0:00:03 > 0:00:08The Antiques Roadshow team travels to every corner of the UK as we journey across Britain.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11This week, our location is west Wales.
0:00:11 > 0:00:17Once it was home to some of the most important antiques and artworks from England.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Welcome to a return visit to Aberystwyth.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25BIRD SINGS
0:01:05 > 0:01:11Towards the end of 1933, the heads of England's most important cultural institutions
0:01:11 > 0:01:17were summoned to a meeting by the Government to discuss what should happen to their precious artefacts
0:01:17 > 0:01:19in the event of a war in Europe,
0:01:19 > 0:01:23the concern being that London would almost certainly be targeted
0:01:23 > 0:01:24in any bombing campaign.
0:01:24 > 0:01:30The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth was considered an ideal refuge
0:01:30 > 0:01:36for many of the priceless paintings, manuscripts and books from English galleries, museums and libraries.
0:01:36 > 0:01:42Keen to help, the library employed an architect to design and build tunnels and an underground chamber
0:01:42 > 0:01:47in which to house them all should war break out.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Between May and September, 1938, as tensions increased in Europe,
0:01:51 > 0:01:56the number of institutes seeking shelter for their precious artefacts increased to 11,
0:01:56 > 0:02:01including the British Museum, the National Gallery and Corpus Christi College in Cambridge.
0:02:01 > 0:02:07During the Second World War, the National Library of Wales was home to hundreds of pictures
0:02:07 > 0:02:12by the likes of Da Vinci, Canaletto, Hogarth, Gainsborough,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16as well as precious manuscripts and books.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20As for scholars who couldn't bear to be parted from their valuable works,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23they were evacuated here, too.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27In case you're wondering why I'm whispering, I'm in the reading room!
0:02:31 > 0:02:37After the war, every object was returned safely to its home following its Welsh outing
0:02:37 > 0:02:43and who knows what awaits us here today as we throw open the doors at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre?
0:02:47 > 0:02:51I had a very long drive here up the Welsh valleys
0:02:51 > 0:02:55and as I was driving along the beautiful landscape and rivers,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57I saw horses around me
0:02:57 > 0:03:02and then you come in with this lovely watercolour of a horse, signed KW.
0:03:02 > 0:03:08Now, KW can only mean one artist to me, one of Wales' most famous - Kyffin Williams.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13And it's lovely. It's a personalised watercolour done for somebody.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15- Was it done for you?- Yes, it was.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20We've got very good friends, James and Jo Jenkins, living in Swansea.
0:03:20 > 0:03:27In the '90s, James said the up-and-coming artist, he said, hitherto unrecognised,
0:03:27 > 0:03:33was Kyffin Williams. And I said, "I'll ring him up and ask him to come and paint our stallion."
0:03:33 > 0:03:37James said, "You can't ring Kyffin Williams just like that!"
0:03:37 > 0:03:43But, in fact, I found his number and Kyffin said, "Certainly. I'll come down."
0:03:43 > 0:03:47- And the rest is history, as they say.- Tell me about the horse.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52The horse is called Derwen Replica, he's a Welsh cob.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57And it's the best equine in the world, the Welsh cob.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01I see there's a letter here, which Kyffin has written and it says,
0:04:01 > 0:04:07"Dear Mr Lloyd, I have done a fairly reasonable watercolour of Derwen Replica,
0:04:07 > 0:04:13"but I have given him a small, white blaze and now have a feeling that he hasn't got one."
0:04:13 > 0:04:18- Is this the drawing that he did before the picture? - Yes. That was it.
0:04:18 > 0:04:25It went on for about a month to six weeks, toing and froing, but the result is very pleasing.
0:04:25 > 0:04:31I see here that we've got a photograph of the horse with Kyffin here,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35- standing on the right.- Yes, with my wife, Myfanwy. What I liked
0:04:35 > 0:04:39was that he was very much non-establishment.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43He had his own mind, stood up for what he believed in
0:04:43 > 0:04:48- and, well, he was recognised, of course, with a knighthood. - Absolutely.
0:04:48 > 0:04:54And I think, you know, it comes through in his paintings. This is a lovely watercolour,
0:04:54 > 0:04:58but in 1990 he wasn't really recognised outside Wales.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02In 2000, I remember some of his pictures coming on the market
0:05:02 > 0:05:07and they started to make £10,000, £15,000. Today,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10major oils by him are making £50,000, £60,000.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And rightly so, because he's a wonderful painter.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19His oil painting style is very thick and fluid, using palette knife, almost,
0:05:19 > 0:05:24but this is lovely. And the story behind this is so personal
0:05:24 > 0:05:28and to have this information and the drawing...
0:05:28 > 0:05:33And because people like him, this watercolour would probably make today
0:05:33 > 0:05:40- somewhere in the region of £4,000-£6,000.- That's pleasing to know, but it'll never go from us.
0:05:40 > 0:05:46It will be passed on to our son, who hopefully will cherish it for the rest of his life.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I'm glad to hear that.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55When I first saw this teapot coming out of your bag,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58I thought it was going to be a silver teapot,
0:05:58 > 0:06:04but you've disappointed me. It's just brass. Why have you brought me a brass teapot?
0:06:04 > 0:06:09Well, I'll tell you why. My mother had it given her many years ago
0:06:09 > 0:06:14- and she's had it for about 50 years sitting on the mantelpiece.- Right.
0:06:14 > 0:06:19Then a couple of years ago, my cousin came to the house and he's an antique dealer.
0:06:19 > 0:06:25- He said, "That's quite valuable," and he offered her a substantial amount of money for it.- Did he?
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- Which she declined.- How much was that? Let's get to the point.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- £700.- £700, right.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36Yeah. So when I heard you were coming to Aberystwyth, I said,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40"Mother, can I take the teapot along to have it valued or looked at?"
0:06:40 > 0:06:44- "Certainly," she said. So here it is.- OK.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47You must have wondered why somebody was offering
0:06:47 > 0:06:50such a lot of money for a brass teapot.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54We see a lot of brass and copper teapots and kettles on the Roadshow.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00Most of them are worth £30-£50, we don't film them and we send people on their way.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04This one is different because it is indeed imitating a silver shape,
0:07:04 > 0:07:11but this is one of the rare ones that is made of brass. And brass ones are rarer than silver ones.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13It also has a very early date.
0:07:13 > 0:07:19One of the reasons I know it's early is because the capacity of the teapot is tiny.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22You could only get two or three little cups
0:07:22 > 0:07:29because in the 1720s, when this was made, tea was still very expensive and taken in small quantities.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34So let's have a look at it because there's one surprising thing.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37You've seen it and I had a quick peep.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40It has some mock hallmarks on it,
0:07:40 > 0:07:45which means that this was not originally brass,
0:07:45 > 0:07:51but it actually had a silver coating on top of the brass that made it look more expensive.
0:07:51 > 0:07:57These little bits of silver left over are the remnants of the French plating process.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01So it's a teapot with quite a lot to tell.
0:08:01 > 0:08:07And, potentially, if you imitated hallmarks, you could be executed for it back in the 18th century.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10So they were on dangerous territory.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14But what a lovely shape. It's called a bullet teapot
0:08:14 > 0:08:18because it's in the shape of a bullet.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22It's got a gorgeous original fruitwood handle, that sensuous curve.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27The finial is original, made of ebony.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31And look at that little spout. A nice little moulding on the end.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35And to top the piece off, an original crest of a bull's head.
0:08:35 > 0:08:41- £700, eh? Now, look, it's family who made that offer, so I've got to be careful!- I know.
0:08:42 > 0:08:48- Quite frankly, it's the best brass teapot I have ever seen of this period.- Really?
0:08:48 > 0:08:53I see far more coffee pots and sauce boats. It's a good one.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57Auction estimate - £2,500-£3,500.
0:08:57 > 0:08:58What?!
0:08:58 > 0:09:00Oh, no.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03You wait 'til I see my cousin!
0:09:07 > 0:09:11What a badly battered plate! How did you come by it?
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Actually, friends asked me to help them clear a house out.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19They had a skip outside, throwing a lot of rubbish in,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23- and that was going in the skip. - Was it?- I asked if I could keep it.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28And they said yes! I'm always hoping to find things in skips,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33but I wouldn't be allowed to look in skips, as a rule!
0:09:33 > 0:09:40It's got the monogram IHS on it, the Jesuit symbol for Jesus Christ, Son of God.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42- Right.- It's got a cross.- Yes.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47And it's made in a body called Delft. Tin-glazed pottery.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- Right.- That's very much tin.
0:09:50 > 0:09:57- Where the tin bursts away, you can see the bare clay body under it.- I see.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02It's trying to look like porcelain, really, but doing it in a cheaper way
0:10:02 > 0:10:09- because the English and the Dutch and Germans couldn't make porcelain at this stage.- Right.
0:10:09 > 0:10:16- The date of it is going to be somewhere round about 1670. - Right.- In date.
0:10:16 > 0:10:22- Which is the time of King Charles II if you remember that in history! - It's a long time ago!
0:10:22 > 0:10:25A long, long time ago.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28But the difficult thing to me is
0:10:28 > 0:10:33- whether it's continental or whether it is English.- Right.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36If it IS continental,
0:10:36 > 0:10:42- it's much less valuable than if it is English.- I see, yes.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Now so much of this looks continental, Dutch or German,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48but two things that look English
0:10:48 > 0:10:52are this little squiggle under there,
0:10:52 > 0:10:58which reminds me very much of the Delft bottles they made at the time of King Charles II,
0:10:58 > 0:11:04English ones, made in London, and always with these little squiggles
0:11:04 > 0:11:08under the name of the person who owned the bottle.
0:11:08 > 0:11:14Also, these little ribs are very English in style. The whole look of it to me is a peculiar mixture
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- of English and continental.- I see.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Now if it is Dutch or German,
0:11:21 > 0:11:25it's going to be somewhere around about the £400 mark.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Uh-huh.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31If it is English, terribly, terribly rare
0:11:31 > 0:11:35- and the value, you have to add a nought on the end.- Oh!
0:11:35 > 0:11:41£4,000. And I would like you to take it to a few museums, perhaps in London or somewhere like that.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46- Right, yes.- I hope it turns out to be English!- I hope so, too!
0:11:46 > 0:11:51And to think of you rescuing it from a tip! Marvellous!
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Thank you, yes.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59Well, we inherited it from my granny and she passed it on to my mother.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05When my parents died, it came to our house. We were always led to believe it was a prison clock
0:12:05 > 0:12:12- and a warder had to come round and knock the pin in or it stopped. - Where does the prison bit come in?
0:12:12 > 0:12:18She thought that the warder, if I was the head warder and you were the subordinate,
0:12:18 > 0:12:23- you have to come and check on Mary every half hour.- On Mary? - She's the prisoner!
0:12:23 > 0:12:28As you checked on her, you depress the handle to knock the pin in.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32So the head warder came round and said, "He's done his job."
0:12:32 > 0:12:39If he didn't come round to press the lever, the dial turned and the pin was still sticking out.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43I would say you're pretty much there, you're almost there.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46- It's called a nightwatchman's clock. - Right.
0:12:46 > 0:12:53What is interesting about this clock is that the maker, John Whitehurst of Derby,
0:12:53 > 0:12:57invented the night clock. You're absolutely right -
0:12:57 > 0:13:02the dial has pins set all around its circumference.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06In this instance, you pull the lever on the side,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09it pushes the pin in and it tells his supervisor
0:13:09 > 0:13:14that that watchman has been awake at that time. OK?
0:13:14 > 0:13:19This is the whole point of the whole exercise - to keep watchmen awake.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23I think it was used in a mill. They were very popular up north.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25They were very useful.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29And it was terribly, terribly important.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33They were subject to burglaries, to fires,
0:13:33 > 0:13:38and the nightwatchman had to make sure he did his rounds. Very clever.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43- How old is the clock?- Quite right to ask. It's one of the earliest.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47He invented, we think, this clock in about 1750.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52- Good grief.- And I think that this can't post-date that by very much.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56- So let's say it's around 1760. It's a very early example.- I love you.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01- Well, early doesn't always mean money.- It doesn't matter.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07- Let's talk money.- We wanted to know what it was.- Nightwatchman clocks are not everyone's cup of tea.
0:14:07 > 0:14:13My wife wouldn't have this in the house at all. And she allows me to bring back quite a lot of stuff,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16but this she'd draw the line at.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20As a result of which, it's really a die-hard collector's clock.
0:14:20 > 0:14:26- And, nevertheless, you would have to pay as much as £1,500. - Good grief! Would you really?
0:14:26 > 0:14:31- £200-£300 I thought you'd say! - Really?- Honestly, yeah.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Thank you. At least we know what it is!
0:14:36 > 0:14:41You'll forgive me for saying it looks a bit like an ear, doesn't it?
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Have you heard of Cassis tuberosa?
0:14:43 > 0:14:49- No.- Cassis tuberosa is the name for a helmet shell.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53- Oh, right.- And that is what that is. Family piece?
0:14:53 > 0:15:00- Been in the family for several generations.- Now, the reason that we're looking at this today
0:15:00 > 0:15:02is that it's transformed...
0:15:02 > 0:15:05when we look at it on this side.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11And it reveals a magnificent cameo carving
0:15:11 > 0:15:17depicting a classical female head in profile. We'll call her Flora,
0:15:17 > 0:15:22because the involvement of flowers in her tresses
0:15:22 > 0:15:27is so beautifully done, it's executed with such subtlety and perfection.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31I've seen these before over the years
0:15:31 > 0:15:35and they're always broken. Do you know the reason why?
0:15:35 > 0:15:40Because people hold them to their ear or drop them. And they crack.
0:15:40 > 0:15:47But this one is in absolutely impeccable condition and when you think that the carving here
0:15:47 > 0:15:52- was probably done in Naples, Italy...- Oh, right. - ..in around about 1860-1870,
0:15:52 > 0:15:57the detail of this, when you look at it, what you're seeing is
0:15:57 > 0:16:02a carving in cameo where naturally the white would be solid.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08And the craftsman has got these incredibly sophisticated tools to deftly pick out the white,
0:16:08 > 0:16:15leaving some of the white in profile and then giving them the extra definition of flowers in the hair.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20And let's not forget to look at the beautiful contour of that nose and mouth.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Then you carve down to the lower level, which is brown.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28Then you polish it. So you get this caramel brown against the white.
0:16:28 > 0:16:34That's really what a cameo is. The reason that they're interesting from a jeweller's context
0:16:34 > 0:16:39- is they were frequently used as shop models.- Right.- On a shelf.
0:16:39 > 0:16:46Typically, a shop would cascade pearls winding round and they'd become a fixture and fitting.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- Oh, right. Yes.- All right.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Neapolitan shell carving,
0:16:50 > 0:16:521860s to 1870s.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Helmet shell.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59Excellent condition. I'm going to be a little careful with the price.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01They're very much for the purist,
0:17:01 > 0:17:07but I would like to think if it was offered at auction, someone would pay £500-£800 for it.
0:17:07 > 0:17:13- Oh, gosh. - Are you disappointed?- Absolutely not!- That's a relief.- I'm amazed!
0:17:17 > 0:17:21I've filmed several Welsh Antiques Roadshows
0:17:21 > 0:17:23and come across many Eisteddfod chairs.
0:17:23 > 0:17:30The bardic tradition of poetry and literature has happened for thousands of years.
0:17:30 > 0:17:37- We've got five Eisteddfod chairs here. Five is a lot to have in one place at one time.- Yes.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41- Whose were they? - They were my great-grandfather's.
0:17:41 > 0:17:47He lived in Aberystwyth for most of his life and he was well known in Wales. His name was Niclas y Glais.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51He was a poet and a preacher and a pacifist and a dentist.
0:17:51 > 0:17:58- Right. So he had his finger in a lot of pies.- Absolutely. - And so he won five Eisteddfods?
0:17:58 > 0:18:03- No, he won up to 100, they think. - Sorry?- Up to 100.- 100?- Yeah.
0:18:03 > 0:18:09- Do you have more of them?- There's another two in our close family. My brother has two in Cardiff.
0:18:09 > 0:18:14- So where are all the rest?- There's one in the museum in Aberystwyth
0:18:14 > 0:18:20and some in the chapels, but he actually gave them away. He gave a lot to the chapels.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26- So how did he win 100 chairs? - By writing poetry. They're awarded a chair for writing poetry.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- Very specifically poetry.- Yes.
0:18:29 > 0:18:36And the chair is a very potent symbol because it was used at the final ceremony
0:18:36 > 0:18:43- for the chairing of the bard.- Yes. - So he would have sat there and been chaired.- He would have been.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48- Over 100 times!- Yes! - He must have got rather used to it. - I'm sure he did.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52- I'm sure he just took it as granted. - It's an incredible feat.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57I can see a range of dates. Some of these chairs are far more elaborate than others.
0:18:57 > 0:19:04What really interests me about Eisteddfod chairs is that they kind of used to recycle furniture.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09There's the National Eisteddfod, which is an amazing institution, but there were little regional ones.
0:19:09 > 0:19:15These small regional Eisteddfods possibly didn't have a very big purse.
0:19:15 > 0:19:22They needed a bardic chair to award, so you get things like this - a continental office or cafe chair.
0:19:22 > 0:19:29- Oh, right.- And it was just what was available. And it's got a plaque on the back for a local Eisteddfod.
0:19:29 > 0:19:36Now in terms of being a chair, it's worth £70 or £80, but it's the association.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40In reality, we think of chairs like this as Eisteddfod thrones,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44but I like these small, regional, recycled chairs.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48He was obviously a man of great talent. We have a picture of him.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51What's his legacy to the Welsh people?
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Just the literature that he's given to people.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59He's still very, very popular. He's coming back as an icon.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01- You must be very proud.- We are.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Value-wise, some of these things are not really that valuable.
0:20:05 > 0:20:10You can happily buy a chair like this for £300 or £400. Not a great deal of money.
0:20:10 > 0:20:18To you, they're far more valuable than that and given the amazing amount of Eisteddfods he won,
0:20:18 > 0:20:24he really obviously is an incredible man who left an incredible legacy to your family and the Welsh people.
0:20:24 > 0:20:28- It's a pleasure to talk about him. Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:20:33 > 0:20:40- This kimono is in such fantastic condition, I can't believe it was ever worn.- It was worn once.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45It belonged to my three times great uncle...who was in Japan.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50And he was presented to the Emperor wearing this very kimono.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55- What sort of date would that have been?- Round about the 1870s.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57That's incredible because
0:20:57 > 0:20:59had I not known your family's story,
0:20:59 > 0:21:03and looking at the kimono, the colours are just so vibrant,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07- I would have probably put it a bit later than that.- Yes.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11What we have is a lovely cream silk and then, as a second stage,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15some of the design is printed on - this aubergine -
0:21:15 > 0:21:22and then very carefully and meticulously these beautiful bright colours in the overstitching.
0:21:22 > 0:21:29Overall, it's incredibly colourful, but it's also decorated with emblems that all have
0:21:29 > 0:21:34- a tremendous significance and a language of flowers.- Yes.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Like the trailing wisteria here.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39The peach blossom.
0:21:39 > 0:21:46And the language on this kimono, which is interesting for a man, is all about happiness
0:21:46 > 0:21:53and peace and longevity, which you would have put far more for a woman than a man.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Tell me, why was he in Japan?
0:21:56 > 0:22:04He was part of the British legation to Japan who went out soon after Japan opened to the western world.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09And he was the medical doctor assigned to the legation, a group of diplomats.
0:22:09 > 0:22:15But soon after he got there, he managed to gain respect for the medical work he was doing
0:22:15 > 0:22:21and he ended up setting up two teaching hospitals which eventually evolved into the medical schools
0:22:21 > 0:22:27- at Tokyo and Kagoshima. - What was his name? - His name was William Willis.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30I have a photograph of him in this book here.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34- So there he is.- Have you had any contact with Japan since?
0:22:34 > 0:22:39Well, I have a Japanese friend who came over a few years ago.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44I'd had in my possession a book written in Japanese
0:22:44 > 0:22:48and when my friend came over, I said, "Could you read this for me?"
0:22:48 > 0:22:55And he came back the next day and said, "This is fascinating. I read it from cover to cover.
0:22:55 > 0:23:02"This is one of 14 volumes written about your uncle. He is so famous, I learnt all about him in school."
0:23:02 > 0:23:07- At school?- At school. He's on the curriculum in Japan. - How fantastic.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12And he's attributed as bringing western medical practices to Japan.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16- So he's very famous. - That is an amazing story.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21You might be pleased to know that the kimono is in such good condition,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25- that I would put £1,000... - Goodness. OK, right.
0:23:25 > 0:23:32- But, historically, it's a fascinating story. Thank you for sharing it.- It's been a pleasure.
0:23:35 > 0:23:40Well, this absolutely beautiful figure of a ballerina,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44who is glinting before us in the sunlight, represents for me
0:23:44 > 0:23:50a pivotal moment in the history of one of the greatest European porcelain factories,
0:23:50 > 0:23:54the Meissen factory. Do you love this figure as much as I do?
0:23:54 > 0:23:56A lot more.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00- Ah, you can't know that!- I do. - Well, tell me about it.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03She belonged to my father.
0:24:03 > 0:24:10- And she actually has travelled quite a long way in her little life of almost 100 years.- Right.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15She's been from West Germany, she travelled in a railway wagon to East Germany.
0:24:15 > 0:24:20And she basically moved towards the Russians. And then, in 1948,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24she was coming back the same way, back to the West,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28and she's lost very little of her glamour.
0:24:28 > 0:24:34- Right. And here she is in Wales. - Indeed, yes.- So she's danced her way across Europe.- She has that.
0:24:34 > 0:24:41I think she's pivotal because throughout a lot of the 19th century, before this was made,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44the Meissen factory had lost its way a bit.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46All it was doing, essentially,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50was reproducing objects it had made in the previous century,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53churning out 18th century-style goods.
0:24:53 > 0:24:59But in the early 20th century, they took on exciting, new, adventurous modellers.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04People like Max Esser and another chap called Paul Scheurich,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07who modelled this beautiful figure.
0:25:07 > 0:25:13And he understood the medium so well, which is why she really does seem to dance as we look at her.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16She's actually moving. That's a really good figure.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21And she represents a figure from a ballet called Carnival,
0:25:21 > 0:25:27which Paul Scheurich actually saw in Berlin in 1910.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32And it was performed by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes company.
0:25:32 > 0:25:39And from that, in 1914, he modelled five figures from the Carnival ballet.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43And this is one of those. I think you know when it was made.
0:25:43 > 0:25:49- I thought it was 1924-ish. - Yes, well, it's in the early period.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53- Not long after the original had been modelled by Scheurich.- Yes.
0:25:53 > 0:25:59And we turn her upside down. We can see the crossed swords mark and the model number there.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04- Exactly what we'd expect to see from an early model.- Yes.
0:26:04 > 0:26:10So this is reasonably contemporary to the time Scheurich modelled it, so it's really exciting to me.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14It's got everything - life, movement, colour, quality.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20And that's, I think, why... why I'm smitten and in love.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24- How lovely. - So what's something like this worth?
0:26:24 > 0:26:30I think it's safe to say, at auction, for a figure as beautiful and lovely as this,
0:26:30 > 0:26:35- we'd be looking at £3,000-£4,000 for her.- Right.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37At auction.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39Goodness. Gosh!
0:26:39 > 0:26:42That I did not expect.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55- Mark, I've brought someone to see you who's had an accident.- Yeah.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59- I think that's just general wear and tear.- Shall we turn him round?
0:26:59 > 0:27:05- Now do you want to tell Mark what you know about him? - Nothing I know about it, actually.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09- I bought it in a sale about 25 years ago.- Right, OK.
0:27:09 > 0:27:15It was in a cardboard box with a lot of other toys on top. We found him in the bottom.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20He's been in the garden shed ever since. My wife hates it because of those teeth!
0:27:20 > 0:27:25- So you have no idea who this figure is?- I haven't got a clue!- Right, OK.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29- What do you think he looks like? - A monkey!- You think a monkey?
0:27:29 > 0:27:33So would you be a little bit surprised to find he's a cat?
0:27:34 > 0:27:39- Yeah, I would be.- And his name is Felix.- Never!- The cat.
0:27:39 > 0:27:45- Goodness me.- So what you have here is perhaps one of the earliest marketable cartoon characters
0:27:45 > 0:27:48in animation history.
0:27:48 > 0:27:54His first incarnation was about 1919 and he had cartoon strips.
0:27:54 > 0:27:59- He was like the Star Wars figure of his age.- Oh, right. - And what's he worth?
0:27:59 > 0:28:03- He's worth about £250. - Oh! That's very nice!
0:28:03 > 0:28:08I had no idea. I just thought he was an ordinary monkey!
0:28:17 > 0:28:24It's amazing what you can tell about families from the silver that they produce.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Now my immediate deduction with this dish
0:28:27 > 0:28:32- is that somebody in your family was out in the Far East. - Yes, you're right.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37My grandfather lived in China when he was a little boy.
0:28:37 > 0:28:42And when the troubles started, he had to be smuggled out with his family.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46So they had to dress him up as a little Chinese boy.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49That would have been around 1900
0:28:49 > 0:28:51with the Boxer Rebellion
0:28:51 > 0:28:55when all sorts of dreadful things were happening.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57Essentially, civil war in China.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01And Europeans were fleeing the country.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05One wonders where they hid this particular dish
0:29:05 > 0:29:09- as they were smuggling him out. - They had big kimonos on.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14- I suppose stitched into that. - It could have done.- Wonderful.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17- The dish itself I would have dated around 1900 or so.- Yes.
0:29:17 > 0:29:24- And what we've actually got are the marks of the actual Chinese maker.- Right.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29I have to admit my Cantonese is non-existent,
0:29:29 > 0:29:34- but it should be possible to work out exactly who made it.- Yes.
0:29:34 > 0:29:41- The three most likely locations are Hong Kong, Shanghai or Canton. - Right.
0:29:41 > 0:29:47Those are the China trade ports and that's where you had these Chinese silversmiths
0:29:47 > 0:29:52making for the European market, which they exploited brilliantly.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57So a wonderful dish and China trade is very much collected today.
0:29:58 > 0:30:00So value...
0:30:00 > 0:30:05I would have thought you'd be looking at, at least, £1,000.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- Really?- Maybe £1,500 on this dish.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13- It really is delightful. - Lovely. Excellent.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22This is a huge collection of Poole pottery,
0:30:22 > 0:30:28but just as we were setting it up here, you confided in me that this is
0:30:28 > 0:30:32just a small part of what you have. How much more have you got at home?
0:30:32 > 0:30:38Oh, probably about another 300 pieces on top of this lot.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45- Are you the wife?- Yes. - This is very interesting.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49So we have a collection and an obsession?
0:30:49 > 0:30:54- It became one, yes.- You say it's an obsession. What got you started?
0:30:54 > 0:31:00Unfortunately, I was in a really nasty road accident about 10 years ago.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05And I ended up having a bad head injury with brain damage.
0:31:05 > 0:31:10And I was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder.
0:31:10 > 0:31:16- Which could have taken you in any direction really. - It could have done.
0:31:16 > 0:31:22Fortunately, it wasn't alcohol, drugs or anything nasty. It was Poole pottery! Much healthier.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27- Extraordinary.- And I'm a lot better now.- Other than this!- Yeah.
0:31:27 > 0:31:34And my flatmate gave me this little cruet set here. And I just loved the colours
0:31:34 > 0:31:41and the feel of it. Then I kept seeing bits of Poole everywhere and I was just like,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43"I like that. I'll buy that."
0:31:43 > 0:31:51Let's talk about Poole Freeform, which most of this is. I have to say that in a lot of charity shops,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55- you find bits.- Yes.- It is not rare. Some of the larger pieces
0:31:55 > 0:31:59and ones that have some of the bigger decoration on there,
0:31:59 > 0:32:03they are more desirable and obviously so,
0:32:03 > 0:32:08but if you are an obsessive collector, you wake up in the morning and have to buy something.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12- Yes, I do.- Yes!- Don't you?
0:32:12 > 0:32:16I've known a lot of obsessive collectors, let me tell you.
0:32:16 > 0:32:22- But there is Poole and Poole. He is quite particular about the pieces he wants.- Now.
0:32:22 > 0:32:27- No, right from the beginning. - That's interesting. Do you have a favourite?
0:32:27 > 0:32:32I do. I'm just trying to locate it. Ah, here it is! This one.
0:32:32 > 0:32:39- And you love it because...? - I just love the shape, the colours and it's also very tactile.
0:32:39 > 0:32:45- I really like the feel of the finish. It's very beautiful. - Show her what you do to it.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48- What do I do?- Kiss them. - I go, "Morning."
0:32:51 > 0:32:54- Not to all of them!- Not all of them.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57- And how long have you been married? - Not very long!
0:32:57 > 0:33:03- Oh, dear.- OK, well, I think you have summed it all up, actually,
0:33:03 > 0:33:08because the Freeform is incredibly tactile and the feel is lovely.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11It is like touching skin almost.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16And particularly when it's blood temperature, as it is here in the sun.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Do you feel this has been therapeutic?
0:33:20 > 0:33:22Very much so. Very much so.
0:33:22 > 0:33:29Before I used to have to write everything down in a notebook of what I was doing that day,
0:33:29 > 0:33:35but now I think it's helped me come back to a level playing field, really.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39They are a terrific collection here that you've compiled.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42They scream '50s to you.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46I'm not going to go through every piece and value it, but I would say
0:33:46 > 0:33:50that something like the vase or big platter on the floor,
0:33:50 > 0:33:55the more wildly painted ones, we're talking about £200, £300, maybe £350.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00The rest are just a few pounds each, but cumulatively, it is a wonderful collection.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05It's a wonderful passion and obsession. Where to now?
0:34:05 > 0:34:12Oh, I don't know. Get all the Freeform shapes in the blue colour, I think. This is my ambition.
0:34:12 > 0:34:19- Excellent.- I'm a few short, but I hope I'll find them.- I wish you luck in completing the tick box.
0:34:19 > 0:34:24- Thank you.- And thank you for sharing your obsession with us. And for being such a patient wife!
0:34:24 > 0:34:27- Thank you!- Yeah.
0:34:30 > 0:34:37The man responsible for this image, when he arrived in England completely changed the English face.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42- Sir Anthony van Dyck. - So it is an original? - Not necessarily at all!
0:34:42 > 0:34:48- You think it might be? How did you come by it? - My father purchased it in 2004.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52It was supposed to have come from a Scottish estate.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56It has a sticker on the back to say it was attributed to van Dyck.
0:34:56 > 0:35:01And it was put in the catalogue as "circle of van Dyck".
0:35:01 > 0:35:08Apart from that, I found a full-length picture on the internet,
0:35:08 > 0:35:13which I understand is exactly the same woman, wearing the same dress,
0:35:13 > 0:35:17full length, which I understand was at Lennoxlove.
0:35:17 > 0:35:23Well, you've dipped into the van Dyck industry, for that's really what it was.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26When he arrived in England in the early 1630s,
0:35:26 > 0:35:32you have to imagine how portraiture was. It was quite stiff, staccato, playing card in appearance.
0:35:32 > 0:35:37And then it was almost as if he was an impresario saying, "Action!"
0:35:37 > 0:35:41People began to smile and breathe in a different way. There was movement.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46A feeling of romanticism begins to creep through portraiture.
0:35:46 > 0:35:52As a result, everyone who had access to the court and to the artist wanted a painting by him
0:35:52 > 0:35:56or, preferably, of them. He could just transform these people.
0:35:56 > 0:36:02Now as a result of that, he had lots of studio assistants who did replicas.
0:36:02 > 0:36:06And as a result of that, they're everywhere, so people copy them.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10- Yes.- And then you get in the next generation after the Restoration,
0:36:10 > 0:36:16people trying to evoke the period of Charles I, when this was painted.
0:36:16 > 0:36:22- Now this woman is the Duchess of Hamilton and it is indeed after a major work by van Dyck.- Yes.
0:36:22 > 0:36:29- The actual original is missing. - Right.- The Duchess of Hamilton was a lady to the bedchamber
0:36:29 > 0:36:33to Henrietta Maria, the wife of Charles I.
0:36:33 > 0:36:37And a pretty woman and a good-looking royalist image.
0:36:37 > 0:36:43So you can see why, in later generations, artists were interested in this picture.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47- Now this actually is not a 17th-century picture.- Right.
0:36:47 > 0:36:52It's an 18th-century picture. What happened in the 18th century is
0:36:52 > 0:36:57because this great colossus of British art changed and influenced the way we paint so much,
0:36:57 > 0:37:03there were artists who looked back in a romantic way to what he achieved. Thomas Gainsborough.
0:37:03 > 0:37:08- What a lovely thing to have. - Oh, yes. I have it hanging in my dining room.
0:37:08 > 0:37:15- It looks very good on the wall and I enjoy it.- Well, you have a painting which is
0:37:15 > 0:37:21downstream of van Dyck, 100 years later. I could well see this in an antique shop
0:37:21 > 0:37:25- selling for £3,000.- That's nice to know! Lovely, thank you.
0:37:28 > 0:37:34Walking along the queue here, I couldn't help noticing you've got something from the BBC here.
0:37:34 > 0:37:40- These are LPs that we found in a skip in Aberystwyth.- And what are they of?- Sound effect clips
0:37:40 > 0:37:46from the BBC Archives. We found 410 of these in the original packaging.
0:37:46 > 0:37:51Oh, look. Wimbledon tennis - men's singles. This is the sounds of what it was like at Wimbledon.
0:37:51 > 0:37:58- And then...FA Cup Final, goal scored.- 1966. - And you found all these in a skip?
0:37:58 > 0:38:05- Yeah.- Yeah.- You just sort of dived in?- Well, one of my friends told us they were there.
0:38:05 > 0:38:11- And he didn't have the transport. - He didn't have the transport. - And his girlfriend wasn't too keen!
0:38:11 > 0:38:17- On diving into the skip? I don't blame her.- It was right at the bottom under that much rubbish.
0:38:17 > 0:38:23- So you've rescued them.- We did. - How fascinating. What other sound effects have they got on them?
0:38:23 > 0:38:30They go into so much detail. One horse galloping. Two horses plus foal galloping. It's amazing.
0:38:30 > 0:38:36Because now if we want sound effects, there's all sorts of digital archives you can go into
0:38:36 > 0:38:42or you can get different kinds of mood music. Sad music, scary music, whatever it might be,
0:38:42 > 0:38:47- but obviously in days gone by this is what we used.- Yeah.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52It's fascinating for me to see these. I wonder who should...
0:38:52 > 0:38:59- I think Marc Allum is the specialist to see.- OK.- I'll catch up with you later and find out what he says.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02- OK, great. Thank you.- Thanks.
0:39:06 > 0:39:12- You've got three very interesting pieces here. I assume you know where this comes from.- I do.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17These are three items of furniture which I inherited from my father
0:39:17 > 0:39:23- who sadly died last year. I'd like to know more about them.- Do you know the nationality of this one?- Dutch.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27Absolutely right. It works in the conventional way.
0:39:27 > 0:39:33If you just open that, we'll just show... You've got two shelves like this that flap down.
0:39:33 > 0:39:39- Then you've got this that opens as well. Do you know what it's called in Dutch?- Not in Dutch!
0:39:39 > 0:39:44- A butler's serving table. - It's called an opklaptafel.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49- Right.- Any Dutch viewers forgive me because my accent isn't very good.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53Very simple - upflap table. Opklaptafel.
0:39:53 > 0:39:59The top comes up. It's made as a gentleman or lady's dressing chest. We'll shut the top now.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- In about 1800.- Yes.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07And what fascinates me with this is I don't think we've seen one on here before,
0:40:07 > 0:40:14but there's one in a very famous house. In Lady Georgina's bedroom or dressing room at Castle Howard.
0:40:14 > 0:40:20- Right.- A very similar one. It's absolutely classic of Holland, so Dutch furniture of 1800.
0:40:20 > 0:40:25But these are slightly more difficult. Tell me about these.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29My father made this in 1968.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31Along with three friends.
0:40:31 > 0:40:38- So a set of four.- A set of four for a total of £75.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42- That's not each.- That's extraordinary, isn't it?- For four.
0:40:42 > 0:40:47- So he was making antique furniture. - He started as a French polisher
0:40:47 > 0:40:50and developed into an antique restorer.
0:40:50 > 0:40:56And in restoring it's very easy to make the next step into making.
0:40:56 > 0:41:01And he made these for himself because he just loved the job and the end result.
0:41:01 > 0:41:06- They're a lovely set of tables. - But did he - a difficult question -
0:41:06 > 0:41:11did he make pieces to pass on as older than they really were, shall we say?
0:41:11 > 0:41:18These were normally sold to the local dealers as decorative pieces more than reproductions.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22And maybe they did end up as antiques,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25but we will never know.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29- Looking at this, it looks to be 100% Georgian furniture.- Yes.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34Satinwood. What's this? Tulip wood, I presume.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Around the side. Lovely inlay on the front.
0:41:38 > 0:41:44- This stringing, which is probably ebony stringing, exactly in the late Georgian style of 1780?- About that.
0:41:44 > 0:41:51- It is somewhat distressed.- Yes. - There's what looks like all sorts of bits and bobs. Part of his...
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- manufacturing technique?- Yes, yes. He had his box of dust
0:41:55 > 0:42:00- for putting into the backs of drawers.- He had his box of dust?!
0:42:00 > 0:42:05And then the distressing was done. As a child, I used to have to go on the beaches
0:42:05 > 0:42:12and search for rocks that could be used for doing the normal distressing.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16It has to be nice to handle and that would be...
0:42:16 > 0:42:20- Can I have a go with this? - Not on here, though!
0:42:20 > 0:42:26- I can make it a bit older! It does fit the hand perfectly, doesn't it?- Yes.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30- So you just knock it gently?- Yes. - I want to have a go on something!
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Well, this one has not been done.
0:42:32 > 0:42:37- Well, that to me is, even from a distance, a reproduction.- Oh, yes.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39- This is not so straightforward.- No.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43I'll give that back to you. That's wonderful.
0:42:43 > 0:42:49It's easy with the benefit of hindsight. The construction is not quite right for the 18th century.
0:42:49 > 0:42:54There's just something about the stringing, especially on the top.
0:42:54 > 0:43:01It's millimetric, just slightly too thick for an 18th-century one, and that sounds an alarm bell.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05I want to think about the values of these. It's very difficult.
0:43:05 > 0:43:10This one has got colour, originality, age.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14In a shop, £3,500. Possibly even more in the Netherlands.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17- Yes.- But what about these, though?
0:43:17 > 0:43:23- £75 for four. I can't do the maths for that. 35... - It's under £20 each.
0:43:23 > 0:43:29- Shall we say £1,000 each?- Yes. - As opposed to £30,000 or £40,000 if they were old.- Yeah.
0:43:29 > 0:43:36- And that one, a pair of those, £7,000 or £8,000.- Yes.- Get your flint out - we'll have a go!
0:43:36 > 0:43:38- Thank you very much.- OK.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44We've had a lovely, sunny day in Aberystwyth today.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Please tell me you are Mr Jones.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51- No, I'm not. Mr Davis. - Mr Davis. So was this...?
0:43:51 > 0:43:55He is my great-great-great-great-grandfather.
0:43:55 > 0:44:01- It was presented to them on their wedding day by the crew from the ship that he captained.- In 1839.
0:44:01 > 0:44:021839.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06We've got, on their wedding day, Hugh and Elizabeth Jones
0:44:06 > 0:44:07and the verse, "Give me my health
0:44:07 > 0:44:12"and a little wealth, A handsome house and freedom
0:44:12 > 0:44:19"and at the end give me a friend and little cause to need him." What could be better? It's fascinating.
0:44:19 > 0:44:25This is called slip decoration. They made the jug. Slip is liquid clay, so they've blended
0:44:25 > 0:44:30clay and water to paint this on and, while it was wet, they've done this decoration.
0:44:30 > 0:44:35You can imagine taking a sharp tool and cutting it all in.
0:44:35 > 0:44:42He's had a bit of trouble with "handsome" and when he's come down, "freedom and the end", he's thought,
0:44:42 > 0:44:48"God, I forgot to put 'at' in," so he's put a grammatical mark in to put 'at' in.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52Obviously, very well trained. And it's all just lovely.
0:44:52 > 0:44:57There's something so honest about it. It's a piece of craft pottery
0:44:57 > 0:45:03and I think, you know, it's as fresh and as gorgeous today as it was when it was first made.
0:45:03 > 0:45:08- So they're an Aberystwyth family? - Yeah.- Where might it be made?
0:45:08 > 0:45:11- At a guess, Devon?- Absolutely.
0:45:11 > 0:45:13It was made in Barnstaple, Devon.
0:45:13 > 0:45:21Bizarrely, there are at least three other jugs of this type all made for families in Aberystwyth.
0:45:21 > 0:45:28- God.- So there must have been a very strong trading link.- On the boats. - Between Barnstaple and Aberystwyth.
0:45:28 > 0:45:35It's part of your family history, but, you know, it has historical interest and commercial interest.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39I think if this was to come onto the market today,
0:45:39 > 0:45:45- it would make a good price and that price would be £5,000. - £5,000? God.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48Do you want me to keep holding it or shall I give it back?
0:45:48 > 0:45:54- Thank you very much.- I'll let you calm down first. Thank you. - Very nice.
0:45:54 > 0:46:00You've got a group of Chinese and Japanese pieces here. Did they come together?
0:46:00 > 0:46:05No, they're all separate buys and they're all car boot buys.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09I'm a bit of a collector. I go through phases.
0:46:09 > 0:46:14- At the moment, it's a Chinese and Japanese phase! - All from car boot sales?- Yes.- Right.
0:46:14 > 0:46:20Because out of the bits you've got, one stands out here. It's this jar.
0:46:20 > 0:46:25- Was it a car boot sale locally? - Haverfordwest, yeah.- Right.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Tell me what you think about it. What have you found out?
0:46:28 > 0:46:35Just that it's Chinese. That's all I know. I've looked for something similar in books, but nothing.
0:46:35 > 0:46:39These colours leap out to me as something quite exciting.
0:46:39 > 0:46:42It's not the normal rose of China.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46These colours together, that sort of blue and turquoise green,
0:46:46 > 0:46:52- those are a palette that goes back quite a long way to Japan, rather than China.- Oh, right.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55It's actually a Japanese one.
0:46:55 > 0:47:02- And we're looking, I suppose, at 17th century, 1680. - That far? Oh, yeah.
0:47:02 > 0:47:09- And in Japanese, that's special. - Yeah.- A small number of these jars were shipped overseas to Europe
0:47:09 > 0:47:16and they went into the great homes and great houses, where many still survive in old, special collections.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18And end up at the boot sale!
0:47:18 > 0:47:21- Go on, how much was it?- £10.
0:47:23 > 0:47:28- It's had a hard life.- Yes.- It's a bit broken, cracks in the base.
0:47:28 > 0:47:32- It would have had a splendid lid on the top.- Oh, right.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36- You didn't miss the lid? - No, I bought that just as it was.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40- So chipped and cracked, that reduces it a lot.- Yeah.
0:47:40 > 0:47:46The market itself has changed a bit, but even in these more difficult times,
0:47:46 > 0:47:50a special piece like this is awfully expensive.
0:47:50 > 0:47:54- We're looking at £4,000, £5,000. - Oh, gosh...
0:47:54 > 0:47:56Seriously?
0:47:56 > 0:47:58That is...
0:47:58 > 0:48:01Honestly, £10 and I couldn't...
0:48:03 > 0:48:07I hummed and hawed about £10 and nearly walked away from it.
0:48:07 > 0:48:13- Go back and find more of these! Well done.- That's excellent news. Thank you very much.
0:48:13 > 0:48:17It's been a fantastic day here at the university.
0:48:17 > 0:48:21Do you remember those records the students showed to me earlier on?
0:48:21 > 0:48:26One of our specialists had a look and said they're probably worth between £400 and £500,
0:48:26 > 0:48:30which is not bad if you're a student and you found them in a skip!
0:48:30 > 0:48:33From Aberystwyth Arts Centre until next time, bye-bye.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd