0:00:40 > 0:00:44Today, the Antiques Roadshow comes from a very special location.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47Balmoral. Home to the Royal family here in the Scottish Highlands.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50For 150 years they've enjoyed the stunning beauty
0:00:50 > 0:00:52and quiet of the Cairngorms.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58In 1842, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert made their first visit
0:00:58 > 0:01:01to Scotland and fell in love with the country.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02Particularly the Highlands.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06The young couple were so taken with the idea of living in this part
0:01:06 > 0:01:08of Scotland that they bought Balmoral Castle
0:01:08 > 0:01:10without actually seeing it.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Luckily, it was love at first sight.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15The landscape reminded Albert of his home in Germany.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And Victoria just loved walking in the hills.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20And who wouldn't?
0:01:23 > 0:01:24But once they moved in,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27their impulse to buy turned out to be a bit of a problem.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31The pre-existing castle just wasn't big enough for a queen who still
0:01:31 > 0:01:34had to accommodate visiting ministers, guests, friends,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36and a growing family and staff.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39They were going to need a bigger castle.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42And sticking on an extension just wasn't going to be enough.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45So Albert got stuck in. He rolled up his sleeves
0:01:45 > 0:01:48and worked with the architect to design a brand-new home and gardens.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53And Victoria laid the foundation stone with all the coins of the realm
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and a signed letter tucked underneath.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59When it came to interior design,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01the royal couple wanted all things tartan.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Even creating two of their own tartans - Hunting Stewart
0:02:05 > 0:02:09and Balmoral - for the carpets, curtains and upholstery.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Some called it, rather disparagingly, tartan-itis.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Together, Albert and Victoria made Balmoral into their ideal
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Highland retreat.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21It wasn't a big move though.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24This stone marks where the front door of the old one used to be.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27But it does mean we have a castle fit for a queen
0:02:27 > 0:02:30as our specialists get ready to greet our visitors
0:02:30 > 0:02:32from Aberdeenshire and beyond.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36One tiny little box, two cultures,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38and they've collided with one another.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40But what does it mean to you?
0:02:40 > 0:02:43It means romance to me.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47To be able to buy a box where it's part of Imperial Russian time,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51and just the thought about who's held it, who's touched it.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And it's just such a romantic period of history.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Well, it most definitely is.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57And it does represent two cultures,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01because the top of the tea caddy is based on Russian textile
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and the base of it is based on Japanese art.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08And I've never ever seen in my experience of Russian works of art
0:03:08 > 0:03:11the two decorative schemes brought together.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- Mm-hmm.- But where did you find it?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16- It was in a local auction house. - Yes.- And it just caught my eye.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19And did they give the maker or a time or anything?
0:03:19 > 0:03:21They did. I can't pronounce the name.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23- THEY LAUGH - No, but it's a very difficult name.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27It's made by a man called Pavel Ovchinnikov,
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- which sounds like a nagging cough. But it's Ovchinnikov.- Right.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And he's a very famous firm
0:03:32 > 0:03:36manufacturing usually silver in the traditional Russian taste.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39And showing in fierce competition to the most famous
0:03:39 > 0:03:41goldsmith in the world, who is, of course, Carl Faberge.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46But in a funny way, this is coming close to Faberge's work because
0:03:46 > 0:03:50it is based on Japanese lacquer and Japanese metalworking technique.
0:03:50 > 0:03:55And the return to nature is so powerful with the dragonfly
0:03:55 > 0:03:58flying around over the water, which is absolutely magic stuff.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01And we can see underneath here Ovchinnikov's signature.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05But it also tells us Ovchinnikov had the Imperial Warrant.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07The Imperial Eagle is above it.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10And that he was a supplier to Nicholas and Alexandra.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12- Which is rather good. - Quite exciting.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16- And it's made between 1908 and 1917.- Right.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19This is a very enviable object indeed. I want it.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The whole world wants it. And so...
0:04:22 > 0:04:23£1,250.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26- SHE GASPS - My goodness!
0:04:26 > 0:04:28That's amazing. That's fantastic.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35I absolutely love miserable pictures.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37THEY LAUGH
0:04:37 > 0:04:38Just as well really, isn't it?
0:04:38 > 0:04:42- Well, we love it too.- Obviously, a great drama is being enacted here.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Have you got a title for it in your family?
0:04:44 > 0:04:45No, we haven't.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48But we have speculated as to the story behind it.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50Obviously the couple are distressed.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52And we wondered if they've received bad news.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Maybe about a previous child.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56Cos we noticed, for example,
0:04:56 > 0:04:59the chest open and they are looking at that.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03There are quite a few clues as to their predicament.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05I think that's a deed box, actually.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- That's what you keep your family papers in.- Indeed.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10And there are two other books on the windowsill here, the window ledge.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14And a half burnt candle. And a broken window.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16There are some remnants of better times.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18There is a nice piece of china here
0:05:18 > 0:05:21but I noticed that bowl has got a big crack in it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24So that tells you something too, in Victorian speak.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27Then you've got this meagre fire with this pot
0:05:27 > 0:05:30that's probably got a couple of turnips in it or something.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34I think it's bankruptcy. I think they've simply run out of money.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- Ah, yes. - The signs are all about poverty.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40The idea that they once did have something and it is now gone.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42And actually, it's heartbreaking.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45You've got to remember that this is social commentary in paint.
0:05:45 > 0:05:46It's a bit like Dickens, you know.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49You took notice when Dickens wrote about poverty in London.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52You took notice when you saw a picture like this.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53It tugs at the heart strings.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56We can see from the signature that it's by Paul Shirreffs.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59And it's dated 1892. Now, that's a Dutch name.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04- And this is what we call a Hague School...- That is news to us.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06And it's absolutely typical of the kind of pictures that were
0:06:06 > 0:06:10coming out of Holland in the 1880s. Having said all that,
0:06:10 > 0:06:14I'm afraid it doesn't add up to very much in terms of money.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18- Probably about £300-£400 in this market.- Yes. OK.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20- Thank you very much indeed. - Thank you.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26Here we are in the Highlands
0:06:26 > 0:06:29where binoculars are a very good idea,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32but you seem to have taken it to extremes.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35And I've noticed they are Japanese.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40Why have you got a set of enormous Japanese binoculars?
0:06:40 > 0:06:41They came from Hong Kong.
0:06:41 > 0:06:47The Japanese invaded Hong Kong on the 18th December 1941.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50They landed at Taikoo Dockyard.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Japanese ship was there during the occupation. Bombed by the Americans.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57Dockyard's staff came out a prison camp.
0:06:57 > 0:07:02Salvaged the binoculars. Passed them to the manager at that time.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04They were passed from manager to manager.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I happened to be in the hot seat
0:07:06 > 0:07:09when Taikoo Dockyards closed in 1973.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12And I inherited the binoculars.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14It's like pass the parcel but you got the right bit.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- I was in the right place at the right time.- Yeah.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22Japanese naval binoculars. Very heavy-duty.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25And they're built that strongly to cope with sea conditions.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It's very harsh, saltwater, everything.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31But they are just really good quality and fantastic optics.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35Japanese optics are still some of the best in the world.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Have you ever wondered what they were worth?
0:07:38 > 0:07:39Not at all. No.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Well, they are hugely collectable.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44I mean, they are collectable as binoculars,
0:07:44 > 0:07:48but as binoculars with this amazing story to them...
0:07:48 > 0:07:51- Right. - If they cropped up at auction...
0:07:51 > 0:07:55I would think you'd have to pay in excess of £1,500 for them.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Goodness gracious me!
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Right auction, you might pay even more.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04So your "manager pass the parcel" bit, I think has paid off.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06- Good.- They are splendid. - Yes, they are.- Really like them.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13I don't know many collectors of miniature silver railway lamps,
0:08:13 > 0:08:18but I do know a few that collect propelling pencils.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21- May I operate the voice? - Of course.- Because...
0:08:21 > 0:08:23COW MOOS
0:08:23 > 0:08:27- It's got a great moo.- Hasn't it? - Let's see that again. It's too good.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29COW MOOS
0:08:29 > 0:08:34But the thing I like the best is if you rotate the top,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37we get red and green.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Just like a real railway lamp.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- At the top here is a little hole. - OK.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44And you think, "What's a hole doing there?"
0:08:44 > 0:08:50- But down at the bottom, you can milk it. You really can milk it.- Yes.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- It's the bizarrest thing. - Isn't it? That's why I like it.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58I think this is probably the best propelling pencil I've ever seen.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02- Value, I would put it at perhaps 600 or 700.- Mm-hmm. OK.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05I'm going to put a figure of...
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- £1,500.- Wow! Great.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- What's her name?- She hasn't got a name. Perhaps Hilary.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14THEY ALL LAUGH
0:09:14 > 0:09:16No. Surely not.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Thank you. It's got a certain ring to it, hasn't it?
0:09:18 > 0:09:20A cow called Hilary.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- Thanks very much indeed for that. - COW MOOS
0:09:22 > 0:09:29I cannot think of a better venue to see a tiara than at Balmoral Castle.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Absolutely. And it's been worn here.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Well, tell me about that.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36There's a Ghillies Ball that's held here every year.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41And the Ghillies Ball is for all the estate staff here.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And we've been to many of them.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47And I've worn it as a necklace not as a tiara.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52The Queen always wears a tiara but not the guests usually, no.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54- You wear it as a necklace.- Yes.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58But it has a frame that can be put on it so it can be worn as a tiara.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- Yes.- And I think you have this wonderful photograph.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04I have a photograph of myself.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07At my wedding. 52 years ago.
0:10:07 > 0:10:13And I remember the hair dresser coming to fix it on very securely.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Cos with the veil, it had to be really firmly in place.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19And what did it feel like wearing this?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Oh. Wonderful. Wonderful.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24You feel like a fairy princess, you know?
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Absolutely just... It's the icing on the cake.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31- My daughter also wore it at her wedding.- Did you?- Yes, I did.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35- And my younger daughter wore it to her wedding.- It was lovely.- Yes.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39It was made in about 1900. So have you had it in the family since then?
0:10:39 > 0:10:44We are not absolutely certain, but certainly since the '20s,
0:10:44 > 0:10:48when my husband's great-grandfather we believe bought it.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Of course, this is made of platinum.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55And you've got these delicate little intricate settings, which is
0:10:55 > 0:10:57called a milgrain setting.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00- Oh, right.- Which is very indicative of the 1900s.- Yes.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04And, of course, with the history, with the occasion...
0:11:04 > 0:11:06And we all love occasions.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08To put a price on it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Well, you know, I can see this being very sought-after
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- because tiaras are still very popular.- Yes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21With the right auction, I would say this could be in excess of £60,000.
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Really?
0:11:22 > 0:11:25We might have to up the insurance.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28But it lives in the bank when it's not being used.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30- Good.- It's the only safe place, isn't it?
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- Well, enjoy wearing it.- Thank you.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37- And for the future generations as well.- Yes. Thank you so much.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Here we have a book that often comes in to the Antiques Roadshow.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Summoned By Bells by John Betjemen.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49He, of course, was the poet laureate to the latter end of his life.
0:11:49 > 0:11:53And one of the most popular poet laureates there were.
0:11:53 > 0:11:54It's a very common book
0:11:54 > 0:11:58but here we have the most uncommon inscription I've ever seen.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Forgive me if I read the whole thing out.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04"To Edwin Adam - the best hotelier in Scotland.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07"And with the most varied cellar of beautiful wines
0:12:07 > 0:12:11"it has been my pleasure to enjoy. Scotland forever.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13"In gratitude, Iain MacBetjeman.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17"(John Betjeman - the Saxon Scottish Nationalist.)"
0:12:17 > 0:12:19And then down the side he says,
0:12:19 > 0:12:25"Always have champagne for breakfast. Stirling, 1963."
0:12:25 > 0:12:26What's the story?
0:12:26 > 0:12:29My father obviously was a hotelier.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32- John Betjeman came to stay in the hotel.- Right, where was this hotel?
0:12:32 > 0:12:36- It was in Stirling.- In Stirling. - In Stirling, The Golden Lion.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38And John Betjeman was a bit of a bon viveur.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43So was my father. And so they sat up drinking, tasting the wine.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44Tasting the wines, of course.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46- ..my father had in the cellar. - In the cellar. Yeah.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Which seemed like a good idea.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51But my father also was a bit of a lad
0:12:51 > 0:12:55and had some nice blue movies that he'd brought from Paris.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00- Because he spent a lot of time in Paris and in France.- Tasting wine.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Tasting wine. Yes, what else?
0:13:02 > 0:13:08So he and John sat up all night, hence the champagne for breakfast.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11I'm surprised he was able to write this after he'd had a night
0:13:11 > 0:13:15- with your father.- Yes, well, I don't think he did it on the night.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19On the morning. I think he sent it to my father the following week.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Well, I think it's wonderful.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25It shows John Betjeman I suppose at his best. It really is.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27And obviously he thoroughly enjoyed himself.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- Oh, yes.- And who could send himself up like John Betjeman?
0:13:30 > 0:13:32- Oh, yes, he was very good at it. - Absolutely perfect.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- The book, not desperately valuable.- No.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- But with the inscription, £500.- Yes.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Oh lovely! That's nice. I can give it to my children.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42LAUGHTER
0:13:47 > 0:13:49I'm so excited that you've brought these along today
0:13:49 > 0:13:53in this resplendent setting here at Balmoral.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56And what more appropriate item could we have brought along than
0:13:56 > 0:13:59a pair of solid silver stags?
0:13:59 > 0:14:01So tell me how they came into your life.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06My grandparents were given these for their wedding present
0:14:06 > 0:14:11by the Duke of Atholl. There were four of them on a big mount.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14- And they were in the middle of their dining table.- Yes, as they would be.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16That's what you'd expect.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18But I never saw them because it was long before I was born.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20- So there were four of them? - There were four of them.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22So it's like a small herd at home.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26But I think, from what I gather, one was running, one was sitting,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28one was standing and there was one doing something else,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30but I'm not quite sure what.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33It's interesting you say that cos this is the model that
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- I have seen before, the standing stag.- Yes.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38- The lying down stag, you don't see so many of.- No.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40And also you mentioned there, which was interesting, that they
0:14:40 > 0:14:43had different bases, because these bases do look slightly later.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45The idea, of course,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48was that they'd make a huge statement on a big dining table.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52- Yes.- Usually in a shooting lodge or a big country house.- Yes.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55And, you know, it provoked conversation almost.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57And that's why they were made.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00What I can tell you about them is they were made by a very
0:15:00 > 0:15:02famous firm called Garrard & Co of London.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- Circa 1870.- Right.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07And they were so good at making lifelike-looking models.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Not just of stags,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12they did...you've probably seen pheasants, partridges, game birds.
0:15:12 > 0:15:17- They come in various sizes, but these are the large size.- Yes.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20You get small, miniature-sized ones as well.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The hallmarks you may not have seen, but one of them is on here.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- On his hoof, I think.- On the hoof, yes. You spotted that one. Yeah.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28And you reckon that they were gifted when?
0:15:28 > 0:15:30- Probably late 1890s?- 1890s, yes.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Yeah, well, that would tie in very nicely with the period they're from.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- Yes.- So we have to come to the valuation.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38And it's quite tricky, actually,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40because they don't turn up on the market very often.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43- I've seen a few over the years but not many.- Right.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45They are extremely desirable.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48I can think of many people around the world who would be
0:15:48 > 0:15:50interested in owning these.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52They are spectacular. They are by the top maker.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Garrards of London.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56You'd pay a premium price for anything by Garrards.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58They are solid silver.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01They are Victorian ones, so they're not modern ones.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05So, taking all that into account, we are talking big bucks for these.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07LAUGHTER
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- Wow.- We're looking...
0:16:09 > 0:16:10CROWD LAUGH
0:16:10 > 0:16:14We're looking at - comfortably and conservatively
0:16:14 > 0:16:16I would say £15,000 each.
0:16:16 > 0:16:17What?!
0:16:17 > 0:16:20- SHE GASPS - Dear!
0:16:20 > 0:16:21Goodness me! That's amazing.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24And there's two more somewhere and we don't know where they are.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26- LAUGHTER - You don't know where they are?!- No.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29I suggest you have a closer look and see if we can locate them.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31Well, yeah. It would be lovely if you could find them for me.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32LAUGHTER
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Today, I'm working on the miscellaneous table.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43So that means you've got to know a little bit about everything.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Before I go on and on and on,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48are these objects that you live with on a daily basis?
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- Yes, they are. They are all up in the house.- They are.- Yep.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55So are they things that you personally collected or are they...?
0:16:55 > 0:16:57They've been in the family for generations.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59So they are basically family heirlooms.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Well, the thing is, you see, I can read quite a lot
0:17:02 > 0:17:05about a family's history just by the objects that they bring along.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09I think your family in the past have been quite well-connected.
0:17:09 > 0:17:14Because when it comes to a leather fire bucket like this,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17- you've got it with the Royal Arms on it.- Yes.
0:17:17 > 0:17:19So this lends me to believe that it just might have
0:17:19 > 0:17:22been in a royal palace at some stage.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26- Now, in all fairness, it's too early for this place.- Right.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Because what I'm looking at here should date to
0:17:29 > 0:17:32around about 1800 or maybe 1820.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35- OK. - So have you got royal connections?
0:17:35 > 0:17:38Should I have curtsied when we started this recording?
0:17:38 > 0:17:41- You should have but I don't have royal connections, no.- You don't?
0:17:41 > 0:17:44OK. So there is an object that if I want to go and buy,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47an interior decorator would go for it big time.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50And they would probably be happy to pick that up
0:17:50 > 0:17:53in this present condition for around £400.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- Right.- And then...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58What a charger!
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- I mean, you must live in a big house.- We live in a big farmhouse.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- A big farmhouse.- But it's not quite as big as this one.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07No, I realise that.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09But this copper charger tells me
0:18:09 > 0:18:11more about you than money ever can, doesn't it?
0:18:11 > 0:18:15I mean, first of all, we are moving forward into the 19th century.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18So we know that this is probably dating from
0:18:18 > 0:18:21let's say around about 1850 and 1870.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23- OK.- But who made it? I don't know.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27This is the sort of thing that was made for big baronial houses
0:18:27 > 0:18:31that were being built in the 19th century by industrialists.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33And the subject is quite strange, isn't it?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36We got what appears to be Father Time.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39There is also this winged figure with an hourglass.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43And then all around you've got these signs of the zodiac.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46So what's that worth? I would hazard that
0:18:46 > 0:18:51if I want to buy that I would have to pay around about £800-£1,000.
0:18:51 > 0:18:56- I'm thinking on my feet here. But I love your...- Yes, he's nice.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Wait for this, your sulphur-crested cockatoo.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Oh, my goodness.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Now, just think, once you've bought it, you don't have to feed it.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07- And it's there. It's made out of porcelain.- Uh-huh.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Again, I'm not certain who made it. I think it's Continental.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13- Dating from around about 1890.- OK.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17And I think, together with its original hoop, if I wanted to buy
0:19:17 > 0:19:22that I'd be being somewhere in the region of around about £600-£800.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23Right.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26So is your house full of all this stuff?
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Yes. It's got character.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Listen, I've got nowhere to stay tonight...
0:19:30 > 0:19:32LAUGHTER
0:19:32 > 0:19:34If there's a bed going, I'd be very grateful.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37In return, I'll just go through the rest of the stuff in your loft.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- Is that fair enough?- Excellent. Deal. Yep.- It's a deal.
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Put it there. OK.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45So, clearly not a ladies watch. What are you doing with this?
0:19:45 > 0:19:49This was my grandfather's. He was Colonel of the Scots Greys.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52And his name was William Duguid McCombie.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56The crest is the Duguid one and the McCombie one.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59So we've got the dove and the wildcat there.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Well, let's just start by looking at the lid of the box. Barraud & Lunds.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06London. Great makers.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08So let's have a look at the watch.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11As we've said, these two lovely enamel crests.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13And it's hunting cased,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15in other words, enclosed on both sides.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18The movement hopefully will be signed.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22It is fully signed. There we are.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Barraud & Lunds. Bishopsgate, London.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29And the amusing thing is there it says, "Partly Swiss."
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Because by the sort of first few years of the 20th century
0:20:32 > 0:20:35they had to declare the country of origin.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37So the escapement will be Swiss.
0:20:37 > 0:20:43Just looking very briefly at the case, the hallmark - London 1914.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47And the casemaker, very importantly, a man called Thoms.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52So this is a great quality item by Barraud & Lunds,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57but the casemaker Thoms was the last great English casemaker.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Unusually, it has a funny little what we call a slide on the side.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03- Do you know what that does?- No.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06What we'll do with a watch like this is to advance the time
0:21:06 > 0:21:09to say a couple of minutes before 11.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And then I'm going to pull the slide in a second.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16And you can see and hear what happens.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19And if you haven't seen this before, here is your first go.
0:21:19 > 0:21:20WATCH CHIMES
0:21:20 > 0:21:22SHE LAUGHS
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Isn't that great?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27- That's wonderful. - This is a minute repeater.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29So it's doing the hours. Ding-dong.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32- Those are the quarters. - WATCH CHIMES
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- And then ding, ding... - WATCH CHIMES
0:21:35 > 0:21:37..on a smaller gong for the minutes.
0:21:37 > 0:21:42So he could have had that in a pocket or something or in a
0:21:42 > 0:21:48dark room and just moved that slide and it would have told him the time.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- Wow.- But what he would probably more like they have done is to have had
0:21:52 > 0:21:57the slide like that and said to some youngsters, "Blow on this watch."
0:21:58 > 0:22:00WATCH CHIMES
0:22:00 > 0:22:02And there it is starting to repeat.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05That's the sort of party trick he might have done.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- He wasn't very like that. - Was he not? OK.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Well, listen, the main thing is, it's a cracking good watch.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13Lovely family history.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18And the finest quality English watch just before that firm
0:22:18 > 0:22:19finished business.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Wonderful.
0:22:21 > 0:22:22So...
0:22:22 > 0:22:24I'm here to tell you the price.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- Do I want to know?- I hope you do.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30It's everything you'd want of a really nice quality English
0:22:30 > 0:22:33watch, one of the last examples.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37Minute repeating, beautifully enamelled crest on the front.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42It would have no problem at auction making between £4,000 and £5,000.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- LAUGHING:- Goodness me!
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- Happy?- Well, it won't be sold. - I'm very glad to hear it.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04It's time to see if you can spot the impostor.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07It's our regular challenge set by one of our experts.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11This week, we have four campaign medals, war medals.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Three of them are genuine, one of them is a forgery, an impostor.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Mark Smith, you are our arms and military expert.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19You have brought these four medals along.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22And I have to say, we are used to seeing fakes in paintings
0:23:22 > 0:23:24and ceramics, in all sorts of antiques,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27but there is something particularly shameful about faking a war
0:23:27 > 0:23:30medal when it represents a battle in which men have been injured
0:23:30 > 0:23:32- and lost their lives.- Absolutely.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35The thing about medals is, is that particularly for the British
0:23:35 > 0:23:39ones, 90% of the British medals have got a name on.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Therefore you can put your man in one moment of time
0:23:43 > 0:23:45on one battlefield.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48So what you're looking at with a British medal is like a little
0:23:48 > 0:23:51time machine that takes you from here to there.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The thing about it is, is because the people who were in those
0:23:54 > 0:23:57battles are known, there are medal rolls with their names on,
0:23:57 > 0:23:58what you've got is,
0:23:58 > 0:24:03you've got an opportunity to enhance the value of your medal by changing
0:24:03 > 0:24:06the name of the man to someone who is more well-known in the battle.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09So the more well-known the battle,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11the more involved in the battle that he was,
0:24:11 > 0:24:12the higher the value of his medal.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14In a way, that makes it even worse,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17- because then you are ranking a kind of hierarchy of valour.- Yes.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Someone who fought in that war might have their name taken off
0:24:20 > 0:24:24- and someone else's put on. - Absolutely.- That's really shameful.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27And so you have to be aware of the tricks that you need to look for,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30for what people will do to medals to make them worth more money.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32Well, talking of tricks,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36Mark has some clues here to help you spot which of these is the impostor.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39This medal was issued to Sergeant Charles Augustus Gully
0:24:39 > 0:24:43in recognition of his part in the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45But is his name spelled correctly for the period?
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Fakers have been known to make mistakes.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Over 36,000 Waterloo medals were issued after the battle in 1815.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55This one is M Ross of the 21st Foot.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58But is it the real thing or has a faker reworked
0:24:58 > 0:25:00and renamed a far less valuable piece?
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Known as the Zulu medal and dating between 1877 and 1879,
0:25:05 > 0:25:06this South African medal
0:25:06 > 0:25:09was presented to those who fought at Rorke's Drift.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Does it have the width of a genuine medal or is it suspiciously thin?
0:25:14 > 0:25:16This Khedive's Sudan medal
0:25:16 > 0:25:18was awarded to a squadron sergeant major
0:25:18 > 0:25:21wounded in the charge at Omdurman in 1898.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Has it got the age and wear of an original,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27or could it just be a modern copy?
0:25:27 > 0:25:30- Well... This is what I think, Mark.- OK.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34- This is so beautiful.- It is.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38The ribbon is either genuine or certainly made to look very old.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39Mm-hm.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41- I can't bear to think that this is a forgery.- OK.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43I thought this might be
0:25:43 > 0:25:45because it is considerably lighter than these three.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48- I am wondering about this one.- OK.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49It is very dirty.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53- It is the oldest one. - And so one would expect that.- 1816.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55When I looked at the side,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57- and I looked at the carving on there...- Yes.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59..it is very rough under the fingers,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02- and I wonder if that is done recently.- OK.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08So I am going for this one
0:26:08 > 0:26:10being the impostor.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13- You are correct.- Yes!
0:26:16 > 0:26:18- And that is why, is it?- Yes.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21It has been renamed around the rim.
0:26:21 > 0:26:22If you look...
0:26:24 > 0:26:25..it's smaller.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27So it is. Only a little.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Only a little, but that means that it has not been pressed by the mint.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Someone has actually taken an original medal
0:26:32 > 0:26:34and then cast one from a sand mould.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36- Which is why it is that tiny bit smaller.- Yes.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40And then it has been renamed around the edge in very crude lettering.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44So, what are these medals worth then, Mark?
0:26:44 > 0:26:45If this one was genuine...
0:26:46 > 0:26:49£2,500 to £3,000 for the Waterloo.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51This one...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53Probably £150.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56However, because this one is named
0:26:56 > 0:26:59to a man called Squadron Sergeant Major George Veysey,
0:26:59 > 0:27:04who charged with the 21st Lancers at Omdurman with Winston Churchill,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07we are now looking at £1,000 for this one.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09This one, with four clasps,
0:27:09 > 0:27:14on the open market, as it stands, £800.
0:27:14 > 0:27:15But...
0:27:15 > 0:27:19This one is named to Charles Augustus Gully,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22who charged with the Light Brigade.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23£6,000.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26The Zulu medal...
0:27:26 > 0:27:30This one particularly is to a man who fought not at Rorke's Drift
0:27:30 > 0:27:34or Isandlwana but at a battle called Ulundi, which ended the Zulu War.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36This one would be £600.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38If he had fought at Rorke's Drift,
0:27:38 > 0:27:42- £60,000.- 60,000?!- Yes.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43That is why it is worth renaming.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48- It is all in the name.- It is all about the name, isn't it?- Yes.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51- Well, I am thrilled that for once I actually got this right.- Well done.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- You can come back again.- Thank you.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56And if you have any medals - unusual medals or military -
0:27:56 > 0:27:57do bring it along to the roadshow
0:27:57 > 0:27:59cos Mark, for one, would love to see it.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07Well, it is a group of interesting looking boxes.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10- And I love a box, so may open it? - Please do.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14Oh, my goodness! It is a telescope.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18Looking very much as a professional telescope would.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23It is not a plaything. This is a professional astronomer's telescope.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25And it is in its box. Now, why have you got it?
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Well, it was actually installed in a school I went to,
0:28:28 > 0:28:31a long time ago now - in the 1980s - which is now shut down.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34And about the year 2000,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36I found out the school had shut.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39I was always wondering what happened to the telescope,
0:28:39 > 0:28:41- so I spent a couple of years tracking it down.- Wow.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43And I think we have got some photos here.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46- Oh, hang on, was at the school? - Yeah, this is it here.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50So this is the school here. And in 1932, they built this observatory.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52- Ah!- And they put this telescope in there.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55And, yeah. So we tracked it down over a couple of years.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00And in 2002, we eventually located it at a place called
0:29:00 > 0:29:01Hope University in Liverpool.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03I think this one here is how we found it.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06- Well!- They didn't have a need for it or a use for it.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09But this dome, we found this in Northern Ireland
0:29:09 > 0:29:12at the Armagh Observatory, and they were demolishing it.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15So we went over there in 2003 and dismantled it.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19I am taking it that you and your daughter are absolute
0:29:19 > 0:29:23sky-at-night aficionados.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26- Yes?- Not really. - Not really, no.- OK.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29This is more a labour of love.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32We saw it like that and we couldn't leave it like that.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35- And this is, of course, how it should be.- Exactly.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40- On its equatorial mount.- That was from a school magazine from 1932.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- Let's just go back. You've had it for 12 years.- Yeah.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47And it is still not assembled. Have you got a time limit on this?
0:29:47 > 0:29:51- Have you set yourself one?- Well, the plan was... Kathleen is 15 now.
0:29:51 > 0:29:55The plan was to do it before she leaves school.
0:29:55 > 0:30:00Well, let's just talk for a moment about astronomical telescopes.
0:30:00 > 0:30:05- This is the business end. This is the lens.- Very much.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07- Which looks great. - I haven't touched that at all.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09What I did read about it is - don't touch them
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- until you need to do what you need to do to them.- Exactly.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15- Do you know who the telescope was made by?- Thomas Cooke.- OK.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19I have actually found an inscription on the end there, where the
0:30:19 > 0:30:22- eyepiece is.- Very good. - And it is dated as well.- Excellent.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25Well, Thomas Cooke - good maker, based in York,
0:30:25 > 0:30:31produced all kinds of telescopes, surveying equipment.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34He is very much a name to be conjured with.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38He moved to York in the 1850s and went in business right
0:30:38 > 0:30:40the way through into the early 20th century.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43So a very good, well-known maker.
0:30:44 > 0:30:45And when it was bought, I mean,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48it would have been an expensive piece.
0:30:48 > 0:30:53They probably would have sold something like this for £400, £500.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- Today, it has a limited value.- Yeah.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59And I would say, with its stand,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02lens obviously, carrying case,
0:31:02 > 0:31:05- I'd put it at between £4,000 and £6,000.- Oh, my!
0:31:05 > 0:31:08- Which I hope is more than you paid for it.- Yeah. It is more, actually.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10It is not for sale. It's something we're...
0:31:10 > 0:31:14We're custodians of it, you know, for the next generation. So, yeah.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16And the fantastic thing is, it is going to
0:31:16 > 0:31:19- be your hobby for the next 30 years. - Very possibly.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21And you will not be able to leave home until it is done.
0:31:21 > 0:31:23- Or maybe her grandchildren. - Yes, exactly!
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- Where have you been shopping?- Um...
0:31:30 > 0:31:33I actually picked it up on my way home from the Borders one day
0:31:33 > 0:31:35in a small antiques shop down there.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37I know next to nothing about it, just caught my eye
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- and I thought, "I can't leave that in the shop."- A recent purchase?
0:31:40 > 0:31:44- No, about ten years ago.- OK, OK. Well, it is fascinating.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46I think this is a really, really interesting piece of furniture.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50- Do you know what the wood is? - Not really. Possibly camphor.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54- Camphor would be too soft for this. - Too soft.- This is a hardwood.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57I think it is padauk, a type of teak, which is really,
0:31:57 > 0:31:59really very nice indeed. Which leads me to where it was made.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03When you look at the whole shape of it, it is a very weird shaped.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05Kooky shape. A bit like a Scottish shape, actually.
0:32:05 > 0:32:06It has that slightly
0:32:06 > 0:32:07Edinburgh look about it.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10But it is actually made in the Far East.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12So I'm almost certain it has been made in Canton,
0:32:12 > 0:32:15either for use there, in China, or for shipment back to here.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Let's just show quickly what it does,
0:32:17 > 0:32:20because this beautifully swivels round,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23of course, for you to use it as a writing table, a tea table...
0:32:23 > 0:32:24If you'd just take that end...
0:32:24 > 0:32:27This wonderful surface here, just glorious.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30The grain of the wood here. Look at the knot. It is just beautiful.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Lovely colour. Faded a bit over the years, of course.
0:32:34 > 0:32:35We'll just shut it back up again.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38I like this piece of furniture, I really do.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41I've always had a little soft spot for this colonial type furniture.
0:32:41 > 0:32:42Let's explore it a little bit more.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44How are the drawers made? Let's have a look at that.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47Ah, that's camphor. You know the camphor test, don't you, everybody?
0:32:47 > 0:32:49- Give it a smell.- Yeah.
0:32:50 > 0:32:51That lovely smell of camphor wood.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54Camphor wood is not usually used for furniture,
0:32:54 > 0:32:56certainly not for drawer liners. You see it in chests.
0:32:56 > 0:32:59But it is often used inside as a way of keeping moths
0:32:59 > 0:33:02and spiders away, cos they don't like the smell of it.
0:33:02 > 0:33:03I love it, but...
0:33:03 > 0:33:05They made this out of camphor just cos they could.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07Slightly crude dovetailing.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11Yeah, that is not London or Edinburgh.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14- I could do that. - LAUGHTER
0:33:14 > 0:33:16Ah, now, what have we got here?
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Well, has the other drawer got anything on it?
0:33:20 > 0:33:23- I'm not sure, I haven't looked. - OK. Oh, you haven't looked.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Well, I know what that says because I've seen Chinese furniture before.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28- OK.- It says "on the left".
0:33:28 > 0:33:29So the man who made this knows
0:33:29 > 0:33:31to give it to someone to put it on the left.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33Here we go.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35So we have a Chinese piece of furniture
0:33:35 > 0:33:38in the English, Scottish Regency style.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Possibly 1840 or even '50, we don't know.
0:33:40 > 0:33:42We have no idea who made it.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44But it is a lovely piece of furniture.
0:33:44 > 0:33:45Did you pay a lot of money for it?
0:33:45 > 0:33:48I paid 1,100 for it, which I thought was a fair price
0:33:48 > 0:33:52for what I thought was an English tea table at that time, but...
0:33:52 > 0:33:54Well, who are the buyers today?
0:33:55 > 0:33:56The Chinese.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00Right.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02So today, 2,000 to 3,000?
0:34:03 > 0:34:05- Not bad at all.- Well done. - Thank you.
0:34:05 > 0:34:06- Thank you very much.- Thank you.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10So, a beautiful painted
0:34:10 > 0:34:11Swedish clock.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Probably Gustavian, so circa 1800. But obviously,
0:34:15 > 0:34:17- the decoration isn't.- It is not, no.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19So you tell me the story about your clock.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23Well, my grandfather, he collected clocks.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27He was a farmer in the southern part of Sweden. And he had several.
0:34:27 > 0:34:31He had them repainted in the 1960s sometime.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33I understand that is probably not the best thing to do,
0:34:33 > 0:34:36is have something repainted and restored, but that is what he did.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38Well, it is very interesting. People often say that.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42But when you see people say that it is original paintwork, that is
0:34:42 > 0:34:46really very, very rare because the whole reason you had painted
0:34:46 > 0:34:49furniture was that you could repaint it.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51And the whole thing about King Gustav,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53at the end of the 18th century,
0:34:53 > 0:34:55- he made a trip to France...- Right.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58..and found the wonderful gilded furniture in France.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01And he came back and he wanted to do it in Sweden.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05But they weren't as wealthy as the French, so they started painting.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07The wonderful thing about this clock, it actually has all
0:35:07 > 0:35:10the colours that would have been traditional
0:35:10 > 0:35:13- in the early 19th century. - Yes.- This pink.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16I mean, I've seen lots of houses that are painted in Sweden, and they
0:35:16 > 0:35:20tend to have these wonderful ribbons with this particular pink.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22And it is this lovely shape.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25It is very typical of that period in Sweden.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27So beautiful paintwork outside,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31but it is very simple pine inside - not an expensive wood.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33I mean, it was made to be painted.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37- It was much more about the external decoration and the shape.- Mm-hm.
0:35:37 > 0:35:40I mean, if you take this to a clock person,
0:35:40 > 0:35:42- they are not going to be incredibly impressed with it.- No.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46- Because it is a very, very simple movement.- Right.
0:35:46 > 0:35:52- So this clock would really appeal to more an interior designer.- Right.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56More for its decorative appeal than actually for its...clock.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58And how did it come to Scotland?
0:35:58 > 0:36:01Well, my father brought it over in his car.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03It looked a bit like a coffin in the car,
0:36:03 > 0:36:05and he brought it over on the ferry from Sweden.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08But he had to also have a special permission,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11because you're not allowed to export these types of clocks from Sweden
0:36:11 > 0:36:13unless it is for yourself.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16You can't export to sell. That was in 1999.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18And it has been in our dining room ever since.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22So it is a beautiful piece of furniture. And incredibly stylish.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Mm-hm.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26In value,
0:36:26 > 0:36:30I would say that it is going to be £1,000, £1,400.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33Really? As much as that?
0:36:33 > 0:36:37- Simply because of its decorative appeal.- I will not part with this.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39In fact, both my girls are very interested in
0:36:39 > 0:36:43in inheriting it from me. They say, "Mum, when you die, I'll have it."
0:36:43 > 0:36:45- SHE LAUGHS - Both of them?
0:36:45 > 0:36:46Well, that is up to them.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Well, what a bruiser. Made of wrought iron.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15It's...not a lightweight.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19We are very grateful for you humping this one into the roadshow.
0:37:19 > 0:37:20Well, I think you know,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23- these are called armada chests. - I do, yes.
0:37:23 > 0:37:29And, I mean, in a way, it is the precursor of the safe itself.
0:37:29 > 0:37:32So it is sheer quality in weight.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35It was obviously useful for containing everything
0:37:35 > 0:37:40from jewels to a banker's deposit.
0:37:40 > 0:37:46And what is incredible is this is 17th century.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48So it has quite an illustrious life.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50- It has not had a bad life, has it?- No.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53And exactly where did you get it from?
0:37:53 > 0:37:55I, in fact, inherited it from my mother.
0:37:55 > 0:38:01Originally, it came from my mother's great-grandfather up in Glasgow.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04And it is going to be passed down through the family after
0:38:04 > 0:38:07- I have gathered, as they say. - Very nice, too.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10And, I mean, what is lovely about this wrought-iron chest -
0:38:10 > 0:38:14and you'll see that it is made basically of interlaced straps
0:38:14 > 0:38:19of iron - is that it retained some of it original painted decoration.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23We have got little depictions of single boats, little cottages,
0:38:23 > 0:38:24very typical of the period.
0:38:24 > 0:38:29Other things you see are painted grotesques, that sort of thing.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34- But this was built - look at the quality - built in Germany.- Yeah.
0:38:34 > 0:38:38And I am pretty sure this comes from Nuremberg.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41And how do I know, or think?
0:38:41 > 0:38:46Because this one retains - and it is quite unusual - the two padlocks.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50And the actual arm of this padlock
0:38:50 > 0:38:53is stamped with the letter N for Nuremberg.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56- Have you ever noticed that? - Never noticed that.- Right, well,
0:38:56 > 0:38:58there it is.
0:38:58 > 0:39:00Come on then, show us how it works.
0:39:03 > 0:39:04These enormous hasps.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Now, obviously, you'd think it goes in there.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09Unfortunately, it doesn't.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12- It's the dummy.- It's a dummy. It is up top here.- OK.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14A little concealed lock there.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16In it goes.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20- Look at that, keep you fit. - HE GROANS
0:39:20 > 0:39:22OK, I'll give you a hand.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25And it just gets better, doesn't it?
0:39:25 > 0:39:31A fantastic, engraved, pierced lock-plate - complex mechanism.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34And you have actually got ten shooting bolts,
0:39:34 > 0:39:38which just fit under the lip of the chest.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40So...
0:39:40 > 0:39:43They obviously didn't want anybody who wasn't supposed to
0:39:43 > 0:39:45- getting into it.- Well, exactly.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Now, they are called armada chests, but this was made over 100 years
0:39:49 > 0:39:54after the Armada, so it is more a 19th-century name we give to them.
0:39:55 > 0:39:59So heavy-weight piece. Value...
0:40:00 > 0:40:04..£600, £800, something like that, just for the two padlocks,
0:40:04 > 0:40:07which are quite unusual in their own right.
0:40:07 > 0:40:11So let's add in the value of the coffer itself.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15And that is another £3,000 to £4,000.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20- So you're looking at a £3,500 to £4,500...- Very nice.- ..piece.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23So, Sheena, you're a housekeeper here.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26And you brought me this massive mini mountain from inside the house,
0:40:26 > 0:40:30- haven't you?- Oh, yes, yes. It stays in the castle.
0:40:30 > 0:40:35- It weighs about 50 pounds.- And it is a natural crystal of quartz.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39A massive cairngorm, a stone from the Cairns.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41Tell me all about its history.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44Well, there was a gentleman called James Grant who found in a pothole.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46I don't know what he was doing down in the pothole.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49- LAUGHING:- No, no. Had a wee dram, perhaps.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50Maybe.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53And then he decided to put it on his horse
0:40:53 > 0:40:55and present it to Queen Victoria.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58So he came over all the mountains
0:40:58 > 0:41:02and came down here to the castle and presented it to Queen Victoria.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04- And Queen Victoria thought it was wonderful.- Yes.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09And she gave him one pound of money for every pound in weight.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11Which was a fortune, wasn't it?
0:41:11 > 0:41:13It must have been back in Victorian times, yes.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15You could buy a house, I think, in Scotland with that.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18- Oh, I should think so. - Perhaps he did, we don't know.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19But I'm having a hard time holding it up.
0:41:19 > 0:41:21- Well, you are. - It is an absolutely massive thing.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23We are going to lie it down on its side.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25You can see the effort I am making in stabilising it.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27- That feels better, suddenly.- Yes. - HE SIGHS
0:41:27 > 0:41:30- So it is a mini mountain, isn't it?- It is. It is.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32- But it is a huge piece of crystal. - Isn't it?
0:41:32 > 0:41:35And both the Queen and Prince Albert were very fascinated
0:41:35 > 0:41:37by the natural sciences.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40And this is a very remarkable object because this beauty out of chaos.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44This is igneous rock that comes from the very foundation of the world.
0:41:44 > 0:41:47- Oh, yes. - And it is billions of years old.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49- Yes.- And they had a very strong sense of that.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Prince Albert was very excited by these things, and wrote about them
0:41:52 > 0:41:56and studied them, to the extent that he was made an honorary fellow
0:41:56 > 0:41:58of the Geological Society...
0:41:58 > 0:42:00- Oh, yes.- ..in London, in Burlington House.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04And they collected natural pearls, Scottish gold, amethysts,
0:42:04 > 0:42:06and above all, cairngorms.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08- And you brought me another cairngorm here, didn't you?- Yes.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12- To think that this beautiful piece here comes from this.- I know!
0:42:12 > 0:42:15It is a lighter colour, but it is exactly the same material.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18- Tell me about that one. - This belonged to Prince Albert.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21He would wear it on top of his Highland dress.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23And it is worn on the shoulder,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26on top of the plaid to keep it in place.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28So the great thing about silver objects, too,
0:42:28 > 0:42:32- is they are hallmarked. This one is made in 1847.- Yes.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34And it is the early days in Scotland, isn't it?
0:42:34 > 0:42:35Yes, very much so.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39And there are Scottish swords and canons and pennants and flags.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42So in every way, it's a completely Scottish object.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44And so for the Prince to have something like that to wear
0:42:44 > 0:42:48very close to his heart is very emblematic of what this whole house
0:42:48 > 0:42:50- is about, isn't it? - Oh, yes, very much.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52They just loved, loved Scotland.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54And wanted everything from it, to understand it.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56But they are haunted objects, aren't they?
0:42:56 > 0:42:57We know for absolute certainty...
0:42:57 > 0:42:59I am brushing it with my hand,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02but the Queen herself had done this, and Prince Albert.
0:43:02 > 0:43:04I find it extraordinarily moving, really.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06I mean, there is something very haunted about both of them.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07And somehow or another,
0:43:07 > 0:43:11you've got to get your ghosts back in there, haven't you? Marvellous.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14We all but will. I'll have to look for a strong man to lift this.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Unless you are going to volunteer...
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Well, I am very strong, but I'm not sure I'm strong enough.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Now, most people would look at this
0:43:26 > 0:43:27and think...
0:43:28 > 0:43:30It looks like perpetual motion.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35And this is why, as you probably know, it is called a mystery clock.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39- I did know that, yes. - And do you know how it works?
0:43:39 > 0:43:43Well, if you remove the lady,
0:43:43 > 0:43:46it doesn't work. It is somehow,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49magically, connects below, and it works.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52I'm delighted to say there is nothing magic about it.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54THEY LAUGH
0:43:54 > 0:43:59- No, no. What it is, is that the base plate...- It rotates slightly.- Yes.
0:43:59 > 0:44:03It is very, very gently moving. Let's just take this off.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07And pop it down there.
0:44:07 > 0:44:12And looking at the base plate, it is numbered.
0:44:12 > 0:44:131063.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Hopefully, this is the same number.
0:44:15 > 0:44:17It is - 1063.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19- So we know it is all original.- Yeah.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23And what happens is that she is indiscernibly just going from side
0:44:23 > 0:44:28to side like that. So, again, I am just going to pop that there
0:44:28 > 0:44:31and turn the clock round for you.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34And we will be able to see the man who made it.
0:44:34 > 0:44:40And the man who made it is a very clever Frenchman called Guilmet.
0:44:40 > 0:44:45Now, Guilmet signed his clocks with a little sign saying GLT.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47- Oh, I had never seen that before. - No?
0:44:47 > 0:44:51He did all sorts of wonderful, complex things.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54Rocking ships, all sorts. Some weird and wonderful optometer.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58But the joy of this is that it looks
0:44:58 > 0:45:01like pure perpetual motion.
0:45:01 > 0:45:03What a great object.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06- It dates about 1885 to 1890.- Right.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09Do you know what the case is made out of?
0:45:09 > 0:45:12- Not really, no.- No thoughts at all?
0:45:12 > 0:45:15Well, someone once said to me that it was limestone,
0:45:15 > 0:45:17but I am disinclined to believe that.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20It is, in fact, Belgian slate.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22- It is polished slate.- Right.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25And the French clocks that come to the UK are either Belgian slate
0:45:25 > 0:45:26or very often Welsh slate.
0:45:26 > 0:45:28But this is Belgian slate.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30It is a good commercial item.
0:45:30 > 0:45:32Price at auction at the moment...
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Around £2,500.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37I don't think I am selling it.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41It was left to my mother by her uncle,
0:45:41 > 0:45:45and he was fascinated by this movement.
0:45:45 > 0:45:48And I can remember him taking it off and saying, "Look at this."
0:45:48 > 0:45:53One of Guilmet's weird and wonderful things but not magic.
0:45:53 > 0:45:54But not magic, right.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01The silver is made by Joseph Pozzi.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03And John, my husband,
0:46:03 > 0:46:07- is his three times great-grandson.- Really?
0:46:07 > 0:46:09It could be a little embarrassing
0:46:09 > 0:46:12because it actually sat in my sister's bedroom.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16And then when the house fell to be emptied, I'm afraid I took the
0:46:16 > 0:46:20little pieces of furniture, and this just happened to be one of them.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23Well, my mother gave it to me maybe 20, 30 years ago, said,
0:46:23 > 0:46:25"You need to keep this."
0:46:25 > 0:46:28- Because this is not some piece of junk.- No.
0:46:28 > 0:46:31This is a lovely small piece known as a Wellington chest.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34But what I love about it is its size.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37- But it's the marks here.- Yes. - It has got Joseph's Pozzi marks.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40It has got ELN, the abbreviation for Elgin.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43And that's what makes them collectible.
0:46:43 > 0:46:48This is by the famous French glass works of Daum.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53- You would be looking at about £250 per spoon.- Yep.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55- Do you use them?- BOTH:- No.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57THEY LAUGH
0:46:57 > 0:46:59You put this into auction, what do you reckon you're going to get?
0:46:59 > 0:47:02Maybe a couple of hundred or something?
0:47:02 > 0:47:04- Three grand.- No!- Three grand!
0:47:06 > 0:47:08So the moral of this story is, listen to your mum.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14I'm going to put a figure of £1,500 on this.
0:47:16 > 0:47:17Oh, dear.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20That could cause terrible family ruptures.
0:47:20 > 0:47:22THEY LAUGH
0:47:25 > 0:47:28Native North American beadwork, Balmoral -
0:47:28 > 0:47:32Very interesting conjunction. Must be a story here.
0:47:32 > 0:47:35My father worked for the Hudson Bay Company
0:47:35 > 0:47:38from 1923
0:47:38 > 0:47:40for about three or four years,
0:47:40 > 0:47:42because they recruited in this area for the Hudson Bay Company.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45I'm interested he went to the Hudson Bay Company
0:47:45 > 0:47:49so late, cos the Hudson Bay Company is the great trading company
0:47:49 > 0:47:50in the development of early Canada.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55They were fur trappers, they were traders. And of course,
0:47:55 > 0:47:59dealing with the native tribes was their key activity.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03And fur was the great price commodity upon which the wealth
0:48:03 > 0:48:06of the Hudson Bay Company was based.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10- So why did he go out?- He was a single man, he wanted it new life.
0:48:10 > 0:48:15- So he was out in the wilderness... - Trapping.- As a fur trapper?- Yes.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19- And so, did he talk about it much? - Not that much.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21I have learned more since he died.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24- And so what we're looking at is, in effect, what he brought back.- Yes.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26- I think he sent them back for his mother.- Yeah.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28We're looking at two stories here.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31One is traditional, native North American beadwork,
0:48:31 > 0:48:35which is linked to particular cultures and tribes,
0:48:35 > 0:48:37and the patterns reveal those.
0:48:37 > 0:48:41And there is a certain point, late 19th century, 20th century,
0:48:41 > 0:48:46when making traditional things for visitors and for tourists
0:48:46 > 0:48:47becomes very important.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50And I think what you have got here is an interesting mixture
0:48:50 > 0:48:52of the two. What are the ones that particularly appeal to you?
0:48:52 > 0:48:56- I prefer this.- The Bible bag. - The Bible bag.- Why do you like it?
0:48:56 > 0:48:59- Colour?- Just the colours. - It is wonderful, isn't it?
0:48:59 > 0:49:01I mean, the combination of the beadwork,
0:49:01 > 0:49:06the wool bordering makes it a fairly late piece.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10The traditional pieces, like the boots and the gloves,
0:49:10 > 0:49:13- in a way, are much simpler.- Yes.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Dear skin, you know, is the usual material.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Now, this is something I haven't seen for.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20What is that?
0:49:20 > 0:49:24- It is a husky whip.- Of course. It is a wonderful thing.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27It is a combination of function and decoration,
0:49:27 > 0:49:29which so many of these things are.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32- Maybe it's something you need here in the winter?- I don't think so.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34- You never tried it? - We weren't allowed to play with it
0:49:34 > 0:49:37because it had lead shot down the centre of it.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39- To give it weight. - To give it weight.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42What are you going to do with it all?
0:49:42 > 0:49:45Well, I have got nobody to inherit it, so I have decided that...
0:49:45 > 0:49:48I've made inquiries with the native Indians,
0:49:48 > 0:49:51and they are hoping to get up a museum
0:49:51 > 0:49:55to bring all the traditional patterns back that have been lost
0:49:55 > 0:49:57- over the years. - In Canada?- In Canada.- Yeah.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00And they are desperate to get some of the stuff back...
0:50:00 > 0:50:02- So that is where it is going? - ..to teach the juniors.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03That is very good.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06We are looking at something that is very collectible.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09It is a wonderful range of pieces.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11What is it worth?
0:50:11 > 0:50:13- Well, you're not interested in selling.- No.
0:50:13 > 0:50:18But you're looking at...quite a lot of money here.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20We are looking at several thousand pounds,
0:50:20 > 0:50:22£5,000 or £6,000 worth of stuff.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24- You're joking.- I'm not joking.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26He had a good eye, your dad.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- They're wonderful things. - Thank you.- And it is a great story.
0:50:29 > 0:50:30- Thank you.- Thank you.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35Fred's performing jointed puppets.
0:50:35 > 0:50:37Now, who was Fred? Are you Fred?
0:50:37 > 0:50:39No, Fred was a gentleman
0:50:39 > 0:50:41that had, at one stage, lived in our house.
0:50:41 > 0:50:45And we bought the house in 2009.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49And after a bit of hunting around, we found these in the attic.
0:50:49 > 0:50:52Well, let's have a look at Fred's performing puppets.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55And they are mighty fine. Lots of different characters.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56We have got a policeman.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59We have got Charlie Chaplin, he is instantly recognisable.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02We've got a guardsman. A chauffeur.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05Airman. Really an interesting lot.
0:51:05 > 0:51:07I'm going to take one out.
0:51:07 > 0:51:08Let's take her out.
0:51:08 > 0:51:13And if we look underneath her dress there, we can see it is a metal
0:51:13 > 0:51:17pressing. And there is writing on there saying made in Switzerland.
0:51:17 > 0:51:22And the joints are actually a bit like action man joints.
0:51:22 > 0:51:26Where can I find one? Here we go. Let's go down to her leg now.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29Down at the bottom here, there is a ball joint.
0:51:29 > 0:51:33And that is how it moves. And you can pose them very realistically.
0:51:33 > 0:51:35As I can demonstrate. There we go.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38She is performing now.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41The company name is Boucherat & Co.
0:51:41 > 0:51:42A Swiss company.
0:51:42 > 0:51:47And they sold these little figures under the sort of trade name
0:51:47 > 0:51:50of Saba, S-A-B-A.
0:51:50 > 0:51:54And they made about 160 different heads.
0:51:54 > 0:51:56The bodies were all basically the same.
0:51:56 > 0:52:01The company was in business from about 1921
0:52:01 > 0:52:06to 1935. Now, does that fit in with the Fred that you know?
0:52:06 > 0:52:09He would probably have been a young child at that sort of time.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11I can imagine Fred had quite a lot of fun with...
0:52:11 > 0:52:12He probably did.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15But fun in the 1930s meant
0:52:15 > 0:52:19playing with them and then putting them safely back in the box,
0:52:19 > 0:52:21because there they are, in great condition.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Prices.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26They have different levels of price.
0:52:26 > 0:52:31Charlie Chaplin is a particularly valuable one. So is the airman.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35- They're going to be worth about £500 each.- OK.
0:52:35 > 0:52:40And the rest of them, I mean, altogether,
0:52:40 > 0:52:44I would have said, what you have got here is between £2,500 and £3,500.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47- VOICE CRACKS:- Right. That is slightly more than we expected.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49- SHE LAUGHS - Yeah.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53- So, does it now make the house look quite a good buy?- Um...
0:52:53 > 0:52:55- LAUGHTER - Possibly.
0:52:55 > 0:52:56Possibly.
0:52:58 > 0:53:01Somehow, I get the impression that you thought long and hard today
0:53:01 > 0:53:04about which three pots you were going to bring along
0:53:04 > 0:53:06to the Antiques Roadshow. Am I right?
0:53:06 > 0:53:10To be perfectly honest, you are, but simply because my husband's
0:53:10 > 0:53:14aunt died in the autumn and she left these three pots behind.
0:53:14 > 0:53:15Ah-ha.
0:53:15 > 0:53:19And I know nothing about them, which is why I thought today was ideal.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23OK. So... Do you find these two pots...
0:53:23 > 0:53:25- endearing?- Not at all.- No?
0:53:25 > 0:53:30But I know they mattered very much to my husband's aunt.
0:53:30 > 0:53:32But from where they have come from, I have no idea.
0:53:32 > 0:53:33But she did love them.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36Well, what can I tell you about them?
0:53:36 > 0:53:38Apart from the fact that these two
0:53:38 > 0:53:42are being made in Austria.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46And they are being made by the same person. If we can turn one over...
0:53:46 > 0:53:48Let's turn this one over.
0:53:48 > 0:53:53You'll see there's a little crown. But you've got the initials EW.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57- Uh-huh.- And EW is a man called Ernst Wahliss.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00And all these three pots
0:54:00 > 0:54:05are from the early and the mid-20th century.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08So it just shows you how,
0:54:08 > 0:54:11you know, design and style change so dramatically
0:54:11 > 0:54:15from the Art Nouveau years to where we...when we arrive
0:54:15 > 0:54:20at a piece like this. This fellow is a different kettle of fish
0:54:20 > 0:54:24because if we turn it upside down,
0:54:24 > 0:54:26we'll see that it says in here
0:54:26 > 0:54:30"Edition Picasso, 137"
0:54:30 > 0:54:32from a limited edition of 200,
0:54:32 > 0:54:34"Madoura."
0:54:34 > 0:54:37And this little impress mark there simply says Madoura.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39And, um...
0:54:39 > 0:54:42And so on one side, we have got the owl.
0:54:42 > 0:54:43And if we turn it round,
0:54:43 > 0:54:48on the other side, we have got a mask. OK?
0:54:48 > 0:54:50So it's...
0:54:50 > 0:54:52it's an interesting piece.
0:54:52 > 0:54:57Now, the actual sort of designs were created by Pablo Picasso.
0:54:58 > 0:55:04And this potter started making designs by Picasso
0:55:04 > 0:55:07from around 1948, or thereabouts.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10Madoura, by the way, is near a town called Vallauris,
0:55:10 > 0:55:13which is in southeastern France. So I've not sold those before.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16But I think I know what they're worth.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20But I once sold this vase 25 years ago,
0:55:20 > 0:55:23and I remember exactly how much it fetched.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27So if we are going to put a price on the Art Nouveau pieces,
0:55:27 > 0:55:32this one is worth possibly around about £300 to £400.
0:55:32 > 0:55:37This one is possibly worth around £400, maybe up to £500.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40- (Gosh.)- This one,
0:55:40 > 0:55:44let me tell you, dates to 1958.
0:55:44 > 0:55:48The pot that I sold 25 years ago made...
0:55:48 > 0:55:50£2,500.
0:55:51 > 0:55:56But things go up and things go down.
0:55:56 > 0:55:57So...
0:55:57 > 0:56:02You know, I have to tell you that the last example of this that
0:56:02 > 0:56:05I saw turn up three months ago,
0:56:05 > 0:56:08it had actually gone up a bit more
0:56:08 > 0:56:12to - believe it or not, including the buyer's premium at auction -
0:56:12 > 0:56:14£25,000.
0:56:14 > 0:56:15- WHISPERS:- No!
0:56:17 > 0:56:20Gosh! Bless her.
0:56:20 > 0:56:22LAUGHTER
0:56:22 > 0:56:23Bless her.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25She's a Deeside lady
0:56:25 > 0:56:28and she came back here for her last five or six years. And she...
0:56:28 > 0:56:32We moved her 18 months ago into the nursing home that she chose.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35And these three pieces had to go with her.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38And then we had to move her for her last six weeks into a secure
0:56:38 > 0:56:40- unit for dementia care.- Oh.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43And these three pieces she recognised,
0:56:43 > 0:56:45and they went with her too.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47So they mattered enormously.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49Amazing.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53What a moving end to an amazing day here at Balmoral.
0:56:55 > 0:56:58We were hoping some royal memorabilia would turn up today here at Balmoral.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00And look at these -
0:57:00 > 0:57:03spades with an A for Albert
0:57:03 > 0:57:05and a V for Victoria.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Just going to pass one to my assistants here. Boys.
0:57:08 > 0:57:09Thank you very much.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13Now, these would've been used as part of a tree planting ceremony,
0:57:13 > 0:57:17so you can imagine Victoria, tiny as she was,
0:57:17 > 0:57:21moving a teeny weenie bit of soil.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25And for royalty, only a velvet handle would do.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29I don't know about you, all my gardening tools have velvet handles.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32From the Antiques Roadshow here at Balmoral, bye-bye.