from this...

to this.

IF you'd like more information about the programme

and further details on some of the items featured in this episode,

please log on to our website.

So, with no further ado, it's over to our experts.

What a lovely scene. These grey carp,

languorously swimming through these eddies of water with chrysanthemum.

Now, come on, you must know where this is from.

I can only guess it's from China but I don't know anything about it all.

Why do you say China?

Because you said chrysanthemums.

-Ah, also the flower of Japan.

-Oh, well...

The kiku, as it's known. Yes, yes.

You were in the right part of the world.

This is actually Japanese,

a beautifully thrown pot,

made on the potter's wheel,

not dissimilar in size

to what we've actually got it on,

and I just love the decoration.

How long have you had it?

Well, I think it's been in the family for as long as I can remember,

certainly from when I was in my teens,

so that's 40-odd years.

And to judge from your speech,

-I would say you come from north of here.

-Yes, Edinburgh.

And is this a piece that's been in Scotland for ever, then?

Well, my parents were living in Scotland

-when it was given to them by a friend of theirs.

-I see, OK.

And then when my parents died,

I brought it down to Scarborough to where we live.

I love it because of the design.

The Japanese really have

this beautiful sense of leaving space.

A design doesn't work unless it has space to work in,

and the great English disease,

and not just English disease, but of the late 19th century

was everything had to be filled up.

But the Japanese stayed true to that lovely tradition of theirs

where everything is arranged in space,

and so it is with these beautiful carp.

I think it's absolutely gorgeous.

The carp and the blue, those are done in under-glazed pigments,

and then these other pigments,

I guess this is an acer, isn't it, of some sort?

That's done in over-glazed enamels.

A high-calibre factory

whose mark...

Is on the bottom.

..is on the bottom. That little spray of bamboo.

This is the mark of the factory I would expect it to be -

Fukagawa.

One of the best factories in Japan at that time,

which is around the late 19th century.

Um... Japanese ceramics..

you know, they're sort of through the doldrums really.

I guess that at auction

that's maybe be somewhere in the region of £2,000.

Oh. Gosh! That's nice. Thank you very much.

-Your fish have brought you good luck.

-So they have.

This is an iconic scene, First World War scene,

of French troops, I think marching off to the trenches

as they all appear to be singing. And it's just fantastic.

It's very evocative of that period. Where did you find it?

We found it in a little brocante in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme,

at the Somme estuary, in a sort of junk/antique shop.

-It was right above the door as you came in.

-A bit dusty.

Yeah. And we both went round the shop separately

and when we came out, I asked Mike if he'd seen it and he said yes.

We both decided we loved it, and went back in to ask how much it was.

It was 1,500 euros - rather too much for an impulse purchase for us!

And she wouldn't come down at all

and so we left feeling very crestfallen.

-Went back to the UK.

-Went back to the UK

and we spent all week fretting that somebody else would buy it,

and so we ended up going back the following weekend and bought it.

-And it was still there?

-It was still there.

I think it's fantastic. It's signed down here, Georges Leroux.

Leroux was born in 1877 and studied in Paris.

At the outbreak of the First World War

he joined the army and went to the front.

So this is somebody painting first-hand experience

of the front line.

You've brought along a photograph, and this is the artist, Leroux,

actually painting a First World War scene.

It is. When we bought the photograph,

we thought it was this painting behind him.

It was only when it arrived

we realised it was another very similar painting.

Well, I think he would have done a series of paintings.

You know, considering he was on the Western Front,

it would have had a hell of an impact on his life

and he would have been inspired to paint a series of these pictures.

So when you bought this, how many years ago was it?

I'd say about eight years? Yeah, probably eight years ago.

Eight years ago? Well, I think that today,

a painting like this would make...

I'd certainly think £5,000 to £7,000.

-Goodness.

-My goodness.

-Jolly good.

But I think it's a wonderful, wonderful picture. Wonderful.

What sums up the seaside more than a seaside postcard?

Here we have one, stick of rock from Scarborough.

And it's also a local story because in Holmfirth,

which is back inland a bit, um,

is, or was, the company Bamforth, James Bamforth,

who were responsible for selling millions of postcards.

And it was really in about 1910

that they started employing artists to create the cards.

And here we've got a really good array of original art work,

postcards. What's the link?

Well, it was my great-grandfather and this is his grandson.

Is there a likeness? I don't know!

You're smiling too much - you need to look a bit more serious!

-And this artist is Douglas Tempest.

-It is.

Who was responsible for this body of work.

What's interesting about James Bamforth and the company,

was that he was unusual in taking on four staff artists,

and he sort of developed, through these four artists,

a Bamforth house style, really.

And one of the pieces of original art work that I really love,

is this one here, which is - when you look at it closely,

-it's so detailed, isn't it?

-It is, yeah.

-Just wonderful.

So let's just try and work out values here.

-You've got 3,000...?

-623.

..at let's say a couple of pounds each.

Well, you know, that's 7,000 before you start.

-And how many pieces of art work?

-150.

150 at £200 a piece - well, you know, that's 30,000.

So, you know, it's getting up towards £40,000, isn't it,

this collection? Amazing. Amazing.

And what you are creating is a very important archive

-for a very influential postcard artist.

-Thank you.

25 years ago at the, shall we say the modest age of 13 years old,

I walked into an antique fair

and acquired my very own example.

-Exactly the same?

-Exactly the same.

But tell me, where's yours from?

I bought it in Whitby about six months ago at a charity shop.

Good grief. I have to ask the question - how much?

29.95.

Wow. You have a seriously good eye.

And what made you buy her?

Um, I know that she's by Lenci because I've seen your roadshow with

the basic/better/best, and I thought she was really beautiful and then,

when I picked her up, I saw the mark,

so I know she has a certain value.

Well, you said that wonderful name.

I mean, Lenci in the 1920s and '30s were really

the jewel in the crown of the Italian ceramic industry,

and if we look underneath,

the nice thing about Lencis, they are very clearly marked.

"Lenci, made in Italy" and the name of this piece

which is "Angelita alla Corrida".

Now, Lenci in the 1920s and '30s

were really at the pinnacle of what they were doing.

They were formed by a young lady called Helen Konig Scavini.

And Scavini was a very well-travelled lady.

She actually originated from Germany, ended up in Switzerland

and married an Italian to then settle just in Turin.

And what started out as a cottage industry,

actually making felt dolls, by 1928,

had grown into this wonderful ceramic firm making what are classed

as some of the most wonderful

-Deco figures of the period.

-Right.

They epitomise the style, the chicness,

the whole essence of that day.

So, 29.99?

95.

Oh, 29.95! Well...

And I let them keep the 5p.

Oh well, well done. That's good,

because if I say we need to very comfortably move the decimal point,

your £29.95, realistically now,

is worth £2,500 to £3,000.

-Good grief! Really?

-Really.

Astonished at that. That's incredible.

-These are incredibly desired figures the world over.

-Really?

-And particularly with the Italians, they love them.

-Really?

And I have to say, I love mine as well,

so we're both in very good company.

That's wonderful, thank you very much.

-My pleasure.

-That's incredible.

This is the tiniest etching I think I've ever seen.

What do you know about it? Whose is it?

It's my great, great, great, great, great, great...

How many greats are we going for?

It's our granddad's uncle's...

-Your great grandfather's uncle - he made it.

-Yeah.

Eli Marsden Wilson.

-Eli Marsden Wilson.

-Bit of a mouthful.

A bit of a mouthful, yes. Right, well we've established that.

The point is, this was done for Queen Mary's doll's house.

And here is the letter, dated 1922, September 11th,

from Queen Mary's sister-in-law, Princess Marie Louise,

who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria,

asking for the etching to be done for the doll's house.

The famous doll's house which was,

-I think it's now on display at Buckingham Palace.

-Yes.

It was at Windsor, but I think it's on display there now.

But it showcases all that's best in British art, doesn't it?

-It was designed by Edwin Lutyens, the architect.

-Of course, yes.

And many of the great manufacturers and artists of the period

were commissioned to make miniature artefacts for it.

And it was a complete Downton Abbey, wasn't it? Upstairs Downstairs.

-Totally Downton, yes, absolutely.

-Absolutely tremendous.

So this tiny etching appeared there.

Yes, and I believe the etchings are in tiny little folios

in the library of the doll's house.

What are these two other ones about?

He was a conscientious objector during the First World War.

So do we know what a conscientious objector was?

-No.

-No.

He didn't want to go to war, so he decided he wasn't going to fight.

Yes, he was a pacifist and...

In the First World War of course, that was a very serious thing.

Yes, he went to prison in 1917.

Yes.

He was there for two years

and these little etchings were done whilst he was there.

These were done, of the inside of his cell.

What do you think of having to live in these?

-Be rather cramped, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

And this is a picture of him actually working at his desk here.

That's rather a nice picture, isn't it?

Because he's got the light shining onto his desk.

-Interesting seeing an etcher, actually at work.

-Yes.

Quite an informal pose really, but rather charming.

We're not talking about a lot of money here,

but we're talking about a fantastic story, about your family,

and you must be very proud of him.

A little etching like that with the story,

I'd have thought about £200-£300.

These ones I think are very interesting,

but not anything like as much money, probably about £50 to £100 each.

But the price is not it, is it?

No, it's part of our family history,

-which we're all very interested in.

-Which you should be very proud of.

Patronising or what, was that?! I don't know!

-No, not at all! Thank you very much indeed!

-Thanks.

Our excitable glass expert Andy McConnell

has come up with a bit of a test this week.

Now, he scours car boots every week looking for inexpensive items

which can turn out to be worth quite a fortune.

So from his vast glass collection,

we have three pieces of Swedish glass.

One - the basic one - is worth £100,

the better one, £400,

and the best, £5,000.

So, we'll see how we get on here.

Why don't you have a guess at home?

I like that one best.

I think basic, better and best.

-That's basic.

-That's basic, OK.

That's quite a modern design, I would say.

Next best.

Better.

-Do you know anything about Swedish glass?

-No.

I think this is probably the most expensive one.

Why do you think this is the £5,000 vase?

Don't really know!

The moulding is slightly Laliquey, but then, I don't know.

You've been listening to Eric, haven't you?

That's slightly coloured, but that's very unusual.

That's just a chunky bowl to me.

SHE LAUGHS

Here's one of those very, very pretty pictures -

little pictures - that you see sometimes on the Roadshow

and you can't at first see who it's by.

But she's such a pretty face, it's really worth looking into.

Is it yours?

It's my father's at the moment.

It's been in the family for a good 40 years as far as we know.

It was my great aunt's, who was a bit of a hoarder, bit of an eccentric,

and when she died she had a four-storey Victorian house

which was crammed with all sorts of things,

so we had a week as a family to clear the house

before we sold off the rest of the stuff.

You had to pick what you thought was, the things you wanted.

That's right, yes, and my dad ended up with this,

which has been on his wall, and like I say, we think it's

a beautiful picture, lovely portrait, but never known much about it.

I really like the way it's painted.

She's got such a healthy bloom in her face, hasn't she?

-I think that's like a Breton cap or something?

-Yes, yes.

Which either makes her French, Northern French,

or it makes her Cornish, of course, because they wore them, too.

I think Cornish, because we know that - you know -

there was a colony down there at Newlyn, the village of Newlyn.

And it has that very much Newlyn feel to it,

so let's look at it further. One of the first things I want to do,

-is take it out of its frame, because that's not original.

-No.

We do that, carefully.

Put that to the side, and straight away she sort of looks more natural.

-She does, yeah.

-Yeah, I think so too.

And then you look around, you look at the side of it here

and you notice that it's painted all the way round the edge

and then you begin to think well, what's happened here?

And you look again at the bottom and whoops, there's the signature.

Ah, right. I don't think we've ever seen that.

Yes, "S Birch" it says, which is really rather exciting, isn't it?

-Because I think we've now found our woman.

-Right.

-Woman artist, Sara Birch, or Sarah Birch.

-Oh, right!

And she was exhibiting in the 1890s, which is plumb-on for that, I'd say.

Value? Well, knowing who it's by, I think, helps,

but just like that, with the signature hidden,

just a little thing like that,

I still think £2,000 to £3,000.

Really? Excellent!

Oh, well, it'll go back to Father.

Be yours one day, I hope.

I hope so, yes. He's probably rubbing his hands at the moment!

This is like taking a child to a sweet shop for me,

because I really do have a passion for costume jewellery.

Where did all this come from?

We have a long-established shop. It's been in business since 1845,

and still in the same family,

and about 50 years ago we knocked through the two shops that we had,

and everything had to be cleared, so all of this was taken upstairs

for safe keeping, I suppose, and it never made it back down again.

Stuff has been put in front and whenever anybody said,

"Oh, what's in that corner?" "Oh, it's just rubbish", you know?

Well, look at all this.

This is all "Presents from Scarborough", and look at this,

things like "12 shillings" I mean,

was a lot of money in the '50s.

That's an expensive thing.

I mean, that's a half of the guidance in some of the pricing,

you sort of think - well, that was expensive,

that's nearly half somebody's wage or, you know?

-And of course these things did go completely out of fashion.

-Yeah.

These sort of settings. I mean, I love all the doggies over there.

And you know, all these little...

But we have some "mother" brooches, and "baby".

Why you would want that sort of thing, I don't know but...

It was just very much a sentimental time. You're talking post-war.

My parents came to Scarborough for their honeymoon just after the war.

Oh, did they? They maybe bought one of these!

My mum might've just been in there and got one.

And of course here we've got swastikas on pins,

which people might think, "Oh, my goodness".

Quite alarming at first, yes.

But actually of course the swastika was an auspicious Hindu symbol.

It was actually a very good luck thing

until of course it was sort of perverted in the Second World War.

I guess obviously before that time, then.

This has to be before the Second World War.

But this has sort of come back into fashion now,

so you're probably ahead of the trend in Scarborough,

and there's some great things here.

And, of course, costume jewellery really is fashionable now.

But you know, 11/6d.

I mean, this collection's still not worth a tremendous amount of money.

-We're talking...

-Curiosity, isn't it?

It is, and to think that all of this was in Scarborough.

This is what people bought when they came on their holidays

and took home, and wore.

And this is a remnant of those days.

Value? I mean some of the compacts

are probably £20-£30 now.

Some of the brooches are going to be £30-£40.

-Really?

-So I would think...

-Gosh!

I know, it's just because it's come back into fashion.

You're probably talking, I don't know, sort of £400-£500, actually,

so I think you're going to have to re-price some of them.

I think so, yes.

If you were a sophisticated,

highly fashionable lady living in 1760,

this is what you'd be

drinking your coffee out of.

Really? Oh, 1760, it's that old?

-It's that old!

-I had no idea.

Where did you get it?

My father bought it in an antiques shop about 1952,

about a year before he got married,

just something took his fancy, paid about 30 bob for it,

and that was just an ornament that he liked.

He had very good taste. If you turn it over, there's the factory mark.

It's a gold anchor mark which is the factory mark of the Chelsea factory.

Funnily enough, it's one of the most copied marks there is.

I've seen so many fakes of gold anchor marks. This time it's real.

Oh, it's the real McCoy!

It's one of the earliest English factories. It was founded in 1745.

They started using a gold anchor mark round about 1756,

and this is a few years after that.

This factory made for the aristocracy.

At the time, it was the best of the best.

Beautifully painted, with these Rococo birds.

They moulded it with scales all over,

and it's a beautiful, soft glassy glaze that they used,

it's very characteristic of Chelsea.

A gorgeous thing.

Would it have been mass-produced in the time, or...?

Chelsea was never mass-produced. It was made for the aristocracy.

Always hand-painted, made to the highest quality,

it is the best of the best.

Lovely thing to bring along. So, it has a value.

Which is?

-You see, that's the important bit, isn't it?

-Of course, yes.

But it's good to know the history as well,

that you can examine something like that and look at it

and tell you how it's made and when it was made and that kind of thing.

-The history's always very good.

-It's a lovely thing.

A collector would pay, at auction, about £500 for this.

How much?! £500? You're joking!

Good grief!

Don't drop it!

LAUGHTER

It's a really nice thing to see.

Remember these three Swedish glass vases?

Andy McConnell, our glass expert, set us a test,

to work out which was the most basic, the better and the best.

The basic being worth £100,

the better one £400,

and the best £5,000.

Now this is what I reckon.

Andy McConnell, it was a doddle, mate.

I'm joking, I've no idea. Ah, well!

I thought you were going to get it this time!

I thought you were going to get it!

OK, come on, then. So what should we be looking for?

Well, the basic, you got right, you did, you did get that one right.

Now this, I thought this was either the most basic or the best

because it's different, because it's blue.

Was that the thing?

No, colour doesn't cost anything. Glass is cheap, sand is cheap,

so weight and colour, generally speaking,

you can't go on that, thickness of glass and so on.

This is a stereotype, really, it's Girda Stromberg.

Girda Stromberg - was the first great lady glass designer.

And later, she was '30s, modernism.

This glass - in my opinion - would be better

without the moose on it - it never was.

Another designer came along later, took the shape

and applied this old, you know, cliche to it, so that's £100.

About 1955, Runa Strand for Stromberg, standard piece.

The better one, then?

Ah! Yes, this is ONLY the better one, but it's my favourite.

Look at that! I mean, wait a minute.

There they are, look, my boys, look at them.

They're very weird.

But what about this strange horse which is in profile

but you can see his rear end at the same time?

What's going on here with these creatures?

It's cave paintings, isn't it, really?

I think the nearest thing to it.

It's like they're carved out.

You feel how thick that's in there, at least a quarter of an inch in.

It's as if they've been ground out of those by his fingernails.

And they're extremely expressive.

They're not supposed to look like a poodle,

they're supposed to look like nothing on earth.

-So when was this made?

-'55.

And why - given how much you love it - is this only worth £400?

Because it's just coming on, it's coming on.

It's... None left Sweden. They were a Swedish phenomenon.

And Swedes are a bit up to here with glass

so its value has been restricted by its lack of presence in the market.

I bought it for £350, but I wouldn't sell it for 1,000.

-Because you really like it?

-Because I think it's just, you know.

I mean, they all look like me!

they're all kind of demented nit-wits on there, you know?

Yours words, Andy, I wouldn't possibly comment!

So this is the best one, then, for £5,000. So talk me through it.

Victor, Victor, Vicke Lindstrand

was the greatest designer in the world - other than Rene Lalique -

in the 1930s.

He came into Orrefors as a book illustrator

and that illustrative nature of his work is evident here.

He went on holiday to Kenya in the early '50s and it's there,

and this contemporary form is very compelling.

The two-sided nature of the vase - and there are only 20 of them known.

When I've talked about these to other people,

they've said, "You've got one?"

It's the only one that's outside a museum or major collection.

It's a rarity. 20 are known, and this is one of them.

And the last time one came to the market,

which was seven, eight years ago, it went for £5,500.

A little bird told me that you brought up the most expensive vase -

which I now know is this one - cradled in your lap on the train

all the way from your home in Sussex, up here to Scarborough.

I wish it had been that one, because carrying this on the train up here

was one of my most nerve-racking experiences!

I must admit, I laid a couple of eggs on the way up.

I was slightly worried that it wouldn't make it

and that would have been really embarrassing!

I mean, you know what I'm like.

We're glad that it did, even if I got it wrong AGAIN.

If you've got some Swedish glass at home, you'd like to see it, Andy.

Please, please bring your Swedish glass in.

So have a look at our website...

You can see the venues where we're going to be this series.

Bring it along.

We see a lot of Robert Thompson - Mousy Thompson - furniture

especially in North Yorkshire,

but I've never ever seen anything like this.

Here's his mouse, quite clearly.

It's a very well-carved mouse, long tail, good whiskers.

But there has to be a story with this,

looks like a flying helmet, clearly this RAF plaque.

This must be a family piece. Can you tell me more about it?

Yes, it is indeed. The plaque sits in my mother's house.

It was commissioned by her mother and father, directly to Robert Thompson

to make the plaque in memory of their son, Brian,

who died in the Battle of Britain.

He was a Spitfire pilot and his Spitfire was shot down.

He was actually shot in the back.

So he wasn't killed, he was mortally wounded.

And he actually had to bail out by flying the Spitfire upside down

and releasing himself because he was paralysed.

So he had the sangfroid to turn his plane upside down,

-open the hood.

-Yes.

-And more or less fall out.

Yes, correct, and he was Thomas Brian Kirk.

And he died nine months later from his injuries, and I have here

the flying helmet he was wearing at the time that he was shot down.

This is his Spitfire pilot's helmet.

This is his Spitfire pilot's helmet and my mother has this too.

They went to Robert Thompson and they asked him if they would do a plaque

with his squadron, which was Tiger Squadron, 74 Squadron,

and Robert Thompson was really proud to do it

and my mother said he spent a great deal of time and care

and I think that's why the mouse is so beautifully carved.

And I think this was done around about 1942.

You know, you hear about the number of Aces etc,

but there are so many stories like that one never hears about.

-Yes.

-Just a very personal story, very emotive, as you say, to you.

It's very difficult for us in the 21st century

-to even begin to understand what they went through.

-Indeed.

I'm sure we're sort of celebrating a war hero, which he was, certainly.

-Yes.

-I mean, most extraordinary.

My father was in the RAF during the Second World War

so I can sort of vaguely understand what this must mean to you

and what I think is so nice, it's not in a museum

or in an RAF squadron mess.

It's actually in your private family home

-which is so important, so wonderful.

-Yes.

I mean, we obviously normally value things on the Antiques Roadshow,

but you can't value this.

This is a personal history, personal story.

I've never seen a plaque like this. It must be almost a one-off.

-A wonderful tribute to him.

-Thank you.

Thank you very much indeed.

So, two lovely ladies, one scent bottle.

What's the story?

You brought it here today because you wanted to find out what?

Well, whether it was worth anything or the history of it, really.

It came from Germany, I think.

Did it? And what was the family relationship there?

Well, our grandfather. Not our, but my husband's grandfather,

he came from Germany

and so he...

He moved over here to...

-Yes, marry my grandmother, you see.

-Yes, how lovely.

Well, that's very good.

So the Roadshow's coming and you thought, "Let's look out something."

Tell me about that. How did that happen?

I just suddenly remembered, we were bringing some glass, Bohemian glass,

and I just remembered about the little scent bottle,

so I asked mum, where was it, and she couldn't remember at all.

Popped up in the attic and found it.

But, as a child, I thought it was much bigger than it is now.

Yes, I know that does happen, doesn't it?

It's pretty big in its importance.

It's a most fascinating scent bottle. It really is a stunner.

-It's made of silver.

-Silver?

Silver-gilt actually.

And it's painted enamel work.

Oh, on top of the silver?

-On top of the silver, absolutely.

-Oh, I see.

You've probably already guessed that it's Russian.

Did you think of it as Russian before?

-Not really, but I thought Germany, perhaps.

-Yes.

But it might have been.

Yes, I mean, the biggest signal to the fact that it is Russian

is the inscription on the lid

which stands for a firm called Ovchinnikov,

which is the most wonderfully exotic name.

It was a very important competitor of Faberge in Moscow

and this is the sort of background for it, really.

It's pre-revolutionary Russian goldsmith's work,

and if we wanted any substantiation for that,

we can see on the base here, the maker's mark and the hallmark

for late 19th-century and early 20th-century Russia.

But in a way it's worth also looking about the meaning of this object.

It's far more than simply decorative.

It's painted with musk roses

and this is a covert emblem of love.

The rose is one of the attributes of Venus.

It always stands for love

and what better to give somebody that you love,

than a scent bottle that she's going to wear all the time?

And if you can afford it, what better to do

than go to one of the most celebrated silver manufacturers

-in Moscow at the time?

-I see. Yes.

So we're probably looking for a bride in your family

in the late 19th century, early 20th century,

whose husband could afford to shop

at what was a very grand establishment.

We know it's a grand establishment

because above the name Ovchinnikov is this double-headed imperial eagle

which is a sign that they had the warrant of Nicholas and Alexandra.

And so that's the clientele of Ovchinnikov

and it's wonderful that the fitted box survives.

It's a stunning combination.

There's an enormous boom in Russian works of art. Huge.

I think it's worth at least £3,000.

No?

-It's amazing, it's amazing.

-Isn't it?

Well, I saw you wheeling this into the hall this morning,

and from side on, it looked just like

a painted pine,

late 19th-century chest of drawers,

but actually it's a refrigerator.

-Yep.

-How does it work?

Ice, block of ice from your ice man is put in here and it's convection

so your hot air rises, cold air goes down there and it goes in,

cools the bottom chamber and because it's zinc-lined, it just stays cold.

By the 1830s, ice boxes, so insulated boxes for holding ice,

were pretty much commonplace

and there were all sorts of companies in America making them,

and that's where this starts to fit in,

cos this is by the Eddy Refrigerator Company, Boston, Massachusetts.

And conveniently it says here that the firm was established in 1847.

The interesting thing about this, is that its date is 1919.

By the 1920s, a lot of electric refrigerators were being made.

So this was quite an old-fashioned concept by then, wasn't it?

Yes, I think so.

It was dying out and probably a lot of them don't exist now

cos they were thrown out when the electric ones came in.

I can imagine, it would have been so deeply old-fashioned.

As far as the style goes,

it's this pine that's painted, or scumbled to look like it's oak,

which was a very common thing to do with furniture in the 19th century.

So the interior is lined with zinc and then these slates...

Gosh, it's actually really cold in there, isn't it?

Ice cold in there, yes. Even without ice it's really, really cold.

Yes, yes.

So where did this one come from?

A friend of mine was clearing an out-building,

asked for a hand so I went in and we cleared out everything and when

we got to the back there was just a lot of other furniture, Victorian,

and this as well.

Took it home, cleaned it and liked it, that's it.

And so does it come from somewhere near Scarborough?

Filey. The building was on Primrose Valley which is a holiday resort

and I think it was part of a hotel, maybe.

Yes, if you were on holiday you would certainly want

a bit of ice in your cold drink on a hot summer day by the sea.

Well, it might surprise you to know that in the 1920s,

these were being sold in the States for anything between 400 and 700,

so quite a sort of prized possession

and I'm going to ask you, do you think the value now

is greater or lower than that?

Er, probably lower, but I still think it's quite unique.

Well, it's certainly unique.

I don't really know many refrigerators

that have woodworm(!)

THEY LAUGH

It helps with the cooling.

And certainly it's the kind of object now that I mean most people

wouldn't even give it house room, let alone giving you a tenner for it

but it is such an interesting object of social history,

and I'm sure there's someone who would pay over £100 for it.

Definitely. Hope so.

You've involved me in a little bit of time travel here

and it's actually a love story.

Now who is Nazi?

Nazi was my husband's aunt

but she died when she was 22.

-Nazi was her nickname that her fiance gave her.

-Right.

Give the fiance's name, because this is one of his works.

It is, and he was Billy Hughes.

Has anybody heard of Billy Hughes?

-Well, I've got to admit, I haven't.

-No, no.

-But why not?

-I don't know why.

-Because he's a talent.

-Yes.

Now let's have a see what we've got.

Well, first of all we've got two photographs,

and if we can just put those photographs like so,

there's a couple here.

Yes, that's Billy Hughes and Marjorie.

Marjorie, but her pet name was Nazi?

Nazi, yes.

-And this is a wonderful self cartoon of Billy Hughes himself.

-Yes.

-So he's obviously got a sense of humour.

-Yes.

But what about this?

She is divine.

What we're looking at is very much the tip of the iceberg

because here is yet another volume.

Let's have a look at what we've got here.

First of all, these are all hand painted.

I mean, there's the look of a lady, quite frankly, that is...

I think demure might be the world.

And it says to what on there?

It says, 'To Columbine from Pierrot'.

-Ah, well every Columbine should have a Pierrot.

-Yes.

All these pictures, all these drawings have been painted

-and been given to the love of his life.

-Yes.

Just look at this one here. I mean, that's spontaneous.

-Look, that girl is a raver, isn't she?

-Mm, yes, she is.

-She is doing the Charleston.

-Yes.

There's a minimum of pen and ink there, but so much movement,

but it goes on.

I mean, let's have a look at another album here.

And if I dare, just again,

it's a case of less is more.

Look at that!

I mean, anybody who understands Art Deco would see almost Modigliani

or a Hagenauer bronze in that image,

and these are 1920s.

-1920s, yes.

-And look at this one.

I love that.

I think it's so cheeky, so cheeky.

I would love to have met this man.

He had a sense of humour.

And look at that!

I mean, that is the ultimate cocktail, isn't it?

So, you know, you've brought along

a very, very exciting

sort of folio, if you will.

And a glimpse into a life long gone because what year did she die?

-It would be early 1920s.

-Early 1920s.

22, it's no age at all, is it?

No. Well, she died from exposure.

She went for a walk in the local wood

and tripped and fell and hit her head and she died.

And all Kirkbymoorside were out looking for her,

but they couldn't find her.

So a tragedy, a tragic death as well.

-Yes, very tragic, yes.

-Whatever happened to Billy?

Well, Billy went as assistant to the librarian in Salisbury.

-And do we know any more after that?

-No.

I'll tell you what, somebody does.

Yes. Somebody will, yeah.

So, having looked at the folio

and having never come across Billy Hughes,

I've got to find myself putting a valuation on what I've seen so far.

And I wouldn't hesitate, I wouldn't hesitate to say

somewhere in the region of at least a couple of thousand pounds.

But, you know, having said that,

how on earth have I got the nerve to put a price on a labour of love?

Yeah.

Well, here's a picture postcard of Scarborough

and it's wonderful to see a bit of local colour,

and what colour, it's pearlescent, isn't it?

It's like the inside of an oyster or something,

the colour in this picture.

I think he's looked at Turner,

but he's painted a picture of Scarborough.

It's by Robert Pearson.

What can you tell me about it?

I've had this painting since 1972.

I was living in Macclesfield at the time, and I am a Scarborian

so I was driving past a shop,

a gallery, I think it must have been, one evening,

and the light was on this and I thought,

"That looks rather nice" and carried on driving.

A couple of days later I took my girlfriend, who is now my wife,

and I said, "Just have a look at this painting, I rather like it."

I suddenly realised it was a picture of my home town

and I said to Margaret, "I'm going to have that"

so we went in and I said, "I'm going to give him £30 for it."

-Now, we're talking 1972 which was...

-That's plenty of money.

It was quite a bit of money in my pocket then,

and I said, "I rather like that painting in the window."

I said, "How much is it?"

He said, "£225."

I said, "Right, I'll have it!"

Marvellous.

And that was it, I fell in love with it

and it's been in our family ever since.

-You didn't hesitate? You absolutely knew your mind?

-No hesitation.

It was the last penny out of my bank account.

That's the way to buy pictures.

-It really is. It's got to be love, got to be passion.

-Yeah.

Well, I must say it's great fun.

I love it because it's like a postcard.

I can say, "That's my room. That's where I'm staying, actually."

Yes, at the Grand Hotel, yes.

And I love the footbridge here which I know was built in 1824

cos I walked over it this morning.

Then, what is biggest of all,

perhaps they even paid for the picture it seems to me,

is the Grand Hotel and nothing grander than that.

-It looks like some vast Indian palace, doesn't it?

-Mm, yes.

I rather like it as well because you're looking inland, of course,

-towards the west, and there's a big sunset, it's like a Turner.

-Yes.

And you've got a big bustle here of working boats which must be

going into the harbour over here, I suppose.

There's a bit of artistic licence with the amount of boats around.

-Possibly, yes, yes.

-Perhaps even for then.

It seems to have the atmosphere of Turner and Grimshaw mixed up.

Well, of course, Turner came here,

and Grimshaw lived here for a while, didn't he?

And they painted locally and actually you're quite right,

there is an entirely autonomous...

It's on its own, little region of painters,

and they don't go to London, they don't get into the dictionaries

because they don't exhibit in London.

But local people know who they are

-because their pictures are hanging all over their homes.

-Yes.

Anyway, great fun. It cost you £225.

-What do you think now?

-Um...

Oh, I would hazard a guess at about 2,000?

-I was going to say three, so about right.

-Yes.

That's good because it'll cost me more in the insurance now, won't it?

It probably will,

but I think it's absolutely lovely and a great thing to have.

-It's very atmospheric.

-Truly so.

What's a feminine person like you

doing with a big, heavy, aggressive thing like this?

Well, it belongs to my dad, actually, it's not mine,

and it was passed down to him by his dad who acquired it through

some spinster ladies, some elderly spinster ladies, who gave it to him

because he was a solicitor in Scarborough town, so that's how.

-Oh, I see, amazing.

-I don't know anything more.

I actually can't believe what I'm looking at.

This is absolutely superb.

It's a Fijian Buli Buli,

and this is a thing of rare beauty.

I mean, it is really what us collectors look for.

I mean, this is the best I've ever seen.

-Really?

-Yeah.

-Wow.

I mean, it is for caving in skulls, of course,

and it would do that with some ferocity.

Actually they have often found

people's skulls on these islands in Fiji and Tonga and places like that

and the skulls are caved in, and it's not surprising, is it?

It has a beautifully domed head covered in raised carved studs

underneath which is chip carved.

It's made of iron wood and, when I look,

I can see the patina of age in there

and I would say this is probably 18th, early 19th century

and it's absolutely superb.

The chip carving goes all the way down the shaft.

I've only ever seen them with plain shafts,

so this one is as good as it gets.

The colour is superb, and the colour would have been as important

to the owner as, say, the colour of someone's tie today.

It said who the tribesman was.

It's a prestige object as well as a weapon.

The man who owned this would have carried this with a swagger.

It said who he was, and I've never seen one this long, either.

Normally they're a good six, seven, eight inches shorter than this.

I mean, it just takes my breath away.

-I'm really beside myself with excitement.

-Great!

It's just, you know, I just want to throw my collection away.

That's the truth of the matter.

I know dealers with one they thought was the best thing they'd ever had,

-and it was half as good as this and I'm not joking.

-Wow.

-Had you any idea what a rare thing you...?

-No.

How did it find its way from the middle of the Pacific

to Scarborough?

It's just unbelievable.

And with an unbelievable object comes an unbelievable price.

OK.

Do you know what, I'm thinking about this.

The market place for this sort of thing is more in Paris,

Rue des Beaux Arts, or in Brussels in the Sablon and in New York.

But they get very excited

and they've got galleries that deal in this sort of stuff

and a nice one of these would be 8,000 to 10,000.

This, I would stick my neck out and say,

if you had to buy this in the Sablon in Brussels,

I think it would cost you between

30,000

and maybe 35.

-Wow, that's amazing.

-I really think it could make that.

It is the best I've ever seen and I really mean that.

I can only dream.

Oh, wow, I'm so happy and my dad's going to be absolutely thrilled.

That's fantastic. Thank you so much.

Wow, that is an incredible valuation!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to think that that club had made its way

across the seas all the way from Polynesia here to Scarborough?

We can dream, can't we?

From the Antiques Roadshow until next week, bye-bye.

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