0:00:02 > 0:00:05We're at a very unusual location - a first for the Antiques Roadshow.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07We've been to our fair share
0:00:07 > 0:00:09of stately homes, elite sporting institutions,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12we've even visited some of the country's best industrial heritage.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17But we've never come to a venue like this before -
0:00:17 > 0:00:22an RAF base with squadrons currently on active duties overseas.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23But, hey - we thought we'd surprise you.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26So it's lift off from RAF Marham,
0:00:26 > 0:00:27near King's Lynn in Norfolk.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21RAF Marham is home to three front-line squadrons -
0:01:21 > 0:01:232, 9 and 31.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And these Tornados have recently been flying
0:01:25 > 0:01:29over the skies of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31So, you may ask,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34why is the Antiques Roadshow at an RAF base with squadrons
0:01:34 > 0:01:37and servicemen and women currently on classified operations?
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Well, this is the centenary year of the Royal Flying Corps -
0:01:41 > 0:01:44the forerunner of the RAF - and of No. 2 Squadron.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50And there it goes.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57This tail fin commemorates their 100 years of service,
0:01:57 > 0:02:00which began less than ten years after the Wright brothers'
0:02:00 > 0:02:02first powered flight in the United States.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06In 1912, No. 2 formed as Army Co-operation Squadron -
0:02:06 > 0:02:08which it still is.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10And, of course, back in those days
0:02:10 > 0:02:12they weren't flying things like Tornados.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15In the First World War, their pilots flew over enemy lines
0:02:15 > 0:02:17in spluttering biplanes,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20dodging bullets and taking photographs of enemy positions.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It was a risky business.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25And exploits like these won the squadron
0:02:25 > 0:02:28the first air Victoria Cross in 1915.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38And here in the home of the RAF's most historic squadron
0:02:38 > 0:02:41you find some pretty interesting things - like this -
0:02:41 > 0:02:45the squadron's first diary, dating from 1912 -
0:02:45 > 0:02:51a fantastic record of illustrious men and their magnificent machines.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And here...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56these must be the first reconnaissance images
0:02:56 > 0:03:00taken during wartime, here, over France during the First World War.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03September 1915.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07The diary's such an important piece of RAF history
0:03:07 > 0:03:10that we'll be seeing it later in the programme.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13The squadron has since upgraded from 70mph biplanes
0:03:13 > 0:03:17to 1,000mph Tornados
0:03:17 > 0:03:19and it's among the hangers and aircraft of RAF Marham
0:03:19 > 0:03:22that we're privileged to be holding today's show.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33I actually find this rather an intriguing clock.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35Is it something you love or hate?
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Oh, I like it, I love it, yes, mm.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Just looking round here, it's not been cleaned for a few years.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Well, it's been in the bottom of the wardrobe.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47- Are you being serious? - Deadly serious.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49In between two suitcases and a bottle of whisky.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52And how long's it been there for?
0:03:52 > 0:03:53About 15 years.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Right, well, what a shame!
0:03:56 > 0:03:58- Well, the glass dome got broken... - Yeah.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00..and we couldn't afford a new one,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03so we've got a Perspex-y sort of looking one,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06and it looks awful, so it's gone in the bottom of the wardrobe.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08The bottom of the wardrobe. Well, the reason it needed
0:04:08 > 0:04:11a glass dome is because it's not actually ormolu -
0:04:11 > 0:04:14it's not gilt-bronze - it's gilt-spelter,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17which is a soft metal. If you scratched it with a knife,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20- it would be a sort of whitey colour, like lead.- Yes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25But it's a great size and there's one thing, which you probably know,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28which is different from most clocks.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Well, it's the pendulum in the middle,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33- it swings the opposite way doesn't it?- Absolutely.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35- Yes.- A pendulum normally goes from side to side.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37- Backwards - that's it. - But this one -
0:04:37 > 0:04:39just start it going - goes to and fro.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41That's right, yes.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43So this is quite an important patent
0:04:43 > 0:04:47that was devised by a Frenchman called Farcot.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50And we'll whip the clock round and...
0:04:50 > 0:04:53There we go. I'll just...
0:04:53 > 0:04:58take the bell off and we might - with any luck - see his signature.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00Have you ever done this? You've never had a look?
0:05:00 > 0:05:02No, no, I've never looked.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04OK, bell coming off now...
0:05:04 > 0:05:06and actually, yes, it is,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09it's signed just behind the pendulum, "Farcot".
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Oh.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14So, great man, great maker, very interesting patent.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18And again, you've got a double-wheeled escapement there,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19which has to be that way,
0:05:19 > 0:05:23to make the pendulum swing fore and aft instead of side to side.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26The date is mid-1880s.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Oh, goodness me!
0:05:28 > 0:05:33Most of Farcot's work is small and they're in alabaster cases,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and most of them are timepieces - in other words they don't strike -
0:05:36 > 0:05:39but this is striking, this is big, it's impressive.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Shame you've smashed the dome.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44I didn't do it, my mother done it!
0:05:44 > 0:05:47Well, I'll tell you something - it's worth getting another one,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- but it'll cost you a lot of money. - I know, yes.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52It'll cost you a good 300 quid to find a dome to fit this.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Yes. Mm.
0:05:54 > 0:05:55BUT it might be worthwhile,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57because when you've had that movement cleaned,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59it'll cost you another 300 quid,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02you've got a clock that in this condition,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05being in this size, by Farcot, would be nudging
0:06:05 > 0:06:07£3,000 at auction.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Good Lord!
0:06:09 > 0:06:11So just think - just think about this.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13That's been in the bottom of the wardrobe!
0:06:13 > 0:06:15Well. You could have a suitcase
0:06:15 > 0:06:18- full of three grand in the bottom instead, couldn't you?- Yeah.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21Oh!
0:06:22 > 0:06:26I discovered it, after I'd nursed an aunt, who sadly died...
0:06:26 > 0:06:30She had a trunk in her bedroom - was full of fascinating things -
0:06:30 > 0:06:35and I came across this and I hadn't got a clue what it was for,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38she'd never told me before either, what it was for.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41But investigating it, I think it's something to do with sewing or...
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I mean, it has a place for needles there
0:06:44 > 0:06:48and then a little threading, where thread can go in.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51But I can't remove that and I'm not quite sure...
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Well, it is. It's a lovely sewing clamp.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57And so you put this on the side of your table,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00it had everything you needed for doing your sewing.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- This would have come off - I don't want to force it.- No.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Of course, your thread would also come out of there
0:07:05 > 0:07:07as well as being round here,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and this is a little tape measure.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- That's a...- In here, in the side.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13And it's beautifully decorated.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Now, when we think of Tunbridge ware,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19we think of something with lots of little pieces of wood in it,
0:07:19 > 0:07:23but actually this is early Tunbridge ware.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27So this was made not far from where it was intended to go,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29- which is "A present from Brighton". - Brighton.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31So it was made in Tunbridge Wells
0:07:31 > 0:07:36and this was made in the Regency period, so 1810-1815,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39and, of course, where was the height of Regency society?
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- In Brighton. - In Brighton, the Royal Pavilion.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43The Royal Pavilion, and so something like this
0:07:43 > 0:07:46would have been a lovely gift.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48It would have been an expensive gift at that period,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51beautifully made, rare.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53I've never seen one before.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Well, I've seen a few, but not that many,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59and this is beautifully decorated.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02This is what people that collect Tunbridge ware really look for,
0:08:02 > 0:08:07and so Regency, rare, made for Brighton in Tunbridge,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10and worth...?
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Easily £1,000.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17Oh! Goodness me, I'm glad that wasn't put in the charity shop then,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19cos it nearly did!
0:08:19 > 0:08:21THEY LAUGH
0:08:22 > 0:08:25My first reaction when I saw this lovely fellow was,
0:08:25 > 0:08:27"I wonder what you call him?"
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Actually, he hasn't got a name,
0:08:29 > 0:08:32but he has been in my house for as long as I can remember.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Tell me how long.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Well, he's probably been in the house for 100 years.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42My grandfather came back from South America with it in about 1912.
0:08:42 > 0:08:48He's in very good condition, lovely brass carapace and his -
0:08:48 > 0:08:51the rest of his body is actually cast iron.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54But what fascinates me is -
0:08:54 > 0:08:56are you going to show me what he does?
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Yes, I probably can.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00You've got to go back several years
0:09:00 > 0:09:03because you don't use them a lot these days,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07but if you're in the saloon and you're feeling like having a spit -
0:09:07 > 0:09:12you put your foot on the head, spit into the pot, and relieve it.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14That's quite nice, isn't it?
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- I'm not sure! - THEY LAUGH
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Well, you know what I would use it for?
0:09:19 > 0:09:22And it could be used today - for wine tasting.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23The only trouble is,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27that by the time you've tasted quite a few wines,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31you swallow a little bit, and if you stood on it with one foot,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35you might sort of overbalance and then you can't sort of aim so well.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36That's true.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39So I would have thought it's better if you did it with your hand,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42rather than your foot, like that.
0:09:42 > 0:09:43Very good.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47But I think it's... such a lovely thing,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- and children would love it too, wouldn't they?- Indeed.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- And have you used it?- I have, yes.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- You have?!- For the children,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57but I haven't actually demonstrated exactly how it's used.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01What a clever idea! And I have never seen one before.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Jolly good.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05And value wise, I'm not sure one can value it,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07because it's such a fun item.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I mean, I can see it making maybe £300, £400, £500.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13- Right. - But does that really matter?
0:10:13 > 0:10:16No, not at all. No, it's been in the house for 100 years
0:10:16 > 0:10:19and I expect I shall pass it on in due course.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23- Wonderful. And use it in the meantime.- Thank you!
0:10:23 > 0:10:25THEY LAUGH
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Now, a very simple question - do you like this clock?
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Very much, yes.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Tell me about it.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34It was...
0:10:34 > 0:10:40My mother used to work for this lady and she gave it to my mother,
0:10:40 > 0:10:45and the lady was my son Andrew's godmother.
0:10:45 > 0:10:52- Right.- When Mother passed away, the clock was handed down to Andrew.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- And what does he feel about it? - He likes it, yes.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- Yes, it's pretty, isn't it? - Yes, very.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Do you know anything about it?- No, somebody told me that's Liberty...
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- Right. - ..but that's as much as we know.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05What we're looking at is a Liberty Tudric clock.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Now Liberty, of course, is a very famous designer name,
0:11:09 > 0:11:11particularly in the early part of the 20th century
0:11:11 > 0:11:13when this was made -
0:11:13 > 0:11:15we're looking at about 1905, 1906.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19And Tudric was their brand name for things made out of pewter,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21so this is pewter with a copper face.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26- Right.- Now, the key thing about these are that they're seen to be
0:11:26 > 0:11:28sort of Art Nouveau type things.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30They're very much of that period.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33And Liberty were a very avant-garde company at that time.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35- Right. - And they employed - as a designer -
0:11:35 > 0:11:39a very exciting man called Archibald Knox.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Knox made lots and lots of metalwork designs for Liberty's -
0:11:43 > 0:11:46all kinds - and he's particularly famous for his clocks.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Now, some have enamel, some are silver,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51some - like this - are pewter.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55And because... What people thought highly of at the time
0:11:55 > 0:11:59was his amazingly advanced use of modern design.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02It's a very stylish, very contemporary object.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03The details of the face, the case,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06it doesn't go back to the past at all, you know,
0:12:06 > 0:12:07it's a completely new object.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10- Right.- When this was new, it was very shiny,
0:12:10 > 0:12:12because pewter when it's new is shiny,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14so it would have looked spectacular
0:12:14 > 0:12:17- as a shiny, silver-like object with a bright copper face.- Right.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20And would have looked wonderful.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Whether you put it back to that is entirely up to you.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25If you had this clock professionally cleaned -
0:12:25 > 0:12:29don't just polish it with something, it's worth being done properly -
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- It would look fantastic.- Right.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33And I'll take it further.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37This is an Archibald Knox design for Liberty, about 1906,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41and the value is, in this state,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44- about £3,000.- Cor!
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Now, if you spent a few hundred having it restored -
0:12:47 > 0:12:50don't worry about the clock inside, that's not important.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52- No.- The case - it could easily be £4,000.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Oh, right.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Being on the Roadshow is a great privilege,
0:12:58 > 0:13:04and it's a great privilege to handle such an amazing object as this.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05Oh.
0:13:05 > 0:13:10Because the inscription on it says an awful lot about it.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13It says, "This cup was made from the ingot of gold
0:13:13 > 0:13:16"offered at the altar by Queen Victoria
0:13:16 > 0:13:23"on her coronation in Westminster Abbey, Tuesday 28th June, 1838."
0:13:23 > 0:13:24And there is a ceremony -
0:13:24 > 0:13:27it's absolutely true what it says on here -
0:13:27 > 0:13:31during the Coronations of, I think, George III, IV,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34William IV and Queen Victoria -
0:13:34 > 0:13:36an ingot of gold was presented.
0:13:36 > 0:13:42And your cup was made out of that block of gold.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45So I've got in my hand here a real piece of history, and I'm dying
0:13:45 > 0:13:48to know where it came from, or if you know anything about its history.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51Well, we don't know a lot about it.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55We bought it at auction, in a local auction house, and it just...
0:13:55 > 0:13:59Mainly because it was an interesting and quirky sort of thing, I suppose.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Not a bad reason for buying something!
0:14:02 > 0:14:05It's got all the decoration you might expect.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08The national emblems of Scotland - the thistle,
0:14:08 > 0:14:12the rose for England, and the shamrock for Ireland.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16And this beautifully chased sort of tree trunk stem
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and really lovely textured base.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24But what is so astounding, is that I'm holding in my hand
0:14:24 > 0:14:29a piece of what is probably absolutely pure gold.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33And on the other side, it has a coat of arms.
0:14:33 > 0:14:34Yes, yes.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Do you know anything about who those arms belong to?
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Not really.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41The auction house suggested it possibly, it could be,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43something to do with the City of London,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45but more than that we don't know.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48Well, I've been able to find out that it did belong
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- to a Lord Mayor of London. - Ah, I see.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55His name was Evans and he was made Lord Mayor quite a lot later,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57in 1891.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02- Mm-hm.- But that really only adds to its provenance, you know,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04this is almost as good as it gets.
0:15:04 > 0:15:10But I just love being able to hold a piece of gold of this size.
0:15:10 > 0:15:14- Now, you say you bought it at a local auction.- Yes.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16- What did you pay for it?- £6,000.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21Well, if I tell you that it melts for over £10,000
0:15:21 > 0:15:24- at today's price of gold... - That's quite an increase.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28..I think we're probably looking at something that's got to be worth
0:15:28 > 0:15:31£25,000 - £30,000.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Oh, dear!
0:15:35 > 0:15:36Oh, dear, OK!
0:15:36 > 0:15:40It's a wonderful thing, and beautifully done as well.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Nick, you're Commanding Officer, No. 2 Squadron,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54and I was looking at the squadron diary a little bit earlier
0:15:54 > 0:15:57and there are some amazing stories of courage in here, aren't there?
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Absolutely. This is the first diary of No. 2 Squadron
0:16:00 > 0:16:03from when it was formed in 1912.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09And I think one of the most poignant pictures in the diary is this -
0:16:09 > 0:16:13a photograph of Second Lieutenant William Rhodes-Moorhouse,
0:16:13 > 0:16:18who was the first winner of the Victoria Cross in the air.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- Which is a medal for extreme courage under fire.- Absolutely.
0:16:22 > 0:16:23I mean, very rarely awarded.
0:16:23 > 0:16:29And his tale is testament to those that have earned the VC
0:16:29 > 0:16:31over so many, many years.
0:16:31 > 0:16:37He was tasked in April 1915 to go and attack a re-supply column.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Such was the importance of the mission
0:16:40 > 0:16:43that he didn't fly with his observer
0:16:43 > 0:16:46because he couldn't carry the size of bomb and an observer,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50so he flew alone with this single 100lb bomb,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54right on the maximum capability of the aircraft.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56He achieved a direct hit on the target
0:16:56 > 0:17:00but was raked by machine gun fire on the way in,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03which raked through the aircraft and wounded him.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06He then had a choice - either to ditch the aircraft there,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09be captured and probably have his wounds dressed,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11or try and get the aircraft back home
0:17:11 > 0:17:14so it could be re-armed, re-loaded and used again.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16And he elected to return home.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20And presumably very badly wounded - what - covered in blood?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23He... The aircraft had 91 bullet holes in it
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and he was only semi-conscious when he landed.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Covered in blood, nevertheless he refused hospital treatment
0:17:29 > 0:17:32until he had completed his post-mission report.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Tragically, he died of his wounds the next afternoon.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Goodness me.
0:17:39 > 0:17:44Standing next to a Tornado here with a piece of furniture like this,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46doesn't make a great deal of sense,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50but do you usually have ceramics in this, china and so on?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Well, some glassware and a bit of...
0:17:52 > 0:17:55Well, I bet that would have a bit of a wobble
0:17:55 > 0:17:57- if a plane like this goes over. - Absolutely.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01And do you know, the aircraft that we're standing next to,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04has got "Second to none" on it, and I think that's a pretty good
0:18:04 > 0:18:06description for this piece of furniture.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- It's an amazing piece of furniture. - Well, thank you.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Tell me about it in relation to your history.
0:18:12 > 0:18:18Well, it was my mother's sister's sister-in-law
0:18:18 > 0:18:20who lived in Battersea,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23and her husband was an antique dealer,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27and she offered it to me and I didn't say no,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and I brought it home about 31 years ago.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Right, so what was it that particularly took your fancy?
0:18:33 > 0:18:35Well, I just thought it was lovely.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I mean, just so different from anything else I'd ever seen, so...
0:18:39 > 0:18:41It almost takes my breath away because it's got
0:18:41 > 0:18:44so much going on that is of such good quality.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48The lower part of it here is almost like a sort of traditional
0:18:48 > 0:18:5319th-century credenza with this curved cabinet in the middle
0:18:53 > 0:18:56and platforms where you can put ceramic pots or decorative objects.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Then more cabinets up here for display,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03so I think this is a drawing room piece
0:19:03 > 0:19:05rather than a dining room piece,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09cos it's a little bit in the sort of style of the French buffet.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14But it's clearly got so much work in it that it's a display piece.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19If you look at these columns here, beautiful capitals, fluted,
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and then acanthus leaves here,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24beautiful carving, such fine carving.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28And very pale wood, so one feels that with the mirror in the middle
0:19:28 > 0:19:29and the lightness of the timber,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33it would have made a really, sort of light, bright feature
0:19:33 > 0:19:35- in a 19th-century room.- Yes, yeah.
0:19:35 > 0:19:41And very unusual, I think, is this, this sort of mad figuring of ash.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43- This is very characteristic of ash. - It is ash, is it?
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- This nice light timber, yes.- Yes.
0:19:46 > 0:19:52And the top there, inlaid with ebonised stringing,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55gives it a real architectural feature.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58But also, I think that tends to make it look a little bit later
0:19:58 > 0:20:01than if we just look at the bottom.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06So this could have been done any time from the 1850s onwards,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10but this coving at the top is much more later 19th century,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13so I think you're looking at something from the 1880s,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15that sort of period.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17And of really lovely quality,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and one of the aspects of quality is these cupboards,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22cos when you look at them straight on, you think,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24"Well, how does it open?"
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Well, there's a key round the side,
0:20:25 > 0:20:29and then when you open, it's not just the front that comes away,
0:20:29 > 0:20:34the whole thing comes away and it has a piano hinge on the inside
0:20:34 > 0:20:37so that it's so neat, it's so beautifully made.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40If we could give this a maker's name,
0:20:40 > 0:20:45it would put up the value at least once, if not twice,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- which is silly, but that's the way it goes.- Yeah.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50But at the moment, can't find a maker's name.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53No, we couldn't. Where was it actually made, do you think?
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- I've got no idea.- Right. - But it's of such quality,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00that it could well have been London or Manchester, somewhere like that,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03which had a tradition of very fine quality making.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Yeah. - So it's very difficult to know.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Now this piece of furniture - which is almost exhibition quality -
0:21:10 > 0:21:14in the current market isn't going to get a great deal of money.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18- No.- And by that, I'm talking about £1,500...
0:21:18 > 0:21:22- Yeah.- ..which is CRAZY for a piece of this quality.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Well, I can understand that, really, cos I was saying to my husband -
0:21:25 > 0:21:27they'd be special people with special houses
0:21:27 > 0:21:31that'd want to buy it, wouldn't it, like stately homes or whatever?
0:21:31 > 0:21:34You're absolutely right. It needs a particular place to go
0:21:34 > 0:21:36- and it needs the fashion to be right.- Yeah.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37And it will come back.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40- People will start realising the quality.- In my lifetime?
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- Well, not sure even in my lifetime, but it will come back.- Yes.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47And something of this quality is going to really stand out.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49Well, that was nice.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51I said I wanted you to tell me about it, didn't I?
0:21:51 > 0:21:54So that's very good. Yeah, I'm really pleased.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59A man with very bushy eyebrows - where does he come from?
0:21:59 > 0:22:04He came from my great aunt via my grandmother,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07to my mother and then to me,
0:22:07 > 0:22:13and he has worried about three generations of young family.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Worried because?
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Because of his look, they are frightened by him.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21He's got a roaring dragon next to him as well.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Yes, that's also...
0:22:23 > 0:22:28I think he's being fed some pearls of fire from the bowl.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31But I'd like to know a lot about him.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34OK, well, first, when this came out of your bag, I thought,
0:22:34 > 0:22:38"Ah-ha, we've got a piece of Satsuma ware here,"
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but actually this is... This is actually cold painted.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44In other words, it isn't a glazed object,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47you can just see part of his scalp here reveals
0:22:47 > 0:22:51the pottery underneath has no glaze on,
0:22:51 > 0:22:57so this is cold painted, almost like a gesso or a piece of lacquer.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02The man we're looking at is a monk and this is his begging bowl...
0:23:02 > 0:23:06and very often you see monks depicted with a begging bowl
0:23:06 > 0:23:10and from the begging bowl, suddenly a vaporous cloud appears,
0:23:10 > 0:23:14and from the cloud condenses a dragon.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17The dragon is actually a very friendly animal
0:23:17 > 0:23:19both in Chinese and in Japanese art,
0:23:19 > 0:23:24so this shouldn't be a frightening group for a small child,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26certainly not in the Far East,
0:23:26 > 0:23:29but to a Westerner, I can see it would be frightening.
0:23:29 > 0:23:35As for date, I would say anywhere between 1870 and 1890.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38And what have you found out about him in the meantime?
0:23:38 > 0:23:46Well, I took him to the V&A who said he was really just a model,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48probably from the Grand Tour
0:23:48 > 0:23:52and would have been given to someone
0:23:52 > 0:23:57just as a replica of some Chinese art or Japanese art.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Ah-ha, there's the rub, Japanese OR Chinese.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Well, let's just have a look at him.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05There's the dragon emerging from the rock
0:24:05 > 0:24:09and there is the salient point about the dragon, he's got three claws.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13Chinese dragons usually have four or five claws.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18Three-clawed dragons are Japanese and yet...
0:24:18 > 0:24:20the monk is a Chinese monk.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- Confused?- Very.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26The fact is there's a lot of interplay
0:24:26 > 0:24:29between Chinese and Japanese.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33The Japanese have taken on many of the Chinese Buddhistic gods,
0:24:33 > 0:24:38and so here you have a Japanese model of a Chinese monk
0:24:38 > 0:24:40seated next to a dragon.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44I think it's more than just a tourist piece.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46I think he's beautifully sculptured.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Japanese works of art have NOT performed very well
0:24:50 > 0:24:53in the last 20 years, so I'm going to do it
0:24:53 > 0:24:57as a straightforward one-off decorative item
0:24:57 > 0:24:59and say that this is probably worth
0:24:59 > 0:25:04somewhere in the region of between £300 and £500.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09That is more than I thought he was worth.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Now, if I say "costume jewellery" to you,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26you might think, "Well, that's not going to be worth very much,"
0:25:26 > 0:25:30but these three pieces from Judith Miller tell a different story,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33because one is worth £200,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35one is worth £900
0:25:35 > 0:25:37and the best of the bunch
0:25:37 > 0:25:38is worth £2,000!
0:25:38 > 0:25:43So here we are - this week's Basic, Better, Best Challenge.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Can you tell which is which?
0:25:49 > 0:25:52And Nick, you're Commanding Officer, No. 2 Squadron.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54I've been told by your subordinates you have a bit of a private thing
0:25:54 > 0:25:56for costume jewellery, is that right?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58They may well have said that.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Although, I'd say my advantages and my strengths
0:26:00 > 0:26:03are fighting in the air, but I'll certainly give it a go.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Yeah, you would say that, Nick, now come on.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Basic, better, best.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14That would be the lower end.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17OK, that's the basic. Which is better?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20In my humble opinion, I would probably say this one
0:26:20 > 0:26:23and that one being at the top end.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24That's best?
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Yeah, it looks very nice, actually, wouldn't mind that.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34I think that is the basic one...
0:26:36 > 0:26:40That one is the better one... and that one's the best one.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- Why do you think this is the best one?- More aesthetically pleasing.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49- More aesthetically pleasing? It is fake, you know?- Yeah!
0:27:02 > 0:27:05With bold shapes, fins, abstract lines
0:27:05 > 0:27:09but beautiful molten melted colours,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11have you ever thought where this was from?
0:27:11 > 0:27:15We're not sure whether it's Clarice Cliff or not
0:27:15 > 0:27:18because it doesn't have an obvious name on it,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23which most of it does seem to have, so that's my query.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Well, I'm glad that I can answer and to be honest, for me,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30there was no other person it could have been, when this appeared.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31Right.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Everything about it just reeks of that lady.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38But to many watching, of course, it's so different
0:27:38 > 0:27:40from what we automatically know.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45Missing are the bold zigzags, the bright oranges, the little cottages.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46That's why I like it.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Well, and that's part of the reason, I think,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51that it was so popular in its day.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55What you're actually looking at is quite a rare object.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's called a conical rose bowl and cover
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and it was designed circa around 1930
0:28:01 > 0:28:04and it forms part of the Inspiration range.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08And she was doing things that no other ceramic artist
0:28:08 > 0:28:11was doing in Stoke-on-Trent at that time.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14She had a belief in her designs that she pushed through,
0:28:14 > 0:28:16much to the consternation of many of her workforce.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21In fact, she had a senior mould maker, a chap called Bill Lunt,
0:28:21 > 0:28:24who basically was in charge of coming up with all of the moulds
0:28:24 > 0:28:26to make her work,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30and they often came to loggerheads over her designs.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34So much so, that he was often to call her, "That bloody woman!"
0:28:34 > 0:28:36SHE LAUGHS
0:28:36 > 0:28:39But the fact that she had the belief to push through,
0:28:39 > 0:28:42means that we have creations like this.
0:28:42 > 0:28:47And actually, the process itself was using a very experimental glaze
0:28:47 > 0:28:51that Clarice developed, that was the same glaze used on tiles.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Obviously, used in things like swimming pools, and what have you.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57But she developed this, and it reacted in the kiln,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00so what you've got is this fabulous combination
0:29:00 > 0:29:03in a pattern called Inspiration Lily.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05And even when you take this cover off -
0:29:05 > 0:29:06which is a cover at one point,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09but then also can be a bowl in its own right -
0:29:09 > 0:29:11it's just so clever,
0:29:11 > 0:29:13she was so talented.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15A fantastic thing. Do you love it?
0:29:15 > 0:29:18I do. I don't like the oranges, but I love this.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21I think it's... You know, when my mother-in-law lived with me
0:29:21 > 0:29:24and then left it to me, that was just lovely.
0:29:24 > 0:29:25It is a lovely piece,
0:29:25 > 0:29:28and there are those collectors out there who just love Inspiration.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32And because it's in such lovely condition,
0:29:32 > 0:29:38- someone's going to be happy to give you £2,000 to £2,500 for it.- (God!)
0:29:38 > 0:29:42I really... I thought you were going to say £200 to £300.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45Well, if you're willing to accept that, we can have a little chat,
0:29:45 > 0:29:49- it's not a problem.- No, no, no, I want it to stay in the family!
0:29:49 > 0:29:51- It's a fabulous piece of Clarice. - Right, that's lovely.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54And we see a lot of her work, but for me, this is just something
0:29:54 > 0:29:57a little bit more extraordinary that doesn't come up that often.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59- Thank you very much, lovely. - My pleasure.- Thank you.
0:30:00 > 0:30:03Take one - I've always wanted to do that!
0:30:03 > 0:30:06And particularly with this film, I mean, it's a great film, isn't it?
0:30:06 > 0:30:09- Amazing film, absolutely, yeah. - What, 1968, was it?
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Er, '69 actually released.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Yeah, now a clapper board from The Battle of Britain -
0:30:14 > 0:30:15how have you got it?
0:30:15 > 0:30:18I got it a long while ago when I was young lad.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21I had an interest in aviation and films and I watched them
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- filming part of this scene at Duxford.- Right.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26Which I was interested in,
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and an AD passed it to me as he left the film unit.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32- You were given it there and then? - I was given it there and then.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34- Off the set?- Yes. - What a fantastic thing.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37I mean, it was a great film because it was, in a sense,
0:30:37 > 0:30:40one of the last films where they were filming with real aeroplanes,
0:30:40 > 0:30:42because they still had them.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46633 Squadron, Dam Busters, Battle of Britain -
0:30:46 > 0:30:48they were using the real thing,
0:30:48 > 0:30:50and, of course, since then it's all changed.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53So this was a touch of the real world, really.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56So you went home with this, excited, and what happened next?
0:30:56 > 0:30:58Excited. What happened next?
0:30:58 > 0:31:02Well, years went by and... I kept it in the loft for a little while
0:31:02 > 0:31:06and then suddenly I had an interest in film memorabilia
0:31:06 > 0:31:10so I started to collect other items from different films, some old,
0:31:10 > 0:31:12some contemporary, and I've built up a collection ever since.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16Obviously you know what you've spent on your collection over the years
0:31:16 > 0:31:18and I know it can be very expensive for key things,
0:31:18 > 0:31:21but this is the start and although it cost you nothing,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23I think this is very important.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26It's a very good piece from a very good film, quite rare,
0:31:26 > 0:31:30and I would expect it to be £300 to £500 for this
0:31:30 > 0:31:32because it's such a key thing.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36- Wow. That's very interesting.- So it was a good investment in one way,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38- but it was a drain in another way. - Absolutely.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40- Thank you. - Thank you very much, thank you.
0:31:42 > 0:31:46This is the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth this year
0:31:46 > 0:31:50and you've brought me in a first edition of a Charles Dickens work.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52First edition of Pickwick Papers.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Right, and how did you come by it?
0:31:55 > 0:31:59My father bought it about 1969 in a book shop in Bury St Edmunds...
0:31:59 > 0:32:02- Right. - ..which Dickens also visited -
0:32:02 > 0:32:04not the book shop, but the town.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09It's not REALLY the Dickens side of things that we want to focus on,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12there's something about the book that is significant as well,
0:32:12 > 0:32:17and if we open it up to the page here,
0:32:17 > 0:32:21we see that there's an inscription.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24It says, "To L.E.G Oates of the Enniskillen Dragoons,"
0:32:24 > 0:32:26who is, of course, Captain Oates.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29The companion of Captain Scott.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Captain Scott, on the trip to Antarctica.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36Right. This was given to him, and the inscription reads further on,
0:32:36 > 0:32:40"With sincere wishes for a successful voyage
0:32:40 > 0:32:43"and speedy return," and is dated...?
0:32:43 > 0:32:4731st May 1910, which was the day before the Terra Nova
0:32:47 > 0:32:52sailed from London to South Wales to stock up with best Welsh coal.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Right. And did your father...?
0:32:55 > 0:33:00When he bought the book, did he know that the inscription was there?
0:33:00 > 0:33:05I'm pretty sure he was aware who Oates was in this context
0:33:05 > 0:33:07because he spoke to the bookseller afterwards
0:33:07 > 0:33:09pointing out the inscription,
0:33:09 > 0:33:10and the bookseller said
0:33:10 > 0:33:13he wouldn't have sold it for 20 quid had he realised.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18Well, what I can't decipher is who actually presented it to Oates.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Not quite sure if that says "Church" or not, it's a strange name,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25but whoever that is, the fact is that it belonged to Oates
0:33:25 > 0:33:27and something like this is a real one-off.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30Used to belong to, you know, one of the great heroes.
0:33:30 > 0:33:37I would say at auction an estimate of something like £600 to £800,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40but it could make more, one just wouldn't know.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43Right, that's surprising. Thank you.
0:33:52 > 0:33:53Judith, you brought in
0:33:53 > 0:33:56these three beautiful pieces of costume jewellery
0:33:56 > 0:33:59for our visitors to have a look at,
0:33:59 > 0:34:01and work out which was the basic at £200?
0:34:01 > 0:34:06The better, £900, and the best at £2,000.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09It was pretty difficult, no-one could really agree.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11This is my stab at it and I think -
0:34:11 > 0:34:13you know, you are the queen of costume jewellery -
0:34:13 > 0:34:15we see you wearing so much of it
0:34:15 > 0:34:16and it looks so tremendous.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19Costume jewellery is just fake jewellery, isn't it?
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Well, it is. I mean, there's always been costume jewellery.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25The Egyptians wore costume jewellery,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28the Georgians were particularly keen on their paste jewellery,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31so a lot of it is fake jewellery but some of it is more humorous,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34some of it is not taking itself too seriously,
0:34:34 > 0:34:38and often it's just the design and the maker that makes it valuable.
0:34:38 > 0:34:40What's the strict definition of costume jewellery?
0:34:40 > 0:34:43Costume jewellery - there are no precious stones
0:34:43 > 0:34:45and no precious metal.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48And clearly, even though we just call it fake jewellery,
0:34:48 > 0:34:50I mean, it's very valuable - £2,000!
0:34:50 > 0:34:53Well, if somebody had come along with some of these pins
0:34:53 > 0:34:55ten years ago to the Antiques Roadshow,
0:34:55 > 0:34:59we would have said actually of not much commercial value
0:34:59 > 0:35:01because they weren't precious stones, but in the last
0:35:01 > 0:35:03ten years people are really appreciating
0:35:03 > 0:35:05the design quality of costume.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07So what should we be looking at here?
0:35:07 > 0:35:10What, how can you tell a piece of pretty, you know,
0:35:10 > 0:35:14common or garden costume jewellery from something really splendid?
0:35:14 > 0:35:16Well, all of these are marked.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18They all have their designer's name on the back,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21so the first thing you look at with a piece of costume jewellery is -
0:35:21 > 0:35:22has it got a signature?
0:35:22 > 0:35:25You then look at the way it's made.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28You know, how specially is it made?
0:35:28 > 0:35:32And sometimes you try and work out the date,
0:35:32 > 0:35:34because very often the golden period
0:35:34 > 0:35:37is really the '30s into the '40s.
0:35:37 > 0:35:38OK, well look,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41I've had a bit of a go here, but as I said,
0:35:41 > 0:35:46most of our visitors couldn't really agree, so take us through it.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48Right, well...
0:35:48 > 0:35:49they're all wrong.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Oh, no!
0:35:51 > 0:35:54- THEY LAUGH - Sorry!
0:35:54 > 0:35:55You know, but...
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Because this is the most basic.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01- OK.- This is 1960s Stanley Hagler.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05He was a designer, he designed for the Duchess of Windsor
0:36:05 > 0:36:08so he had very good clients, but it's just...
0:36:08 > 0:36:09It's not as interesting.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11It's actually also - because these are mine -
0:36:11 > 0:36:14it's actually very difficult to wear, it's very heavy.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16- Oh, these are all actually yours? - They are actually all mine.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21And so this is Stanley Hagler and would be about £200.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23Right, so this is the basic, then.
0:36:23 > 0:36:25That's the basic, that's £200.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28And this is the better,
0:36:28 > 0:36:30that's Joseff of Hollywood.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33This was designed for the movie stars,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35worn on movies
0:36:35 > 0:36:37and then he kept the copyright of the pieces
0:36:37 > 0:36:40and actually had some limited edition made.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42This is the piece - when I wear it -
0:36:42 > 0:36:45I get more comments on than anything else,
0:36:45 > 0:36:47because people love it, because the eyes move.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50- I've seen you wear the earrings for this, Judith.- Yes.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52So I was thinking I was being rather clever thinking,
0:36:52 > 0:36:54"She's forgotten I've seen the earrings,
0:36:54 > 0:36:56"this must be the best one." But anyway.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59Too much thinking, Fiona, too much thinking.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01- Yeah, yeah, over-analysing it. - And this is by far the best.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05This is by Trifari, which is a major company,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08but it's designed by somebody called Alfred Philippe
0:37:08 > 0:37:11and he actually designed real jewellery
0:37:11 > 0:37:13for Van Cleef & Arpels in the '30s
0:37:13 > 0:37:16and so this - when he went to work for Trifari,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18this is a design that he actually made
0:37:18 > 0:37:21in rubies and diamonds,
0:37:21 > 0:37:23but it was just then done in rhinestone
0:37:23 > 0:37:25and it's actually incredibly well made.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27- And so that's £2,000.- £2,000!
0:37:27 > 0:37:32I still can't quite get my head around the fact that it's £2,000
0:37:32 > 0:37:34for something that isn't precious stones.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37But it's the two seriously important things when we think about antiques
0:37:37 > 0:37:41and we think about collectables, it's rarity and desirability.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44- And that has both.- It has both.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46Well, there you have it.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48If you have costume jewellery, Judith would love to see it.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50She loves it, she wears it, she knows all about it.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Bring it along to one of our roadshows
0:37:52 > 0:37:54and you can check out where we're going to be
0:37:54 > 0:37:56by going onto our website...
0:38:07 > 0:38:10I was wondering if you might be able to shed any light on this.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14I've looked on the internet and I've looked through it
0:38:14 > 0:38:15to give me some clues,
0:38:15 > 0:38:20and I really don't understand what it's about, why it was made.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25I wondered if it might have been a gift, but I really don't know.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29- So you've done a certain amount of your own research.- A little bit.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33I've put in about orphanages in Ireland
0:38:33 > 0:38:36and it just sends me to sites
0:38:36 > 0:38:40that talk about girls being shipped out to Australia,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43but nothing as early on as this seems to be from.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Well, let's have a look together and we'll see what we can come up with.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50Well, that's something I've never ever seen before, ever.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Extraordinary.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55The front page here has the words,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58"Female Orphan House,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02"December 25th 1832, Ireland".
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Well, I mean that in itself is completely evocative.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08I mean, I've gone, you know, I've gone straight there.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13Wow, look at this.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17So here we have a book
0:39:17 > 0:39:22containing tiny objects of clothing,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25beautifully sewn.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28I mean, sewn with such attention to detail,
0:39:28 > 0:39:31exactly replicating what you would expect
0:39:31 > 0:39:34as an adult piece of clothing.
0:39:34 > 0:39:35Look at this perfect little bonnet
0:39:35 > 0:39:39and this chemise with the ruffles,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41absolutely incredible.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44And this lovely Irish linen.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47This is a work of a fairly mature girl.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50I would think we're talking about a 15, 16-year-old
0:39:50 > 0:39:57and this, I think, was her ticket to freedom from the orphanage.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01If she could sew, she could go into a local country house.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04She would start at the bottom, in the laundry room
0:40:04 > 0:40:07and that is where her needlework would need to come in -
0:40:07 > 0:40:10turning the hems, mending the shirts -
0:40:10 > 0:40:14and she was what we might be able to say,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17you know, she was able to make clothes,
0:40:17 > 0:40:21not just for herself, but these are country house clothes.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23Here's the layette for the baby.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29So her skill has been honed,
0:40:29 > 0:40:34she has been asked to put it into some sort of presentation booklet
0:40:34 > 0:40:37and this is what I think we've got here.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41But I mean, her ability to sew is quite astonishing,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43this makes me want to weep.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45"A token of grateful respect,"
0:40:45 > 0:40:49and that is respect for her position in the community
0:40:49 > 0:40:51and here at the end page it says,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54"Orphan House," so she's finishing her work,
0:40:54 > 0:40:58"December 25th," which is quite extraordinary - Christmas Day.
0:40:58 > 0:41:02- I hadn't thought of that. Yes. - It's such a moving book.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06I have never seen anything like it
0:41:06 > 0:41:09and I'm truly delighted that you've brought this today.
0:41:10 > 0:41:12Rare as hen's teeth.
0:41:12 > 0:41:15This would appeal very much to the American market.
0:41:15 > 0:41:19The Irish in America are huge collectors of this sort of thing
0:41:19 > 0:41:22and it would fetch a lot of money,
0:41:22 > 0:41:26and I would conservatively put a figure of £3,000 on it.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28Wow, gosh!
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- Mm.- Very touching.
0:41:32 > 0:41:33Yes, yes.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39It was my late mother's and I can remember it from a child.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43- Yes.- And I always loved it and eventually persuaded her...
0:41:43 > 0:41:45We were making wills one day and I said,
0:41:45 > 0:41:48"Can I have," as I called it then, "the swan brooch?"
0:41:48 > 0:41:50So I inherited the duck brooch
0:41:50 > 0:41:52and that's roughly all I know about it,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55cos when you can ask you always forget to ask.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59I know. Well, there's a certain amount of documentary evidence here,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02it's in a box by one of the most famous jewellers
0:42:02 > 0:42:03in the United Kingdom - Garrard.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05And they were the Crown Jewellers
0:42:05 > 0:42:07and they had some very interesting royal commissions
0:42:07 > 0:42:09and continue to do so.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13And their history is a very noble one,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15so we know that it's retailed by Garrards,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18but my feeling is that it might have been a very special commission
0:42:18 > 0:42:21because it's highly unusual to find a duck,
0:42:21 > 0:42:25I've never seen a duck in the middle of a brooch and I think this is
0:42:25 > 0:42:29a visual rebus for somebody who is called quite simply, well, Ducky.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32And that sounds utterly absurd,
0:42:32 > 0:42:37but actually Ducky was quite a common nickname for the princesses
0:42:37 > 0:42:39of the United Kingdom and the princesses of Europe
0:42:39 > 0:42:42and so this is probably a little love token
0:42:42 > 0:42:45from somebody to somebody who was called Ducky.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48And it's made of gold and the settings are raised up
0:42:48 > 0:42:51and then they're fronted with silver for the rose diamonds.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55These are rose cut diamonds, but when a coloured stone appears,
0:42:55 > 0:42:59it's held in a little square collet of gold round the sapphires,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03and the duckling has gold legs so it's a mixture of gold and silver,
0:43:03 > 0:43:05which is absolutely of the moment.
0:43:05 > 0:43:09It's only later on that we find these jewels made of platinum,
0:43:09 > 0:43:12but it's a very, very shrill pitch of perfection.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16A tiny little sculpture, sculpted from a piece of moonstone,
0:43:16 > 0:43:19- a piece of lapidary work.- It's amazing that can be done by hand.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23I couldn't imagine anyone doing that by hand, but it has to be.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27Most definitely done by hand and the funny thing about my world
0:43:27 > 0:43:30is it's a tiny world, jewellery, and sometimes you see these objects
0:43:30 > 0:43:33which are so perfect, they're made by hand,
0:43:33 > 0:43:36- but there isn't any evidence of human activity on them at all.- No.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38And that's the great charm of them, really.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41But in a funny way, you thought it was a swan
0:43:41 > 0:43:42and now we know it's a duck,
0:43:42 > 0:43:44so this is an ugly duckling story in reverse,
0:43:44 > 0:43:46but there's nothing ugly about it at all.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50It's a wonderful thing, I've never ever seen that model before.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52In fact, I've never really seen anything like it before,
0:43:52 > 0:43:56so I think that that must be worth £2,000 of anybody's money.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58Yes. Wow.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Art, as we know, takes many forms
0:44:02 > 0:44:05but this is a Roadshow first to consider somebody's forearms.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08So how did these works of art happen?
0:44:08 > 0:44:13Well, Peter Blake came to a shop that I work at, it's a fashion shop.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16- We're talking about Peter Blake? - Peter Blake the artist.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18The famous celebrated pop artist of the '60s and '70s?
0:44:18 > 0:44:22- Yes, Sergeant Pepper's. - And living today, right?- Yeah.
0:44:22 > 0:44:23So he walks in, right...
0:44:23 > 0:44:26He came in, he had an exhibition on in Norwich
0:44:26 > 0:44:30and upon him coming in the shop, we sort of...we talked to him.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32I'd made a doll that was in the window
0:44:32 > 0:44:35of him holding himself and he really liked that,
0:44:35 > 0:44:37so he signed the doll
0:44:37 > 0:44:40and then we all sort of got chatting about a few things.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Then we asked him to sign our arms.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45- So you're brothers, right? - Yeah, we're twins.- Twins.
0:44:45 > 0:44:46Oh, you're twins?
0:44:46 > 0:44:49And I work in a tattoo studio round the corner,
0:44:49 > 0:44:50so we asked him to sign us
0:44:50 > 0:44:53and then we were then going to go after meeting him
0:44:53 > 0:44:54and get them tattooed, so...
0:44:54 > 0:44:57OK, so as soon as he'd written them on your arms,
0:44:57 > 0:44:58you banged them permanently down...
0:44:58 > 0:45:01- Yeah, straightaway.- Pretty much. - ..in ink with a tattoo?
0:45:01 > 0:45:03That was my lunch break!
0:45:03 > 0:45:05And, of course, he must love you two,
0:45:05 > 0:45:07because you're heavily into tattoos
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and he, in the '60s, particularly in 1961,
0:45:10 > 0:45:14when he sort of teams up or is exhibited with David Hockney,
0:45:14 > 0:45:18he becomes the absolute centre of pop art in Britain.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21And goes on to do all sorts of things, including record covers.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24As we know, we've got Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band,
0:45:24 > 0:45:27- like one of the great icons of the '60s and '70s.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31And you can imagine a pop artist like that,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34who is just so famous, who's just known for so much contemporary,
0:45:34 > 0:45:38sharp-edged contemporary culture, he must LOVE you two.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40- He was quite...- Yeah, he was pretty impressed, I think, yeah.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43I think it was a bit of a shocker to start with,
0:45:43 > 0:45:45but he really liked it, so, yeah,
0:45:45 > 0:45:49and his wife was really into it as well, which was good, so...
0:45:49 > 0:45:52And as a result of that connection you developed with him,
0:45:52 > 0:45:53you've ended up with...
0:45:53 > 0:45:57Yeah, well, we basically had a couple of ciggie packets
0:45:57 > 0:45:58and just got him to sign them.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01And Rich went out and bought that in the morning,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04cos that's one of our favourite singles from back in the day, so,
0:46:04 > 0:46:05and cos that's by him.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08"Do They Know It's Christmas?" oh, yeah, the Band Aid song.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11Yeah, that's right, and then we received this one
0:46:11 > 0:46:14which is number one and number two of four, through the post.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16- We've got a postcard as well.- Yeah.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19- Oh, so these are tokens of affection?- Yeah, yeah.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Tokens of esteem, you know...
0:46:21 > 0:46:23Yeah, he must have liked something about us, I reckon.
0:46:23 > 0:46:27- ..for you as living works of art. - Yeah, so it's quite a nice thing.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30- What a cracking story. - Bit of a shocker, yeah.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34If I can start with the cigarette packet.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37So you just gave it to him?
0:46:37 > 0:46:40- Yeah, pretty much.- We had two of them, we've given one to a friend.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43He's done a cigarette packet before.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46- Right. - So we just sort of followed,
0:46:46 > 0:46:48- another cigarette packet to sign, yeah.- OK.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51Well, I'm going to put 300 quid on that.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53Mental.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58Mental? Well, quite possibly, but that's the art world we live in.
0:46:58 > 0:47:03I think I'm going to put on the signed record cover -
0:47:03 > 0:47:05which, a bit like the fag packet, you know -
0:47:05 > 0:47:10it looks like something appealing, it's beautifully presented.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14Presentation is all and having glass in front of these things,
0:47:14 > 0:47:15you have to stand back. 300 quid.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18About three and half quid from a charity shop.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20That was three and a half quid from a charity shop?
0:47:20 > 0:47:22- Yeah, on the morning, actually, yeah.- Nice.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27- But that was before it was blessed by Saint Peter.- Exactly, yeah, yeah.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30And this, not everyone's taste - Brick Layne -
0:47:30 > 0:47:33but nonetheless, a very powerful image,
0:47:33 > 0:47:37which I notice is an artist's proof, one of four,
0:47:37 > 0:47:41should be worth around about £500, £600.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43Yes.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46And that finally brings me to the subject of your forearms,
0:47:46 > 0:47:50which I think are both fine examples of their kind.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52- Thank you.- How much are they worth?
0:47:52 > 0:47:56They are genuine Peter Blake's - he's signed them.
0:47:56 > 0:47:57Yeah.
0:47:57 > 0:48:02And you've gone off, worked on top so they've got provenance,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04they've got form, as we say in the art world,
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and when it comes to a valuation...
0:48:06 > 0:48:11Well, I think some things you need to keep in the family.
0:48:11 > 0:48:13THEY LAUGH
0:48:13 > 0:48:16- So I'm not going to hazard one.- OK. - But thanks so much for coming along.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18- Thank you very much indeed. - Thank you, mate, pleasure.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24We've so enjoyed our day here at RAF Marham
0:48:24 > 0:48:26and since we've been surrounded by Tornado jets all day,
0:48:26 > 0:48:28I couldn't resist the chance to get in one,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31and I'm still hoping I might persuade somebody to take me up.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34But until then, from all the Antiques Roadshow team
0:48:34 > 0:48:37and all the RAF personnel here - until next time - bye-bye.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Right. Where do we start?