0:00:02 > 0:00:03We've come to a quiet corner of Powys
0:00:03 > 0:00:06where sheep easily outnumber people.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09It seems an unlikely spot to find a house where leading artists,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12musicians and politicians were once entertained.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Welcome to the Antiques Roadshow from Gregynog
0:00:15 > 0:00:18in the sheep farming landscape of Mid Wales.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02From the 1920s to the 1950s the Davies sisters,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Gwen and Margaret, known as Daisy, lived here.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08The girls' father had made a huge amount of money
0:01:08 > 0:01:10through coal mining in South Wales.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13The sisters were among the wealthiest women in Britain
0:01:13 > 0:01:16and they had a vision - they wanted to dedicate their lives
0:01:16 > 0:01:20and their money to reviving Wales' artistic and national heritage.
0:01:22 > 0:01:27Gwen and Daisy were deeply religious and very cultured young women.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Gwen was musical, Daisy artistic, and they decided that this house
0:01:30 > 0:01:34was going to be a centre for the arts in Wales.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42The sisters spent some of their money
0:01:42 > 0:01:45on amassing a fine art collection,
0:01:45 > 0:01:47so visitors coming here would see works
0:01:47 > 0:01:51by the great impressionist and post-impressionist masters.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Works by Renoir, Cezanne, Monet, Millais.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01And they wanted the house to ring with music.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04They converted this former billiard room into a music room
0:02:04 > 0:02:07and it was here that the sisters met every week
0:02:07 > 0:02:09to be part of a choir that was made up of their servants,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12the estate workers and people who were willing to
0:02:12 > 0:02:15travel from nearby hamlets and the nearest town
0:02:15 > 0:02:16which is four miles away.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Gwen sang alto, Daisy second soprano.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27Gwen died in 1951 and Daisy, 12 years later,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29but their vision lives on.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Their impressive art collection
0:02:31 > 0:02:34was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Wales,
0:02:34 > 0:02:35though some of it remains here.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38And Gregynog was given to the University of Wales
0:02:38 > 0:02:42and there continues to be strong emphasis on the arts here.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46And 80 years on, there's still a music festival held here every year.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Gwen and Daisy Davies loved their house to be full of music
0:02:50 > 0:02:53and people and beautiful things, so I think they'd rather enjoy
0:02:53 > 0:02:57seeing what the people of Wales have brought along for our experts today.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00And don't forget you can join in at home with our valuation game.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Just press red on your remote control or go to...
0:03:06 > 0:03:08..on your smartphone or on your tablet.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Well, cutting hard stone and setting it seamlessly
0:03:13 > 0:03:17together like a jigsaw puzzle is a very skilled technique.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Do you know where this was made?
0:03:19 > 0:03:21No, no idea.
0:03:21 > 0:03:27It belongs to my dad and it's been in the family since about 1958
0:03:27 > 0:03:32when it was left to my grandma from a lady called Miss Cummings.
0:03:32 > 0:03:39And Miss Cummings was the nanny of my dad and his three brothers
0:03:39 > 0:03:41when they were little.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Granny had four boys under five and was in desperate need of some help
0:03:46 > 0:03:48and advertised for a nanny.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52The only applicant was Miss Cummings,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55who was, by then, elderly, chain smoking
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and not really what my granddad had in mind.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01But let me guess, your mother took her on nonetheless!
0:04:01 > 0:04:04My granny said, "She's coming anyway, I need the help",
0:04:04 > 0:04:08and she came and she became a massive part of the family,
0:04:08 > 0:04:13and she actually died in 1958 at my granny's house.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15She was a useless nanny.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21I think it had come to her from either an uncle
0:04:21 > 0:04:26or a great uncle and the story is that they were farmers
0:04:26 > 0:04:30who went out to Australia and they were farming next door
0:04:30 > 0:04:35to the gold fields and sold food for the miners,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38who paid them in gold dust,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41and so they came back as very rich men,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44and it's thought that that's where it's come from.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49- So, bought with gold dust, effectively.- Yes, yep.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52But nothing to do with Australia or even England.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55This was made in Italy,
0:04:55 > 0:05:00and there's a great history of this stone inlay - semi precious stones,
0:05:00 > 0:05:06lapis lazuli, coloured agates, jaspers, and white chalcedony -
0:05:06 > 0:05:10and it was first made in Italy, in Rome,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12in workshops in the 16th century.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14This is quite a lot later than that.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18I would think this is 1880, 1890, maybe even 1900,
0:05:18 > 0:05:24by which stage there were very good workshops flourishing in Florence.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25Right.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28One thing I love about it is the frame,
0:05:28 > 0:05:30because this I'm sure is the original frame
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- that it was purchased in. - Right, OK.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36And these kind of frames are known as Florentine frames.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Very light, sort of airy piercing and carving and then gilded.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43- Beautiful.- And it's the perfect setting, isn't it,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47- for this pietra dura? - And that translates as?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49That translates as "hard stone".
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Well, highly prized within your family, obviously,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56and if this was to appear at auction,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59it would have an estimate of around £800 to £1,000.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02Oh, fabulous. Oh, I will email him and tell him.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03He'll be delighted.
0:06:03 > 0:06:08It's a family piece from my father's side of the family and it was given
0:06:08 > 0:06:13to my mum when my brother was born in 1950, my brother John,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17but she was told it was actually made for my Taid -
0:06:17 > 0:06:20for my granddad, in 1897.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Right.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26But that was sort of Lake Vyrnwy area, Llangadfan,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- sort of north of Mid Wales. - North of Mid Wales...
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- CHUCKLING:- OK, my... - Quite specific.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Absolutely, I'm glad you can be.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35And who is this young, young lady?
0:06:35 > 0:06:38That is my youngest, Fern, when she was...
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I think she's actually in her Christening dress there.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42It was a little photo shoot I did.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Right, well, I look at this and find this incredibly interesting
0:06:46 > 0:06:48because of the condition,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51and I like it because it's completely untouched,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53because you see little child's chairs
0:06:53 > 0:06:55or little potties and they've always been
0:06:55 > 0:07:00messed around or in bad condition, but this is in marvellous condition.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02I think it was a used piece
0:07:02 > 0:07:06cos I think it actually got sort of mop lines around it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08Yes, yes.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10So, actually, it was a used piece.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I mean, all my grandchildren have sat in it
0:07:12 > 0:07:13when they've come to visit.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15Presumably... Fern now is also pregnant,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18- so probably hers will also sit in here.- Fantastic.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21So, I think it's late 18th century, early 19th century.
0:07:21 > 0:07:26It's made of oak and elm. I love this little tray top.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28I'm going to lift this up here.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30So, that's how the child would sit in the little chair.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32This would fold down.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35It's got lovely forged iron supports,
0:07:35 > 0:07:39a little carrying handle - this is so it could be moved around.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41It's so heavy, isn't it?
0:07:41 > 0:07:42- It is.- When you lift it down.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45As my husband found out carrying it from the car park this morning.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Well, he looks a strong man to me.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53And because of its simplicity and the condition,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57to a collector, this is highly sought after,
0:07:57 > 0:08:01and I could quite easily see a collector being willing
0:08:01 > 0:08:05to pay between £800 and £1,200 for this.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Well, that's nice, but as they always say,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10this is never going to get sold.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16It's very hard to explain how a watch can feel good in the hand,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18but believe me, this feels magnificent.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20It's a lovely size,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24a lovely weight and it's just a super quality object.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Can I assume that it belonged once
0:08:26 > 0:08:28to one of these gentlemen in this picture?
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Yes, yes, my great grandfather who's in the centre,
0:08:31 > 0:08:35and he was... It was the colliery and he was the manager,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39and then he left afterwards and set up on his own,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42but the watch was so that he could tell the time
0:08:42 > 0:08:44whilst he was underground.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47That's obviously his armorial on the back there.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51- Yes.- And it's got, here, his name,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Mr Barnes, and a date of October 1908.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Do you know who made the watch?
0:08:56 > 0:08:58I have no idea.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Well, we'll open the cuvette and it's all fully signed there -
0:09:02 > 0:09:08JW Benson and then by warrant to Her Majesty the late Queen Victoria.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10Now, of course, she died in 1901.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13The full address of Ludgate Hill...
0:09:13 > 0:09:16And it had to declare the country of origin,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19so, just in the corner there, it says Swiss made.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Top of the range Swiss, as you can see,
0:09:21 > 0:09:22jewelled to the centre,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26beautifully screwed down jewels. It's lovely.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29So the date of 1908 that's engraved there is, of course,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32the date that it would have been bought,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36but, the thing that I haven't shown you is the repetition.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40- You move this slide and... - WATCH CHIMES
0:09:40 > 0:09:41I knew you moved something.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47And it strikes to the nearest minute.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Now, I did know that
0:09:49 > 0:09:52because my grandfather had it after his father,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54who had the same name as his father,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and, as a child, I remember sitting on his knee
0:09:57 > 0:10:02with the watch and hearing it chime, but I had no idea how to operate it.
0:10:02 > 0:10:03I didn't even know it worked.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06Well, it's one of those wonderful things with children -
0:10:06 > 0:10:08you can hold the slide and say, "blow on it",
0:10:08 > 0:10:10and then release it and they think it's magic.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12But that is a magic watch.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15The price doesn't quite reflect that,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17but if it came up for auction,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20it's still going to make the best part of £4,000.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Right, I'm amazed. I had no idea.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26I didn't even know it worked, so thank you very much.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I'm so excited about this object.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33You haven't seen anything like it before. Not live, anyway.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Do you know, I'm used to looking at this
0:10:35 > 0:10:38kind of object in a case in a museum.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40- In museums, yes.- Absolutely.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42And to suddenly have one put down in front of you
0:10:42 > 0:10:44- is just quite staggering. - Yes, it is, yeah.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48What we've got here is an object that's over 400 years old.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49That's right.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52Firstly, please tell me how you come to own it.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Well, I was fascinated by crossbows when I was a teenager
0:10:56 > 0:10:59and I even made one that I tried to shoot rabbits with,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01but then, a few years later, when I was an undergraduate
0:11:01 > 0:11:07at Cambridge, I happened to see this in an old fashioned junk shop
0:11:07 > 0:11:10of a kind that no longer exists, in Tunbridge Wells of all places.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13- Right.- And I was so was fascinated by crossbows,
0:11:13 > 0:11:16I mean, I had to buy it, and I bought it for £3,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20which was a lot of money to a impecunious student in the 1950s.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23OK, well, £3 obviously does...
0:11:23 > 0:11:25But it was not in very good condition
0:11:25 > 0:11:29and I had to spend a great deal of tender loving care on it
0:11:29 > 0:11:33because, at some point, it had obviously been somewhere damp
0:11:33 > 0:11:36and the glue holding it had swelled,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38so that the pieces of ivory, the inlay, had come out.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41So, I did quite a lot of repair work.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Right. Quite, quite incredible.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I mean, firstly, let's talk about it a bit more.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46It's actually a sporting crossbow.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Sporting, yes. Not a military one at all.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Yes, we know that it's not a military crossbow
0:11:51 > 0:11:53because it is so beautifully decorated.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55- That's right. - Now, you mentioned ivory.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- Yes. - In fact, it's not ivory, it's bone.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01We can see by the fleck in most of the larger pieces
0:12:01 > 0:12:03- that that's what it is. - That's right.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07And what we have to appreciate is, and I'm sure you know this,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09that in the period in which this was made in, what,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13around about 1575, we know that hunting in that period
0:12:13 > 0:12:16was a particularly popular pastime.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I mean, even in the period in which firearms were
0:12:19 > 0:12:23coming into common usage, these were very, very popular.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26- Yes.- Because they were silent...
0:12:26 > 0:12:28They were silent - that is the great thing.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Yeah, and they were reusable, in essence, you know,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32you only had to put a bolt in them.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35And if we turn it over, we can see that, in fact, actually,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37there is a crucial piece missing from it.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Apart from the fact that we have some inlay missing,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41- the trigger is actually missing. - That's right.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45So, what we would have had was in fact a long steel trigger
0:12:45 > 0:12:49which had an amazing amount of sensitivity, didn't it?
0:12:49 > 0:12:54Well, the main trigger was just for, sort of, cocking the mechanism,
0:12:54 > 0:12:56and then you had a hair trigger inside,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58which you just had to pull,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and that released the thing very delicately, as it were.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Well, what's amazing about it, in fact,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06is the originality of all of this.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08Everything is intact here.
0:13:08 > 0:13:09Yes.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12If we look at the decoration, we can see and we have dogs,
0:13:12 > 0:13:14which are obviously used in the hunt.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16For retrieving the game.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Absolutely, and we have a hare looking backwards in the chase,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and then if we move on a bit, we have a deer just here,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27springing through the undergrowth, all beautifully, beautifully inlaid.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- Yes.- I don't think I mentioned where this came from, did I?
0:13:30 > 0:13:32I think this is probably a Southern German one.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36Yes, that's what I thought from similar firearms
0:13:36 > 0:13:39of the same period with the same kind of decoration.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41And we're talking matchlocks of that period.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44- Yes, yes.- Now, let's talk about some value here,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47because it's a little bit difficult with this one
0:13:47 > 0:13:49- because of the missing parts. - Right.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52And I'm going to say, possibly in this sort of condition,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54it's going to be worth, at the moment,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57- around about £2,000 to £3,000. - Right, yes.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Which, let's face it, even that long ago,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04- for a £3 investment, it's pretty worthwhile.- It's quite good!
0:14:07 > 0:14:10This is the height of the British Summer Time.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11It certainly is, yes.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13And your vase knows it's summer.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15It does.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I think it's probably known it's summer in our family
0:14:18 > 0:14:23since about 1945 to about '48, something like that.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26That's when my parents, I think, purchased it,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30and it's been in the cabinet ever since,
0:14:30 > 0:14:35and my father passed away about three years ago and I inherited it.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37He thought it was Coalport.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41He used to collect Coalport, and about ten years ago,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46we went to the Coalport Museum to see if it actually was Coalport,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and it was quite interesting, because they weren't sure.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53And that's where I am now.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56So, is it Coalport? Isn't it Coalport? When was it made?
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I really know very little about it.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- Well, hopefully I can help a little. - Right.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Coalport was a good start.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07- Right. - But, had it been Coalport,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09I reckon they would have known that.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11I mean, the style of vase - it's High Rococo,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14absolutely covered in flowers, an extraordinary thing.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18This would have first been seen at Meissen in Germany
0:15:18 > 0:15:20in the middle of the 18th century.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Classic Rococo and you have vases encrusted with flowers,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26also with figures on the top.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28This is a potpourri vase - you see it's got reticulations,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31so if you fill it with potpourri, the scents and perfumes.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33The scent comes out, yes.
0:15:33 > 0:15:34It can come out of that.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36But it's not a German vase
0:15:36 > 0:15:38and the material is the thing that tells us that.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- This is made of bone china.- Right... - It's a softer, creamier material,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45and it's curiously only made really in the UK.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47So, if it's a bone china object,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50- it's going to be a British object. - Right.
0:15:50 > 0:15:51If we look underneath this...
0:15:54 > 0:15:55I could see nothing.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Yeah, nothing at all. No marks.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- And so, what have we got to go on?- Yes.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05Well, there are actually shape and pattern books for various factories
0:16:05 > 0:16:08and this particular shape has been identified
0:16:08 > 0:16:11- in the Minton pattern books. - Gosh.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14So, it's made in Staffordshire at the Minton Factory,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16who actually made...
0:16:16 > 0:16:19The quality of this is actually considerably better
0:16:19 > 0:16:21than had it been a Coalport one.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23And it's the Rococo Revival in the 1830s,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26and so it's a British Rococo Revival.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28And then Art Nouveau at the end of the century
0:16:28 > 0:16:31is like another but slightly more stylised
0:16:31 > 0:16:33revival again, also of Rococo,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35so it's one of these episodes in style.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Also, it's one of a pair. Do you have the other?
0:16:38 > 0:16:41LAUGHING: No! Unfortunately not.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43It happens all the time.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45There should be another vase here with a little boy sitting on top.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Of course, it's got a value.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50The problem is, tastes do change a great deal,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53and we now live in a world where masses of decoration
0:16:53 > 0:16:56and elaborate decoration like this is not fashionable.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00And now, I would say...
0:17:00 > 0:17:02round about £300 at auction.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Really? Well, that's fine, you know.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07It's a fraction of what I would have said years ago.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10Sure, sure. No, that isn't a problem.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15It's a piece that we've got, it looks lovely in our cabinet
0:17:15 > 0:17:19and it doesn't get dusty with the glass cabinet closed
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and there it is, it's going to stay there.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27My father was a prisoner of war in Borneo
0:17:27 > 0:17:30for 3 and a half years under the Japanese
0:17:30 > 0:17:33and he was one of the lucky ones in that he was an officer.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35But, um, they had nothing to do.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39They weren't supposed to write or, you know, draw anything,
0:17:39 > 0:17:43so, secretly, they used to have to entertain themselves.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47But he actually designed this caravan
0:17:47 > 0:17:49with all the instructions on how to make it.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52And was he a caravaner before the War?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Not as far as I know.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58I think his, um...his uncle possibly had a caravan.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00Is this him?
0:18:00 > 0:18:01Yes, that was him.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05I believe that was taken soon after he was made into an officer,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09because he went into the army as a gunner
0:18:09 > 0:18:12and then, after six months, he was discharged
0:18:12 > 0:18:17and then commissioned as an officer and this was all in his 20s.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20What he's done here is he's put together
0:18:20 > 0:18:25- a little booklet, if you like, about a caravan.- Yes.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29And he's written here, "The object of these plans
0:18:29 > 0:18:32"is to produce a cheap, lightweight caravan
0:18:32 > 0:18:36"to comply with my idea of the minimum comforts required
0:18:36 > 0:18:40"on an average GB caravan holiday."
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Do you think he ever planned to have this published?
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Probably not.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46It may be that if he hadn't got married
0:18:46 > 0:18:49almost as soon as he got back from the War
0:18:49 > 0:18:53that he might have actually built it and gone trailing round GB.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55But the one thing which I regret very much
0:18:55 > 0:18:58is that he never actually talked about his experience.
0:18:58 > 0:18:59So many men didn't, you see,
0:18:59 > 0:19:04but it's drawn and written on backs of envelopes
0:19:04 > 0:19:06and little scraps of paper.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Yes, well, that's all they could get.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13The envelopes were what they had from the family.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Um, they used to exchange cigarettes for paper
0:19:17 > 0:19:22from, you know, other inmates and my dad didn't smoke,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26so he would give his cigarettes away and get paper instead.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Now, why would he have done it, do you think?
0:19:29 > 0:19:34Purely because I think that he had to do something to keep his sanity,
0:19:34 > 0:19:40because they had very tough times, they were very strictly controlled
0:19:40 > 0:19:43as to what they were supposed to do and they weren't supposed to do,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and this sort of thing was done in the evenings, at dusk,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48and they used to have lookouts
0:19:48 > 0:19:51that would tell them if the guards were coming.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54In one of his bits of paperwork, there's a record of his weight
0:19:54 > 0:19:57and, when I knew him, he was about 16 stone,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59even though he was only five foot six.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03But his weight went down to about six and a half, seven stone.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06And, as I say, as an officer, he was one of the lucky ones.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09So you can imagine what a terrible time they had.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12But I-I never had the chance to talk to him about it.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15Unfortunately he died suddenly, aged 53,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and they didn't talk about it and I didn't know
0:20:17 > 0:20:21until I looked into all of this about four or five years ago.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Do you know, he's gone into such incredible detail.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25Look at this!
0:20:25 > 0:20:30This shows the inside of the caravan - Calor Gas,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32even the beds, look, he's got,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36the cupboard with plates, cups and saucers, breadbin.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I don't think there's anything that he's forgotten.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41- He's not missed a thing, has he, actually?- No.
0:20:41 > 0:20:42You know, this is the sort of book
0:20:42 > 0:20:46that, really, I'd love to see published as a DIY manual,
0:20:46 > 0:20:48how to build a caravan.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52Yes, and I'd like to think that my family, at one stage,
0:20:52 > 0:20:54might even build it.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57I have a very practical middle son
0:20:57 > 0:21:01and it would be lovely to see if the manual worked.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Well, he's certainly given every possible instruction
0:21:04 > 0:21:06you could need to build a caravan.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08He's even gone into costings, look.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11I mean, if you look here, this is the final page,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14and tells you how much it's going to cost to build
0:21:14 > 0:21:17and it comes to £45 and 18 shillings.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18- Yes, yeah.- Now, how about that.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20I wonder what that would cost to build today.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23I think there'd be some inflation to go on that, yes, yeah.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27I think there would. Now what's it worth, as a...
0:21:27 > 0:21:33as a wonderful little DIY manual on how to build a caravan? Um...
0:21:33 > 0:21:37I-I suspect it would be worth something in the region
0:21:37 > 0:21:43of £150 to £200, something in that order.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Well, I wasn't really interested in the value, obviously.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49To me, it's got tremendous sentimental value
0:21:49 > 0:21:53and maybe, one day, the actual caravan would be worth thousands.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55THEY CHUCKLE
0:22:11 > 0:22:13- Hello.- Hello.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16So, if anyone's getting a prize for the most difficult thing
0:22:16 > 0:22:18to bring to the Antiques Roadshow, it's you.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Look. But, first of all, let's have introductions. What's his name?
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- His name is Hardwick.- Hardwick.
0:22:24 > 0:22:30Yes, and I inherited him two years ago from my friend's mum, Mary,
0:22:30 > 0:22:31who's passed away now.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34And where was Hardwick when he was at home?
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Well, we were always brought up with bulldogs
0:22:36 > 0:22:38and my mum used to do bed and breakfast
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and we used to have guests that used to come every year
0:22:41 > 0:22:44and they sent my mother a photograph of Hardwick
0:22:44 > 0:22:47sitting in a window of an antique shop, we think somewhere in Kent.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48So my mum just said,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51"I don't care what he costs, here's a cheque, go and buy him".
0:22:51 > 0:22:54So he used to have pride of place underneath the stairs.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58So, yeah. So, I mean, I think he's the ugliest thing I've ever seen
0:22:58 > 0:23:00in my life but Jeanette thinks he's marvellous.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Oh, yes.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Well, he's obviously 1970s, Italian,
0:23:06 > 0:23:10and he's certainly got a very good look about him.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I mean, my... I think my Russian Black Terrier
0:23:12 > 0:23:15would have a bit of a fit about him.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19I mean, he's very similar to an Italian ceramic firm called Ronzan,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23that made lots of big animals, and he does have that look
0:23:23 > 0:23:26but he's not marked, so I think he's just Ronzan style.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29And very fashionable in America.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31- I mean, it's a sort of decorator's piece.- Yes.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And, you know, we're talking, in terms of value,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- we're not talking a lot.- No.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39We're saying, you know, sentimental value for you, and you love him.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Oh, God, yeah.
0:23:41 > 0:23:46But I think we're talking £80 to £150. But...hey!
0:23:46 > 0:23:48- We've had a lovely time. - He's a great topic...
0:23:48 > 0:23:51He's a great topic of conversation, I'll give him that!
0:23:51 > 0:23:52THEY LAUGH
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Well, here we are in the middle of Wales
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and you've turned up with a pen-and-ink drawing
0:24:00 > 0:24:04of the head of Christ and, on the back, it's got,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06"Design for stained-glass window, Alabama."
0:24:06 > 0:24:08- So how come?- Yes.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12It's by John Petts and, in 1963,
0:24:12 > 0:24:16the 16th Baptist church in Alabama, Birmingham, was bombed
0:24:16 > 0:24:20and he heard about it so he collected money
0:24:20 > 0:24:25from the people of Wales to build a stained-glass window in the church.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29So the maximum they could donate was half a crown,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32because he wanted the people of Wales to own it,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36rather than some benefactor coming in and taking the glory as such.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39That's amazing and-and he managed to raise all that money?
0:24:39 > 0:24:41- He did, yes.- How did he do it?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Did he advertise it through the papers, or...?
0:24:43 > 0:24:46Yeah, one of the editors of the Western Mail was involved,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50and they advertised it and they had pictures of children in Tiger Bay,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54which is quite a strong African Caribbean community,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and they were queuing up to give their half a crown
0:24:56 > 0:25:00- towards the Alabama window. - That's amazing, absolutely amazing.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02And, of course, that bombing in 1963,
0:25:02 > 0:25:04there were four children killed, weren't there?
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Yes, yes.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11- I think that the Ku Klux Klan were responsible for it.- Yes.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And I think because John Petts had children of his own,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17that is why he decided to do this.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19So this must have been a design
0:25:19 > 0:25:21for the Christ on this stained-glass window.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Yes, yes. Yes.
0:25:23 > 0:25:24And was it a black Christ?
0:25:24 > 0:25:28It was a black Christ, yeah, which was quite controversial, as well,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32in Birmingham, Alabama, considering the Klan bombed the church as well.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Is it known as the Wales Window?
0:25:34 > 0:25:37It's known as the Wales or the Welsh Window, yes.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40And I see also it's signed down here,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and dated 1964, cos that's when the window was completed, wasn't it?
0:25:43 > 0:25:46- Yes.- And it's pen and ink. Now where did you get it from?
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- Have you always had it? - No, I got it from a car-boot sale.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52- A car boot?- Sorry, sorry.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Disgraceful. How long ago did you get it?
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Um, round about six months ago, I think. Yes.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01Six months ago. And what did you pay for it?
0:26:01 > 0:26:02- A pound.- £1.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06I didn't haggle any less, now, I kept it as a pound, yeah.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09So did you know what you were buying when you were at the car boot?
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Absolutely not, no.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I've got a strong interest in art
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and I could see that it was very well done
0:26:16 > 0:26:19but I had no idea, no. None at all.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21I just knew it was a good drawing.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27I mean, John Petts was born 1914 and died in 1991.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31- He was born in London but he really is a Welsh artist.- Yes, yes.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And really known within the Welsh community, I think,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36- doing stained glass.- Yes.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38- And engravings.- Yes, yeah.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41So here we have a pen-and-ink drawing
0:26:41 > 0:26:43for this really iconic monument
0:26:43 > 0:26:48and I think that if I think about the whole reason it was done
0:26:50 > 0:26:53and it's important, and it's one of his most important works,
0:26:53 > 0:26:58I'm going to put on that between £800 and £1200.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01SHE LAUGHS Brilliant, thank you!
0:27:01 > 0:27:04That's good for a pound.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Well, I seriously think people in America would be interested
0:27:07 > 0:27:10to own one of the original drawings for that.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11I know - it's important so...
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Well, what a fantastic thing to have been brought in today.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Thank you very much, thank you.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18Well, I spotted you in the queue
0:27:18 > 0:27:20with this very weathered piece of wood
0:27:20 > 0:27:22and it weighs a ton,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25so how does this fit into your household?
0:27:25 > 0:27:30Well, it was known to us as "Grandad's African cudgel",
0:27:30 > 0:27:32and he used to keep it by the front door
0:27:32 > 0:27:35and then, when it came to my mum, she used to keep it by her bed.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39And then we've kept it by the front door until I painted the hall
0:27:39 > 0:27:42and now it's just sort of come back out for today.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46OK, well, what a deterrent it is, cos it's a serious-looking club.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51Now, from Africa - any family sort of explorers or...?
0:27:51 > 0:27:54I know nothing about it. It's always just been "Grandad's".
0:27:54 > 0:27:59Well, Africa is known for its war clubs but they are not like this.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00Oh, right.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02And, I tell you, the weight alone of this
0:28:02 > 0:28:04gave me a clue to where it was from,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07because it's almost like it was made of iron.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10You know, it's a shame that on telly you can't feel the weight,
0:28:10 > 0:28:15but I can and this is almost certainly from the kingdom of Tonga.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18- Really?- So it's miles from Africa.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23And there's a particular tree called the Toa tree
0:28:23 > 0:28:27that gives this rock-hard wood that, of course,
0:28:27 > 0:28:30the tribes would use as a good carving material,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33to turn it into a practical war club,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36so this was meant for tribal war.
0:28:36 > 0:28:41This one is carved with repeated triangles down to a little ring,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44which again is very typically Tongan,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46and they're actually called akau ta.
0:28:46 > 0:28:48Akau ta.
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Yeah, that's the popular name for this type of club.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Artefacts like this are very difficult to date
0:28:54 > 0:28:56and, you know, these were made obviously
0:28:56 > 0:28:59from the 18th century, if not earlier.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03So I'm going to look at the patina, the wear and tear that it has,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06and imagine this could be as early as the late 18th,
0:29:06 > 0:29:08perhaps early 19th century.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10But it's hard to prove.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15So, there's a huge following for collectors of Polynesian clubs
0:29:15 > 0:29:18and, with this colour and patina, I would have no doubt
0:29:18 > 0:29:22that at auction it would carry an estimate of between £800 and £1,200.
0:29:22 > 0:29:26Right. Have to change its name now to "Grandad's Tongan cudgel".
0:29:26 > 0:29:30- Tongan club.- Tongan club. It's a bit of a mouthful.
0:29:30 > 0:29:32Oh, thank you. That's really interesting.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45We're doing our Rogues' Gallery a little bit differently this week.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50We have here four watches, but THREE of them are fake
0:29:50 > 0:29:53and only ONE is genuine - the thing is, which is which?
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Richard Price, our clocks and watches expert,
0:29:55 > 0:29:57has brought these watches along
0:29:57 > 0:29:59and he says that the number of fakes in the market
0:29:59 > 0:30:02is an increasing problem for watch collectors.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07So can you spot the one genuine watch and the three fakes?
0:30:07 > 0:30:09They all look fabulous.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11Richard is going to give you some clues.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15Watch number one is a beautiful-looking Master Calendar
0:30:15 > 0:30:18watch by Jaeger-LeCoultre, or is it?
0:30:18 > 0:30:21It looks slightly retro and convincing
0:30:21 > 0:30:24but was a model like this ever made by this company?
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Number two, and it's a glittering name, Cartier.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31It's apparently an all-gold Santos model,
0:30:31 > 0:30:36and if it's right, it retails for something well in excess of £20,000.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40Are the diamonds real and is this example worth anything?
0:30:41 > 0:30:47Our third watch, a Rolex GMT-Master II, looking like the real deal.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51A great sports watch, but are you convinced by this example?
0:30:52 > 0:30:56And finally, the maker of this last watch is Panerai, with
0:30:56 > 0:31:01an example in a titanium case and the reverse with a visible movement.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05But does the mechanism bear the quality of the example
0:31:05 > 0:31:06in the catalogue?
0:31:11 > 0:31:14So, Richard, THREE fakes?
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Is that a sign of quite how many fakes there are out in the market?
0:31:17 > 0:31:19There are a massive number of fakes.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Now, you might be tempted to think that if they look so realistic
0:31:22 > 0:31:25and so much like the real thing, what does it matter?
0:31:25 > 0:31:27But, of course, you know, if you're a collector or watches
0:31:27 > 0:31:30or if you're going to be inheriting a watch, you need to have the
0:31:30 > 0:31:33real thing, because the fakes in the future will have almost no value.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36Absolutely, and this is what we're going to try and get over,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38as to how good the copies are now.
0:31:38 > 0:31:42Look at the packaging, for example. I mean, that's stunning, isn't it?
0:31:42 > 0:31:44The packaging is absolutely superb.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Probably most of the packaging is originally made
0:31:46 > 0:31:48in the Far East anyway and comes into Europe.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I mean, look at the wood, for instance, of this Panerai box.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55The leather on the Cartier box might not be quite up to scratch.
0:31:55 > 0:31:56But that's actual leather, is it?
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Well, it's not, but it's still pretty nice.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01I'm giving you a clue already, which I shouldn't be doing!
0:32:01 > 0:32:03Oh, OK. No, no, no, I'd already made my mind up!
0:32:03 > 0:32:05I won't be swayed.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07But aren't they clever? The packaging...
0:32:07 > 0:32:12And they all, of course, underneath, have the guarantee cards
0:32:12 > 0:32:14and the certificates and everything like that.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17When I was looking at these, I mean, I found it very hard not to
0:32:17 > 0:32:20be swayed by quite how glorious and gorgeous the packaging was.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24One thing I did notice with the Rolex
0:32:24 > 0:32:27- is that written inside is "Rolex". - Yep, yep.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Which you'd think would be a very expensive process if you were going to make a fake.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34- You would've thought so. - So I assumed...- Yep.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36..that that was a genuine one, even though I know
0:32:36 > 0:32:41Rolexes are faked massively and that all the others are the fakes.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Rolexes are massively faked, mainly the sports watches.
0:32:44 > 0:32:51So this is a GMT-Master II - this is faked oh, so, so well.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56And about the size of half a millimetre is a laser-etched crown
0:32:56 > 0:32:59inside the glass. The fakers have that down to a fine art as well.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02Oh, my goodness, so, what... So how can you tell?
0:33:02 > 0:33:05The only way you can tell is by removing the back,
0:33:05 > 0:33:08and instead of having a genuine Rolex movement,
0:33:08 > 0:33:11they're using an ETA, which is part of the Swatch Group.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14So that's a fake. This is a fake, because this is...
0:33:14 > 0:33:17- No, I didn't say that.- Oh! - LAUGHTER
0:33:17 > 0:33:20I was just saying that the copies of these are so good.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22I'm going to wait for your decision later.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24You're just playing with me, aren't you?
0:33:24 > 0:33:27But, I mean, if someone wanted to buy a watch -
0:33:27 > 0:33:31an expensive watch, this kind of expensive watch -
0:33:31 > 0:33:36how could they be sure that they weren't buying a fake and that they
0:33:36 > 0:33:40were in fact buying a collectible watch, an antique of the future?
0:33:40 > 0:33:43I would always suggest, if you're buying a new watch,
0:33:43 > 0:33:47that you go to a retail jeweller of repute who has an agency
0:33:47 > 0:33:50for whatever brand you want to buy.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54And the thing absolutely to avoid, and I had somebody earlier today
0:33:54 > 0:33:57who arrived with a Rolex and he said he'd taken it
0:33:57 > 0:34:01in exchange for a bad debt, you want to avoid that sort of thing, because
0:34:01 > 0:34:04that is the ultimate scam, you could be passed off with anything.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09So go to a decent jeweller, who will give you a proper receipt
0:34:09 > 0:34:10and a proper certificate,
0:34:10 > 0:34:14and then if there's any query at any stage, you can back it.
0:34:14 > 0:34:15And I guess the price is a bit of a giveaway
0:34:15 > 0:34:18because the price of the fakes or the price
0:34:18 > 0:34:21they are offered at is a fraction of the real thing, isn't it?
0:34:21 > 0:34:24It is if you can buy them at source,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28but again, they are making their way into the retail market.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30So then they'll be selling at, what, the full value?
0:34:30 > 0:34:33They will be selling it at pretty much full value or saying,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37"This would normally be £7,000, but to you, I can do it for five."
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Gosh.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43- Not that funny if you've bought one, however!- Exactly.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46I challenge you to work out which is which.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Well, come on then, I thought this was a bit of a double bluff,
0:34:49 > 0:34:53because I know these are faked so much and you've talked to me about this before.
0:34:53 > 0:34:59I assumed this was the genuine one and that these three are the fakes.
0:35:01 > 0:35:02I hate to say it...
0:35:02 > 0:35:05- but you're right!- Ohh!
0:35:05 > 0:35:07CHEERING
0:35:07 > 0:35:10- I wanted to pull the double bluff specially.- Oh!
0:35:10 > 0:35:13But that's why, that's the only reason,
0:35:13 > 0:35:16because I know you've seen so many fake Rolexes. So...
0:35:17 > 0:35:21..how can you tell that these are not genuine, then?
0:35:21 > 0:35:27Well, this in real life would be well in excess of £20,000.
0:35:27 > 0:35:28Wow!
0:35:28 > 0:35:29It is only a quartz movement,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32but the real Cartier's only a quartz as well.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35The fact is that the diamonds just simply aren't diamonds,
0:35:35 > 0:35:37the quality of the case isn't there.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39What about this one, the Jaeger-LeCoultre?
0:35:39 > 0:35:42Jaeger don't make a watch that looks like that.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46They have a power reserve where those two sectors are and the
0:35:46 > 0:35:49two windows are at the nine and the three o'clock,
0:35:49 > 0:35:53so it looks retro and they made something like that 20 years ago
0:35:53 > 0:35:55but it's not available now.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58What about this? Amazing with all the packaging
0:35:58 > 0:36:00and the wooden box and the little screwdriver here.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04This is a very, very collectible brand.
0:36:04 > 0:36:10Panerai have devoted followers who will only buy this particular brand.
0:36:10 > 0:36:12This particular one is in a titanium case
0:36:12 > 0:36:14and if I can just show you the movement -
0:36:14 > 0:36:17I don't know whether you had a look at the back, you probably didn't -
0:36:17 > 0:36:20it is very, very clever.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23And compared, if you get the catalogue...
0:36:23 > 0:36:28There we are, that is that watch, but if you look at it there,
0:36:28 > 0:36:32you can just see it's not quite as good as the real thing.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Right, well, there you are, if you want to make sure that
0:36:35 > 0:36:38you are buying a genuine watch as opposed to one of these
0:36:38 > 0:36:42admittedly very clever but ultimately cheap knock-off watches,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45have a look at our website...
0:36:50 > 0:36:55So you must have been a very stylish bride indeed in 1972,
0:36:55 > 0:36:57wearing this Ossie Clark dress.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Tell me what made you choose which,
0:37:00 > 0:37:03at the time, must have been quite an unusual choice of dress.
0:37:03 > 0:37:09Well, I went shopping with my mother and my sister to buy a dress
0:37:09 > 0:37:13and I was living in Manchester at the time. And we went into a
0:37:13 > 0:37:20very formal bridal shop, and when I went to hold the dress, to look at
0:37:20 > 0:37:25one, the lady in the shop said, "You can just touch the price tickets."
0:37:25 > 0:37:29So I thought, "I'm not buying anything here,"
0:37:29 > 0:37:33so we walked out and went into a tiny little boutique
0:37:33 > 0:37:38just off St Ann's Square, and this was the only white dress
0:37:38 > 0:37:41in the shop, but when I saw it, I just fell in love with it.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44And were you aware of Ossie Clark at the time?
0:37:44 > 0:37:45Were you a fan of his particularly?
0:37:45 > 0:37:50No, I wasn't, not at all, so it was only much later that I -
0:37:50 > 0:37:55when he died, in fact - that I discovered that he was
0:37:55 > 0:38:00a significant figure and I realised how very special my dress was.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02And, amazingly, you actually still have the dress.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06I understand you've brought a photograph of you wearing it - can we have a look at that?
0:38:06 > 0:38:11Yes, certainly. This is my wedding scrapbook and there are the photos.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13- There you are wearing it.- Yes.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17I have to say, this demonstrates, really, that the dress really does,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21does benefit from being worn rather than being shown on the dummy.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23- Yes.- How old were you at the time?
0:38:23 > 0:38:25- I was just 21. - You look very young indeed.
0:38:25 > 0:38:30Yes. We've just celebrated our Ruby wedding anniversary.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Congratulations, fantastic. Well, Ossie Clark, obviously,
0:38:33 > 0:38:39he's a very significant figure in the history of 20th-century fashion.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44I think he was born in 1942 and he was married to Celia Birtwell,
0:38:44 > 0:38:48a very famous designer, and she produced very vibrant prints
0:38:48 > 0:38:52for a lot of his dresses which are incredibly popular now.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54This obviously is slightly more unusual in the fact
0:38:54 > 0:38:59that it's a plain white one and it is decorated with the hearts here.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02And also, we've got these lovely little button sleeves
0:39:02 > 0:39:06and on the shoulder there and also on the sleeve ends.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09Harking back to the 1930s in a way, style-wise,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12with the crepe dress which has a tie at the back.
0:39:12 > 0:39:17But, you know, he is a figure that in recent years has become
0:39:17 > 0:39:21incredibly desirable, and Ossie Clark is, you know, he is THE name,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25he's up there with Mary Quant and Biba and so on.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27You know, he's as good as them.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30I think this would be a very desirable piece indeed,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33and I think there are an awful lot of brides to be at the moment
0:39:33 > 0:39:36who would give their eye teeth to have an Ossie Clark wedding dress.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39So I could see somebody quite easily paying
0:39:39 > 0:39:41somewhere in the region of £300 to £400 for it.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45Goodness me, goodness me. I think it was £20 at the time.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49- Was it?- That's quite an increase in value, isn't it?
0:39:49 > 0:39:51- No, it's brilliant.- Goodness.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57Now, one of my great memories is travelling by train from Perth
0:39:57 > 0:39:59to Kalgoorlie and on to Sydney,
0:39:59 > 0:40:01but I'm glad to say when I did it,
0:40:01 > 0:40:05we didn't have a crash, which clearly is what has happened here.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09Now, this is an interesting group of photographs,
0:40:09 > 0:40:13obviously of some, I have to say, minor disaster, from the fact
0:40:13 > 0:40:15- that everybody's walking around and smiling.- Yeah.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19- But the interesting thing is it's connected with a royal visit, isn't it?- Yes, that's right.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22I've got here a programme for the Royal Train
0:40:22 > 0:40:26conveying His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and his suite
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- from Perth to Kalgoorlie in July 1920.- Yeah.
0:40:32 > 0:40:33So where do you fit in?
0:40:33 > 0:40:37My great-grandfather, John Faulkner Tomlinson,
0:40:37 > 0:40:40had been in the railways for a very long time.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44He first started off here then moved across to Australia.
0:40:44 > 0:40:49In 1923, he became secretary of the railways, but he had a long history
0:40:49 > 0:40:53within the Western Australian railway industry.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56- So he was a very important person in that state?- Yeah, that's right.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00- Right.- And he was involved in a lot of rail events.
0:41:00 > 0:41:01Such as this.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Such as this, as well as other press tours and things like that.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08I'll tell you a bit about the royal visit.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13Since the first one, I think, in the 1860s, there have been
0:41:13 > 0:41:16over 50 royal visits to Australia.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20Edward, Prince of Wales, went as the emissary of George V
0:41:20 > 0:41:24in April 1920 to Australia,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26and the purpose of that mission was very simple.
0:41:26 > 0:41:28He travelled all over Australia.
0:41:28 > 0:41:33- It was to thank Australia for doing so much in the First World War.- Oh!
0:41:33 > 0:41:36It was a deliberate attempt to say, "We're very grateful, thank you."
0:41:36 > 0:41:42And so this rather exciting event was only part of a much wider trip,
0:41:42 > 0:41:46and I'm not quite sure what happened, but he was travelling
0:41:46 > 0:41:50to Bridgetown and obviously the train simply came off the track.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Now, that sounds very simple and a big disaster,
0:41:52 > 0:41:55but actually the most extraordinary thing is you can
0:41:55 > 0:41:58see in the photographs the carriage on its side.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01It obviously happened fairly slowly, and so,
0:42:01 > 0:42:05apart from everybody falling over, no-one seems to have been hurt.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07We see the Prince of Wales -
0:42:07 > 0:42:13here he is looking very, very jolly indeed with a cap and a suit -
0:42:13 > 0:42:16and behind him is Lord Louis Mountbatten,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18who came with him on that journey.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20And to show that there was a light side of it, apparently,
0:42:20 > 0:42:25when the train had fallen over, Edward, Prince of Wales, was
0:42:25 > 0:42:29seen climbing out of his carriage still clutching his cocktail shaker.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31No!
0:42:31 > 0:42:36And the Australians thought this was great, and from this moment on,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39- apparently, he was known as the "Digger Prince".- Yeah, well...
0:42:39 > 0:42:42- So good comes out of a disaster. - Yes.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45I think also I should just remind us that Edward, of course,
0:42:45 > 0:42:48later became, or didn't become, Edward VIII.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51You know, he was the key figure in this and that's why
0:42:51 > 0:42:54he went as the royal emissary, because he was the Prince of Wales,
0:42:54 > 0:42:59and he was destined to be King, but we all know history changed.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01Erm, it's quite difficult to value.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04I mean, I think I'm going to put something like
0:43:04 > 0:43:10£500, £1,000 as an archive, because it tells an extraordinary story.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14- Well, thank you so much. - Thank you very much.- Wow!
0:43:16 > 0:43:17Forget Turner.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Forget van Gogh, forget Picasso, forget all the others.
0:43:21 > 0:43:26For me, it has to be the jewel in the crown of Gregynog -
0:43:26 > 0:43:32is the Gregynog Press, and you're the librarian of the Gregynog Press.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36- It was a private press started in 1922.- Mm-hmm.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39The Misses Davies bought the best printer in they could possibly
0:43:39 > 0:43:46find and the best artists to work here on their own private press.
0:43:46 > 0:43:50They were very much into the arts and crafts movement, but they also
0:43:50 > 0:43:53had a very, very strong aesthetic sense and they wanted to raise
0:43:53 > 0:43:57people's aesthetic awareness. And this was one of the ways in which
0:43:57 > 0:44:01they tried to do this, to sort of make available these wonderful books
0:44:01 > 0:44:05in which the quality of the printing and the quality of the illustrations
0:44:05 > 0:44:09was really the key, and also, of course, the quality of the bindings.
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Well, here we start off with David Jones
0:44:13 > 0:44:18and this wonderful wood engraving here, with the Crucifixion,
0:44:18 > 0:44:21- with the mourners, absolutely wonderful.- It is beautiful, yes.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25- This is 1927.- I think so, yes, yes.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27- This is the book of the Preacher. - The Preacher, yes.- In Welsh.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29Llyfr y pregethwr.
0:44:29 > 0:44:31And can you recite...?
0:44:31 > 0:44:33"Gwagedd o wagedd medd y Pregeth-wr."
0:44:33 > 0:44:36So that's "Vanity of vanities..."
0:44:36 > 0:44:39- "..Yw'r cwbl." Yes. - "..saith the preacher."
0:44:39 > 0:44:40That's it, yeah.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42And you see the wonderful bindings they put on, this is
0:44:42 > 0:44:47beautiful blue morocco - that's why we're handling these with gloves,
0:44:47 > 0:44:50of course - that were actually done here, by bookbinders here.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed they were.
0:44:52 > 0:44:54It started in 1922 and the press went on,
0:44:54 > 0:44:58and I think its greatest period was in the 1930s.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01Indeed, yes, yes, when we had Agnes Miller Parker.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Agnes Miller Parker, of course, who comes here,
0:45:04 > 0:45:06and this is the book of Aesop.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11Yes, the fables of Aesop, from Paxton's translation,
0:45:11 > 0:45:14and when you think, it's just scratching on wood, basically.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17It's scratching on wood, but how... But you can see the sort of
0:45:17 > 0:45:22relationship between these two of the common and foolish woman.
0:45:22 > 0:45:27"Aesop reherceth us to such a fable," and this is the struggle
0:45:27 > 0:45:33- between the man and the woman here, by Agnes Miller Parker, yes.- Yes.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35With the most beautiful binding on it, again.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39- Yes, that's a lovely binding, isn't it? It's really lovely, yes. - It's beautiful.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42And, of course, who was also working at the same time,
0:45:42 > 0:45:44and you have him there, this lovely binding here,
0:45:44 > 0:45:47and it's an Art Deco binding, you'd call it, isn't it?
0:45:47 > 0:45:49It is, yes, and this was designed by Blair Hughes-Stanton.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53- It was Blair Hughes-Stanton, who was working with her at the same time. - Indeed, yes.
0:45:53 > 0:45:55- And can we have a look at his illustrations?- Yes, yes.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57This is on Japanese vellum.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59Yes, and this is The Lamentations of Jeremiah.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02And is this Jeremiah, do you think, in Chapter II?
0:46:02 > 0:46:03I think it is Lamenting, yeah.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06Lamenting. Can we turn it? Oh, yes, and look at that!
0:46:06 > 0:46:09- That is really, really lovely. - These incredible illustrations -
0:46:09 > 0:46:12- they really are quite incredible, aren't they?- They're wonderful, yes.
0:46:12 > 0:46:14- And they're so modern. - Yes, yes, yes.
0:46:14 > 0:46:16- Almost modern now, really, aren't they?- Yeah, yeah.
0:46:16 > 0:46:21- But they reached the highest pitch of private presses.- Yes, yes.
0:46:21 > 0:46:23The private press movement started in the 18th century
0:46:23 > 0:46:27and, really, right the way through, you don't see anything as good
0:46:27 > 0:46:31or as fine as this. Then, come the war, the Gregynog Press stopped.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Stopped, yes. All the people who were working there at the time...
0:46:34 > 0:46:39And by this time, Hughes-Stanton and Agnes and her husband,
0:46:39 > 0:46:44William McCance, had all moved on, but they were all called up.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46We have to mention prices - I know it's totally
0:46:46 > 0:46:50irrelevant in your case, but an ordinary copy, one without
0:46:50 > 0:46:52a decent binding on,
0:46:52 > 0:46:55- would fetch hundreds and hundreds of pounds.- Mm, mm.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58But the special ones, the limited, limited editions...
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- There were only 15 or 20 done. - 15 or 20, exactly.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06..would be fetching probably ten times the price of ordinary ones.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10This is wonderful. Thank you. We could go on all day, I feel.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17So, out of this rather unpromising box, came this.
0:47:17 > 0:47:19- Yes.- How?
0:47:19 > 0:47:25I was amazed too, because Mr Burgess was a very distant relation
0:47:25 > 0:47:28of my father's, and I received a letter
0:47:28 > 0:47:32from his solicitor saying that he was going into a care home and
0:47:32 > 0:47:36there were a number of items which were going to come to me eventually,
0:47:36 > 0:47:40but would I collect them now as the house was going to be sold.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43So I went down to his cottage in Cornwall,
0:47:43 > 0:47:47collected a number of portraits, a few odds and ends, and that,
0:47:47 > 0:47:49as you say, unpromising-looking box.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53And astonished when I got home and opened up the box to find this.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54Because this is what came out of it.
0:47:54 > 0:48:00Now, to some eyes, people would think this is rather a dull-looking exterior, and there...
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Is the amazing inside, yes.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05Isn't it a...? It's a joy just to open that up.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08Yeah, and it's in such lovely condition.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10It's in fabulous condition.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14The material is lacquer on wood, but what...
0:48:14 > 0:48:19Look at that dazzling gold design, more Chinese landscapes,
0:48:19 > 0:48:25figures out of doors, and each has this little
0:48:25 > 0:48:30roundel in the middle which contains a European coat of arms.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32- Have you done any research on that? - No.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36No, I mean, I thought that was curious because it didn't seem to
0:48:36 > 0:48:39tie in with the Oriental look of the rest of it.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42Well, the idea was that, if you wanted a lacquer games box,
0:48:42 > 0:48:46you could go for the sort of premium quality by having your coat of arms
0:48:46 > 0:48:49inserted into the decoration as well.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52And so this is rather a good example of a games box.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56Now let's just see how many of these little boxes we can take out.
0:48:56 > 0:49:03The central box actually appears to contain an 18th-century card,
0:49:03 > 0:49:05or the remnants of.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08Yes. And are they hand-painted, do you think?
0:49:08 > 0:49:10- Printed. Hand-printed. - Hand-printed.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13- But we don't have all 52.- No.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17Just a few, but those, I would say -
0:49:17 > 0:49:19I'm not a card specialist, so I can't be absolutely sure -
0:49:19 > 0:49:23but they appear to be potentially contemporary with the box.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26Now, this is... It starts getting interesting.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30On this side, we have a little stack of six trays.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33More landscape.
0:49:35 > 0:49:36Another landscape.
0:49:38 > 0:49:39Aha!
0:49:41 > 0:49:45- Yes.- The queen and the jack,
0:49:45 > 0:49:48the queen on her own,
0:49:48 > 0:49:50the queen with a king,
0:49:50 > 0:49:54and then this turbaned figure saying "Game".
0:49:56 > 0:49:59Right, let's see what the other stack... Another six trays.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02A landscape, and now...
0:50:04 > 0:50:06..eight of diamonds...
0:50:08 > 0:50:10..nine of diamonds,
0:50:10 > 0:50:12a very saucy-looking jack...
0:50:14 > 0:50:17..a king, and the ace.
0:50:17 > 0:50:21Now, the thing that I find so wonderful about this is that
0:50:21 > 0:50:25here you have something commissioned in London, it went through
0:50:25 > 0:50:29the East India Company, with the gentleman who ordered this saying,
0:50:29 > 0:50:34"I want my coat of arms to be on each and every single cover of the boxes."
0:50:34 > 0:50:39And it came back probably two years after it was commissioned
0:50:39 > 0:50:42and I think he must have been absolutely thrilled with the result.
0:50:42 > 0:50:47But the icing, if one can say this, the icing on the cake is
0:50:47 > 0:50:53in these odd-shaped corner boxes - a nice little bit of Cantonese ivory.
0:50:53 > 0:50:59- Yes.- In fact, it's a box in its own special well with a tray.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02Beautifully put together, aren't they?
0:51:02 > 0:51:09And inside the tray, stacks of mother-of-pearl gaming counters.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12- Yes.- And the gorgeous detail here is
0:51:12 > 0:51:15that each and every one of these gaming counters...
0:51:15 > 0:51:17Has the crest.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20- ..has the coat of arms. - Yes, extraordinary.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23Do you know how many counters there are?
0:51:23 > 0:51:27Oh, it's something like 60, I think.
0:51:27 > 0:51:32- Now, shall we start by saying the counters represent money, of course, don't they?- Yes, yes.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35In any game, the counters would represent money.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39- In the Georgian period, each counter might have been sixpence.- Yes.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41For a gentleman playing cards.
0:51:41 > 0:51:43They would count those up at the end and work out who...
0:51:43 > 0:51:48Well, today, each counter would probably sell on the open market
0:51:48 > 0:51:52- for somewhere in the region of £25, £35.- Really?
0:51:52 > 0:51:54You've got 60.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56Yes, plus. 60-odd.
0:51:56 > 0:52:01- Where are we? 60 times, let's say, 30...- Yes.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04- ..1,800?- That's just the counters? - That's £1,800 for the counters.
0:52:04 > 0:52:06Right.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08I'm going to put a value on the whole thing
0:52:08 > 0:52:11of somewhere between £5,000 and £8,000.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14Really? Gosh.
0:52:14 > 0:52:18That's a remarkable gift which I wasn't expecting, isn't it?
0:52:19 > 0:52:21Take the box...or the money.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26You like it!
0:52:28 > 0:52:31Welsh passion and emotion
0:52:31 > 0:52:34in the form of two spoons and a sugar tongs.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37How far back does that love go in your family?
0:52:37 > 0:52:42Well, these two belonged to my great-great-grandmothers, one on my
0:52:42 > 0:52:46grandfather's side and the other on my grandmother's side.
0:52:46 > 0:52:52How wonderful, because this is a very ancient Welsh tradition of carving love tokens,
0:52:52 > 0:52:58where a potential male suitor would carve one of these for his maiden.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01And as long as it was good enough, and she thought the work was
0:53:01 > 0:53:06good enough, she may accept him to be her husband.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08So these are very powerful things
0:53:08 > 0:53:12and they take in a lot of Welsh folklore.
0:53:12 > 0:53:18I think the earliest known dated Welsh love spoon is 1667,
0:53:18 > 0:53:23so if I can just look at the spoon on the right first,
0:53:23 > 0:53:26this is made of a nice vernacular wood, it's apple wood,
0:53:26 > 0:53:30and you can see that there's a pair of keys around a keyhole.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34This represents, really, domestic security,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37the idea of sort of unlocking the love of your heart.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41So, where was it carved, because you are from where?
0:53:41 > 0:53:42Oh, I'm from this area,
0:53:42 > 0:53:46- but my father's from sort of near Caernarfon.- Right.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49- And so that's where these are from. - I'm glad you said that,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53because this is probably around mid-19th century, from Caernarvonshire.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58- Very, very typical of their work... - Is it?- ..as is this one,
0:53:58 > 0:54:04and this is known as a dolphin spoon because of the obvious fluidity
0:54:04 > 0:54:07and dolphin-like sort of scroll of the stem.
0:54:07 > 0:54:09And this one, I think, is sycamore,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12so again just locally available wood, but what really
0:54:12 > 0:54:14caught my eye was the sugar tong.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18- Now, this carries your family name. - Yeah.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21- So Mrs Hughes was your great-great-grandmother?- Yes.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25Well, I mean, that's fantastic to have that continuity.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29This one's made of cherry wood, and on the other side, "November 1880".
0:54:29 > 0:54:32So, presumably, she was being sort of courted,
0:54:32 > 0:54:35for want of a better word, at that time.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Well, they're just humble carvings
0:54:39 > 0:54:42but they're very powerful with it, and I think there'd be very
0:54:42 > 0:54:46keen collectors after these, and I think if they went to auction, the
0:54:46 > 0:54:48three together would be worth around
0:54:48 > 0:54:51£1,000 or £1,200 for the three.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55That's very impressive.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59Sapphire and diamond three-stone ring -
0:54:59 > 0:55:03is it an old family ring, or what's the story behind it?
0:55:03 > 0:55:07No. It was a gift from my husband, surprise, lovely surprise.
0:55:07 > 0:55:09How many years ago was that?
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Eight years ago, something like that.
0:55:12 > 0:55:15The sapphire and the diamonds look as if
0:55:15 > 0:55:18they might have come from perhaps various sources.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21Do you know what the story was behind the sapphire?
0:55:21 > 0:55:25My husband bought the sapphire separately.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29He has a very good friend who's a stone dealer
0:55:29 > 0:55:31and he bought the stone off him.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34The diamonds are not modern cut, the diamonds were probably
0:55:34 > 0:55:39cut in around about 1900, but the main body of this ring is
0:55:39 > 0:55:43quite clearly the sapphire in the centre.
0:55:44 > 0:55:49Erm, I ought to say this - in the world of gemstones, you don't just
0:55:49 > 0:55:53trade a sapphire and diamond ring, you don't just sell it,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55you have to go through a very set procedure.
0:55:55 > 0:56:00First of all, I look at this wonderful, warm,
0:56:00 > 0:56:05velvety-blue colour, and my immediate reaction when
0:56:05 > 0:56:09I see that is to ask myself, "Well, where did those lovely, warm,
0:56:09 > 0:56:12"velvety-blue sapphires come from?"
0:56:12 > 0:56:17And there are two sources - Ceylon and Kashmir.
0:56:18 > 0:56:23Now, Ceylon sapphires are very beautiful, they're like this,
0:56:23 > 0:56:28but they're not quite as significant as the Kashmir ones.
0:56:28 > 0:56:32The only way that I can establish categorically
0:56:32 > 0:56:37whether it is Kashmir is to send it off to a laboratory and then they
0:56:37 > 0:56:42can tell me categorically, first of all, that it is a Kashmir sapphire,
0:56:42 > 0:56:46and I have to tell you, Kashmir sapphires are the best in the world.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52And also very important that it's natural colour,
0:56:52 > 0:56:56because you probably have heard these days, gems can be treated,
0:56:56 > 0:56:59they can improve them, they can enhance them, they can
0:56:59 > 0:57:03heat them, they can make them look better than they actually are.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06Now, the thing about the sapphire in the middle of your three-stone
0:57:06 > 0:57:10ring is when I look at it, I don't think it's a new stone.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12I think it's an old stone,
0:57:12 > 0:57:16and it's the old gems that are the ones that everybody wants.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Because they have a pedigree, you know, the old stones that
0:57:19 > 0:57:24come from the old mines and Kashmir, they don't exist any more.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28Actually, Kashmir sapphires are so rare, so important, because you
0:57:28 > 0:57:33can't get them any more except in old rings and this sort of thing.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35- Yes.- Right.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37You've got the sapphire, you've got the diamonds,
0:57:37 > 0:57:41it's been beautifully set in a classic three-stone ring.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45Let's move on to the potential price.
0:57:45 > 0:57:46£20,000.
0:57:46 > 0:57:49CROWD GASPS Oh, really? Gosh!
0:57:51 > 0:57:53Wow!
0:57:53 > 0:57:55Thank you.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58- You're welcome. - That's really made my day.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00- What do you think it's done for me? - LAUGHTER
0:58:00 > 0:58:02Thank you!
0:58:04 > 0:58:07Those prints that Clive Farahar was looking at earlier on,
0:58:07 > 0:58:11they were printed on this wonderful printing press set up
0:58:11 > 0:58:13here at Gregynog by the Davies sisters.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15They printed all kinds of material here.
0:58:15 > 0:58:20It was all part of their vision of reviving Welsh national heritage and Welsh culture.
0:58:20 > 0:58:21It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?
0:58:21 > 0:58:24Great to see something brought along here today that was actually
0:58:24 > 0:58:26printed on this press.
0:58:26 > 0:58:30From Gregynog and the whole Antiques Roadshow team, bye-bye.