0:00:50 > 0:00:53When the actor Colin Firth dived into this lake
0:00:53 > 0:00:55in the TV adaptation of Pride And Prejudice,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57the author, Jane Austen, could not have foreseen
0:00:57 > 0:01:00how hearts would quicken in the national bosom
0:01:00 > 0:01:03as he emerged dripping in his wet blouse.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Welcome back to a second chapter at Lyme Park in Cheshire.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Thanks to the revolution in publishing
0:01:11 > 0:01:14brought about by the mass-produced paperback,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16authors like Jane Austen have sold millions.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18Now there's a new revolution.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19With just one click,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22we can download as many books as we like.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24But where did it all start?
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Well, a clue lies within those perfectly pilastered walls.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35Lyme Park is home
0:01:35 > 0:01:37to one of the country's most treasured possessions,
0:01:37 > 0:01:39and you've probably never heard of it.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42You could say it was the hand-held device of its day,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and it's no overstatement to say it changed the world.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51This is one of the first books to be produced on a printing press.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53It's a prayer book called the Sarum Missal,
0:01:53 > 0:01:55and it's the Adam, or Eve,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58of the mass-produced printed word.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Its creator, in 1487, was William Caxton,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and this is his trademark.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09It's been with the former owners of Lyme Park, the Legh family,
0:02:09 > 0:02:13for almost as long as they lived here - over 500 years.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Of the original print run,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17this is the only one left.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19It's written in Latin,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21except for the marriage service,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23where there are blanks, deliberately,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25so that the man and woman getting married
0:02:25 > 0:02:27could repeat their vows in English.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31So written here is "I, N," - obviously the name -
0:02:31 > 0:02:32"take thee, N, to my wife,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35"to have and to hold, for richer or poorer",
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and on it goes, pretty much the same as the marriage service today.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Except for this fabulous bit at the end
0:02:41 > 0:02:46where the wife has to promise to be buxom at bed and board.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51The Legh family left Lyme Park with the missal in 1946.
0:02:51 > 0:02:52It returned in 2009
0:02:52 > 0:02:55to the safekeeping of the National Trust.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Now let's join the congregation on the lawns of this great house.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04- So it is a tea caddy.- Yes.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07- But in the form of a stack of books.- Yes.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10I have seen these before, but very rarely.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12When did you first see it?
0:03:12 > 0:03:14I must have probably been about four or five years old,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16just wandering in the living room.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18It was just sat on a bookcase at a little jaunty angle
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and at sort of a low height for me to look at,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and I remember, when I was younger, trying to look at the books
0:03:24 > 0:03:26and wondering why it didn't quite open properly and all that.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Then my dad told me not to touch it any more!
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Where did it come from?
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- Where did your father get it from? - I think he...
0:03:33 > 0:03:34Well, my father's a lawyer,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36so he does sort of probates and stuff like that,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40and I think it was in this lady's house and he...
0:03:40 > 0:03:42You know, obviously he likes antiques,
0:03:42 > 0:03:44so he must have commented to her at some point
0:03:44 > 0:03:45and, when she unfortunately passed away,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48her children gave my father this as a keepsake.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50And what's your interest in objects like this?
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I find antiques completely fascinating and interesting.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I especially like things like this, you know,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58with, like, a secret, hidden function and things like that.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00So I always like the... Like the book boxes you get
0:04:00 > 0:04:03and the book tea caddies. Just... I think they're interesting.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04So, as tea caddies go,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06the least interesting ones in general
0:04:06 > 0:04:09- are just the standard rectangular ones.- Yeah.
0:04:09 > 0:04:10And the novelty ones like this
0:04:10 > 0:04:13are probably some of the most fascinating ones.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16And this is quite different, in that it's made of papier-mache,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19with flower-carved, mother-of-pearl handles,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and even traces of the zinc lining
0:04:21 > 0:04:25inside the two compartments for black tea and green tea.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And so, in your interest with antiques,
0:04:29 > 0:04:31what date would you put on it?
0:04:31 > 0:04:33I'd probably say it was about 1850,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36maybe 1860 at a guess.
0:04:36 > 0:04:37I agree.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39And there's a bit of a clue here.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Because there's a reference, one of the books - Pickwick.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45- Yeah.- And it's the book
0:04:45 > 0:04:49that really made Dickens more sort of very, very widely popular.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And that was first published in 1837.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55So what value would you place on something like this?
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Erm... Depending on where you saw it...
0:04:57 > 0:05:01I mean, I might... Probably up to £1,000, maybe, in some places.
0:05:01 > 0:05:02At a guess.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I think your guess is very good.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06I think you've got a great future in antiques,
0:05:06 > 0:05:10because I would estimate it at around £1,000, maybe £1,200.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14So, stack of books, tea caddy -
0:05:14 > 0:05:16it's the dark art of disguise, really, isn't it?
0:05:16 > 0:05:18- Yes.- Pretty valuable one at that, though.
0:05:18 > 0:05:19Thank you very much.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22So, a sampler of the world.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24- Yes.- Where did you get it?
0:05:24 > 0:05:27My husband bought it in a local auction house in Macclesfield
0:05:27 > 0:05:28about five years ago.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30OK. And what attracted you to it?
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I think he just thought it was really unusual.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36We've got quite a lot of samplers, but nothing quite like that.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37And, you know, it's very early -
0:05:37 > 0:05:41you can tell by the names of the countries how early it is.
0:05:41 > 0:05:42Well, it's very interesting
0:05:42 > 0:05:45a sampler like this gives us glimpse of the world
0:05:45 > 0:05:47as it was in the 18th century.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- Yes.- Cos we've got New Holland, we've got all the South America.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Some places are, you know, Paraguay...
0:05:53 > 0:05:55But virtually everything is the wrong shape.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- Yes.- Because, obviously, when people were doing this,
0:05:58 > 0:06:00they didn't know, as we do now,
0:06:00 > 0:06:02what the countries looked like.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05I mean, If you look at New Holland, Australia,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07this side is quite correct,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09but the rest of it isn't.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12- Yes.- Again, the Frozen Greenland,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15it's completely wrong in terms of what we know now.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18And, obviously, we've got some things
0:06:18 > 0:06:20that people would find very shocking now.
0:06:20 > 0:06:21Like Negroland.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- Yes.- But you have to look at these objects
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- from the perspective of when they were made.- Yes.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29So, of course, stitched on silk,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32which is why, obviously, you've got quite a bit of damage here.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34- Yeah.- And this...
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Normally with a sampler, this sort of damage,
0:06:37 > 0:06:39this tearing and fraying,
0:06:39 > 0:06:41would take a lot off the value.
0:06:41 > 0:06:42- Yes.- But what this has...
0:06:42 > 0:06:45And I think, you know, you've had it framed beautifully,
0:06:45 > 0:06:47it complements exactly what it is.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51It's very similar to... If you think of the globes of this period...
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- Yes.- ..in the little shagreen cases.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56This symbolises that same idea,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59which works incredibly well...
0:06:59 > 0:07:03- Yes.- ..and would have taken a lot of time to do.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Probably some very aristocratic lady
0:07:06 > 0:07:08sitting stitching this.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10This was very much the passion in the 18th century,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13this is what you did in your spare time
0:07:13 > 0:07:15as a lady of the manor.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17And in terms of value,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19it's quite a difficult one to value,
0:07:19 > 0:07:21because samplers on the whole -
0:07:21 > 0:07:23and you probably know this if you've got samplers -
0:07:23 > 0:07:26samplers have gone down in value quite considerably.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29But this is such an interesting sampler.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I would put this at between £3,000 and £5,000.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33You're joking?!
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Oh, he'll be very pleased about that!
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Good heavens.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43That's considerably more than he paid for it!
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- That's always nice.- Yeah!
0:07:47 > 0:07:48The sun has come out on cue
0:07:48 > 0:07:50to show off this fabulous diamond.
0:07:50 > 0:07:55And what also caught my attention as well,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57apart from your wonderful stone,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00is the original receipt that you've brought, too,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and it's dated 1963.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07And it cost £635.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Now, who was that who bought it?
0:08:10 > 0:08:12It was my father, for my mother.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Yes. No particular...
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Nothing special.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17- Nothing special?!- No!
0:08:17 > 0:08:19THEY LAUGH
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Not for any particular reason that I'm aware of.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25And have you had it valued or anything like that?
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Well, funnily enough you should ask that,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30but about five years ago,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33in this area every so often
0:08:33 > 0:08:38local pubs have, like, people go in and do valuation days for charity.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42So I took it along and, erm...
0:08:42 > 0:08:45they suggested a figure of around about 2,000.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50And I thought, well, perhaps it might be worth a little bit more.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52But I wasn't sure, and that's where I left it.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54That was quite brave of you,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58to go into a pub with a lovely big diamond!
0:08:58 > 0:08:59In hindsight, yes.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04I'm pleased you came out of the pub with the diamond.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08Well, the receipt is 1963,
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and, yes, the mount is probably of that period.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15But the diamond is definitely an earlier stone,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19and it's what we call sort of a circular-cut diamond.
0:09:19 > 0:09:24In its mount, I have approximated the weight of it,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and it's approximately about 2.3 carats.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29And I love these cuts,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31these 1920s cuts,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33I just find really special.
0:09:35 > 0:09:36So...
0:09:36 > 0:09:38conservatively, I would say, at auction,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41you would be looking in the region
0:09:41 > 0:09:43of around £7,000-£9,000.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47SHE LAUGHS
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Oh.
0:09:52 > 0:09:53Hmm.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Well, it was something my mum got from an antique shop.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- Right.- Quite a long time ago.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06My mum was always going to antique fairs and bringing things back.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08And she kept saying to me,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12"I've got this, and it's worth loads of money and you must keep it."
0:10:12 > 0:10:15And so my mum got ill and went into a care home.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19- Right.- And there was lots of things that I took off to charity shops,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and I hung on to this,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24because she kept telling me, you know, it's really nice...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26She obviously set a lot of store by it.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- She did.- Do you know what it was used for?
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Well, only because I watch the Antiques Roadshow!
0:10:31 > 0:10:32I have seen one on,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and they said it was for paint brushes.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37- Yeah, it's a brush pot.- A brush pot.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40It's actually bamboo. It's Chinese.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42You turn it over, you look at it - actually, I love that,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45it's got a little mark, a little signature on the bottom,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47I think that's probably a collector's mark.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49I love the patternation and colour on it,
0:10:49 > 0:10:50that's all really, really lovely.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53And it shows signs of use as well.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58Do you know, I think this is late 18th century, or early 19th century.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00I think it's a really old one.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And, do you know, this is worth £2,000.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05- Wow. That's a shock for you. - Your mum...
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- Your mum was absolutely right. - She'd be so pleased.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11She was absolutely right, and it's absolutely gorgeous.
0:11:11 > 0:11:12She'd really be so pleased.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15So, congratulations, you've kept the right thing
0:11:15 > 0:11:19- and you've kept it for all the right reasons.- That's lovely.
0:11:19 > 0:11:20I'm getting quite upset!
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Thank you ever so much. Thank you for bringing it along, it's lovely.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- Thank you very much.- Great. - I can't believe it!
0:11:29 > 0:11:32Well, holding this box set of catalogues
0:11:32 > 0:11:36takes me right back to a 15-year-old boy in Derbyshire
0:11:36 > 0:11:39who absolutely got transfixed
0:11:39 > 0:11:41by this auction sale.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43I remember pleading with my mum and dad
0:11:43 > 0:11:45to buy me this set of catalogues,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and in the end my mum buckled and said,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- "You can have them, but they're an early Christmas present."- Right.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52You've gone one step further -
0:11:52 > 0:11:54you've got something from the sale.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57So, tell me, how do you come to own this,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00that obviously originated out of this amazing auction?
0:12:00 > 0:12:04The sale actually took place in 1988,
0:12:04 > 0:12:09and it was bought from the G-Mex antiques fair,
0:12:09 > 0:12:14which was held in 1989.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16And my father bought it as a surprise,
0:12:16 > 0:12:19because my mother had seen it from a distance
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and she loved it straightaway,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24the image of Sarah Bernhardt,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26the famous Victorian actress,
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Lady of the Camellias, hence the flowers around her.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Was the connection, for your dad, then, and your mum,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34was it about the Sarah Bernhardt and the actress,
0:12:34 > 0:12:36or was it the Elton John thing?
0:12:36 > 0:12:38No, it was more to do with the fact
0:12:38 > 0:12:40that my mother is involved
0:12:40 > 0:12:43in dancing and acting and producing shows
0:12:43 > 0:12:47and, funnily enough, she did a bit of acting class
0:12:47 > 0:12:51and a gentleman that she was working with there said,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54"You know who you are like?"
0:12:54 > 0:12:56And he said, "You're like Sarah Bernhardt."
0:12:56 > 0:13:00What it is, in context for yourself, it's a beautiful lithograph,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03you know, that circa 1900, that high Art Nouveau,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06that continental Art Nouveau movement of Sarah Bernhardt,
0:13:06 > 0:13:10who was, you know, this wonderful character,
0:13:10 > 0:13:11this star of the stage.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13You know, she was this enigma.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16It's amazing, because even from your side, then,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18there's that little touch of magic, isn't there?
0:13:18 > 0:13:19That little bit of theatre.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21And, really, we've got to be honest,
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- you don't get much more theatre than Elton John.- No.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29I mean, this was a ground-breaking auction of its day.
0:13:29 > 0:13:30It captured the press,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32it captured the world's imagination.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Because here was a man who was going through
0:13:35 > 0:13:38an absolutely unbelievable change of life.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40He actually said, you know,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42this sale for him was about cleansing.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44It was about drawing a line under his old life,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47drawing a line under his marriage with Renate
0:13:47 > 0:13:49and his relationships,
0:13:49 > 0:13:50and him basically coming out.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53And the point of it all was this sale.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55He saw it as a way of saying goodbye
0:13:55 > 0:13:57to the man that he'd pretended to be -
0:13:57 > 0:13:59this front, this theatre -
0:13:59 > 0:14:00and from this point on,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02it was going to be a new Elton John.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05And, actually, you know, the sale was broken down
0:14:05 > 0:14:06into all kinds of elements -
0:14:06 > 0:14:09his Art Deco collection, his theatrical costumes.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12And this print actually features here
0:14:12 > 0:14:16in what was called the Diverse Collections.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19And there it is, you know...
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Paul Berthon, lot 1177.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28With a presale estimate of £300-£400.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29I've got to ask a question -
0:14:29 > 0:14:31what did your parents pay for it?
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Well, they paid £1,300 for it.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37OK. If you were to sell it today,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40I think you're looking at an auction estimate of £2,000-£3,000.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42Right. Excellent. Excellent.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Good news.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Well, it's tantalising.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Of course, I'm hoping...
0:14:50 > 0:14:54this is a highly important Imperial Chinese teapot.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56Maybe!
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Do you know when it was wrapped up?
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Well, the newspaper's all from 1980.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Well, it came from my father,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06but he got it from a lady in Colwyn Bay
0:15:06 > 0:15:08who he used to do odd jobs for.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12- Yeah.- But she wouldn't use it because, erm,
0:15:12 > 0:15:14she said it was cursed.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- So here we go.- Right. Exciting.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21- I think it starts here. - Think it does.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Will it come out? Look at that.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Cursed in which particular way?
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Well, she was a bit of a cricket fanatic,
0:15:28 > 0:15:31and every now and again Lancashire would play a game at Colwyn Bay...
0:15:34 > 0:15:36..and she was watching the cricket,
0:15:36 > 0:15:39and the opposing team stuck at the wicket
0:15:39 > 0:15:40and they couldn't get them out.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Oh, gosh.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45And the lady - if I may -
0:15:45 > 0:15:49took the stick and went, "Next ball, you will be out."
0:15:49 > 0:15:50And...
0:15:50 > 0:15:51bowled.
0:15:51 > 0:15:52No!
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Is it going to be a £2 million teapot?
0:15:54 > 0:15:57I doubt it very much, unfortunately.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00So that was the end of the stick - it was cursed.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02- My goodness!- So...
0:16:02 > 0:16:05This would ensure that we got the Ashes every year. Brilliant!
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Shelley, Art Deco, 1920s.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Chipped at the front, cracked at the back.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13I don't know...
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- £5 if you're lucky?- Ooh!
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Good job I didn't go out and spend it!
0:16:19 > 0:16:21THEY LAUGH
0:16:21 > 0:16:24As a walking stick, it's worth £150, maybe £200.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26But as...
0:16:26 > 0:16:29the magic wand which will ensure
0:16:29 > 0:16:32- that Australia never win the Ashes again...- Priceless!
0:16:32 > 0:16:33..it is priceless.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44So, one of these men was your grandfather.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47And Grandfather and his friends in the photograph
0:16:47 > 0:16:49were part of this territorial unit
0:16:49 > 0:16:52that went off to France, together,
0:16:52 > 0:16:55and they were part of the unit that actually created this sign
0:16:55 > 0:16:58- in the trenches just outside Ypres. - Yes, that's correct.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01- And which one...?- It's the gentleman seated in the centre.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- And what was his name? - He was named Levi Hall.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08He was a member of the Sappers and Engineers
0:17:08 > 0:17:11of the Sherwood Foresters that served at that time.
0:17:11 > 0:17:12- He was a Royal Engineer.- Yes.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14And where did he come from?
0:17:14 > 0:17:19He came from New Mills, and joined, we think, in 1915,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22and served through the war then until 1918.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Now, he wrote very detailed accounts of going into the trenches.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30And one of those trenches he was in was just outside Ypres,
0:17:30 > 0:17:32a very famous place known to the soldiers as Wipers.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36And the trench was named after where they came from.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38That's correct, yes.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Tor Top is a part of New Mills,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43in the centre of New Mills,
0:17:43 > 0:17:47where we believe that most of the lads,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49or Pals, if you like, came from,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52and they joined the Sherwood Foresters.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55And we know that there were signposts in the trenches
0:17:55 > 0:17:57familiar to them.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Piccadilly Circus.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00Hyde Park Corner.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02But one thing that we never see
0:18:02 > 0:18:05is one of the original signs from the trenches.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08- So you look after this sign at the Heritage Centre?- Yes.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11It's New Mills Heritage Centre in Derbyshire,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and it's one of our main items in the collection.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Is New Mills Heritage Centre close to Tor Top?
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Yes. It's actually on Tor Top, virtually.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And it's called Tor Top Tunnels.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26Yes.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28We forget that World War I
0:18:28 > 0:18:31is fought at land, on the sea,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34in the air, but also underground.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Victoria Crosses are won underground
0:18:37 > 0:18:39during the First World War.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Tunnelling underneath the German trenches,
0:18:41 > 0:18:46laying those mines that were then exploded underneath strongpoints
0:18:46 > 0:18:48to allow our infantry to attack.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50And this sign survived.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54It's so rare that you see a real trench sign.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57I think you need to insure it
0:18:57 > 0:19:00for somewhere between £400 and £600.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Thank you for bringing it in.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06- Thank you. It's a pleasure. - Thank you.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11It feels like I've known these for 50 years, you know,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13because, when I was 12,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15I started going into antique shops
0:19:15 > 0:19:17and started buying my own stuff
0:19:17 > 0:19:18for the first time -
0:19:18 > 0:19:20my mum and dad had been doing it for a time. And I'm telling you
0:19:20 > 0:19:23that one of these, a smaller version of that
0:19:23 > 0:19:26is probably the very first thing I ever bought.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28So how long have you been into it?
0:19:28 > 0:19:32Well, I've been collecting them over the years, as I've seen them.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35I think that they display really nicely
0:19:35 > 0:19:37and they're fascinating,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39the way the people who make them manage to get
0:19:39 > 0:19:42all of these lovely sort of shapes and things inside them.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- So, probably about 15-20 years.- OK.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Well, they're interesting
0:19:48 > 0:19:51in that they are a decorative product
0:19:51 > 0:19:54of the Yorkshire glassworks.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58South Yorkshire - Rotherham, Doncaster, Batley.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Around there, they had coal and sand
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and the workforce was brought to their materials
0:20:03 > 0:20:05cos you were dealing in heavy materials.
0:20:05 > 0:20:11And according to repute, these were end-of-day,
0:20:11 > 0:20:13we call them friggers in this country, and these are...
0:20:13 > 0:20:17Once the glass-makers had got through the production
0:20:17 > 0:20:20that had been agreed and once that quota had been exhausted,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23you had done what was expected of you,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26then word was that you could empty the pot, you still had glass
0:20:26 > 0:20:31left in your furnace pot that you could make for your own stuff.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35They date from late 19th century, 1880, thereabouts.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38And one of the big makers of these was Kilner.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Most famous for their jars, so typically they made the jars
0:20:41 > 0:20:48during the shift and then they made the end-of-day pieces later.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50What a variety.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54Now, I've never really worked out how they made the flowers in these.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58I mean, really, how did they do that?
0:20:58 > 0:21:01I mean, that is an extraordinary creation.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Some of it is just air in there, isn't it?
0:21:05 > 0:21:09It's like me, no visible means of support, really.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11- Extraordinary.- Yeah.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14However, I have to tell you, that the money I was paying for them
0:21:14 > 0:21:1850 years ago when I was 12 is about the money they go for today.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21- Probably. - How much are you paying for them?
0:21:21 > 0:21:25I would say not more than £50.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27They're going for 50 quid.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29I think they're wonderful, and what a variety.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31And at 50 quid, bloomin' hellfire.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35- A little bit of history dating what? 1880?- Yeah.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37- Lovely. I love them.- I do too.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38- Good on you. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40You're most welcome.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43From its very earliest days of its conception to
0:21:43 > 0:21:44the Great Train Robbery,
0:21:44 > 0:21:47the Post Office has always been under attack.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50And this is the 19th century solution to stopping that attack.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55A fantastic pair of flintlock pistols marked "Post Office."
0:21:55 > 0:21:58I wonder how you came by them?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I bought them at auction a few years ago at Bristol.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04I do collect a lot of Post Office memorabilia,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08and of course, any Post Office collection has got to have
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- a flintlock pistol from the Royal Mail coaches.- Absolutely.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16So, on the Royal Mail coach, you would have got these
0:22:16 > 0:22:20flintlock pistols and how many would the guard have?
0:22:20 > 0:22:23He'd have a pair of flintlocks and a blunderbuss.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26- So he was pretty heavily armed? - Definitely.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31And it's well recorded that there was never any actual attacks
0:22:31 > 0:22:33on Royal Mail coaches.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36These are an absolutely fantastic pair of pistols.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39And you very rarely see Royal Mail pistols,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41which makes them so very interesting.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43If I could just look at this first one.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47I think it's very interesting because it has that down the side.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50And that was there so you could...
0:22:50 > 0:22:53stick it down the front of your trousers...
0:22:53 > 0:22:55with reasonable safety.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59So you would be able to walk around and do your job,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02pulling ropes and things and you would be armed and ready
0:23:02 > 0:23:05in case there were some dastardly French privateers
0:23:05 > 0:23:08who attempted to rob the Mail.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12This pistol is made by Henry Nock of London who was one of the most
0:23:12 > 0:23:14celebrated gunsmiths of his day.
0:23:14 > 0:23:16And it's fantastically well made.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17The first one's about 1800.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21This one, about 1810, something like that.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25It was made by HW Mortimer, who was gunsmith in ordinary to
0:23:25 > 0:23:28King George III, so he was a royal gunsmith.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31So the Mail went to this fantastically important gunmaker
0:23:31 > 0:23:34and said, "We would like some pistols, please."
0:23:34 > 0:23:37And I suspect they ordered quite a large number of them.
0:23:37 > 0:23:42Because if we look on the barrel, we can see the maker's name
0:23:42 > 0:23:46and also it says, "Number 91," so they must have ordered more than 91.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48They probably ordered 100.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Now, I've said that these are fantastically rare pistols
0:23:51 > 0:23:56and I've seen very few of them. What do you think they're worth?
0:23:56 > 0:23:59I would suggest a couple of thousand each.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03I think you could stick another thousand on them
0:24:03 > 0:24:07to about 3,000. They are very, very rare things.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09They're very, very desirable
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and they're a real part of England, sort of coaching and mail history,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and I think they're great.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16Thank you very much for bringing them.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21- I didn't realise they were worth that much. Thank you.- Thank you.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25If ever there was a title that would attract the public,
0:24:25 > 0:24:28it's a title with "Magic" in it, so this title here, "Mathematical
0:24:28 > 0:24:33"Magick: Or The Wonders That May Be Performed By Mechanichal Geometry."
0:24:33 > 0:24:38And it's by J Wilkins, John Wilkins, late Lord Bishop of Chester.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41And it's printed in London in 1680.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44Tell me about it. Where did you get it from?
0:24:44 > 0:24:46It's my husband's book.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48And it's been in his family all his life.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50And he has no idea where it came from.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54- Just it's always been... - It's always been there, yes.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58John Wilkins was a very interesting man and also, 1680,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01this is a very interesting period for Great Britain.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05We'd just chopped Charles I's head off in 1649.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08Oliver Cromwell had been reigning in the interim
0:25:08 > 0:25:12and then we had Charles II, the great monarch who came back again.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16And it was a time of great thought, of great thinking, "Who are we?
0:25:16 > 0:25:17"What are we?
0:25:17 > 0:25:20"What are we doing?" And all this sort of period.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22This is the 17th century.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Have you done any work on this?
0:25:24 > 0:25:28I looked him up on the internet.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31And I found out that they still print it now.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33There are modern versions of it.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35It is a great famous book.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36We've got a picture here.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39The modern Exocet I suppose it can be.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43These arrows are fixed into this board here
0:25:43 > 0:25:48and expelled by this ruler type of thing here.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51This pings into the arrows and they go shooting off.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54It's not a first edition of the book.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56He was dead by this time, Wilkins.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58This is a portrait of him
0:25:58 > 0:26:03and he looks rather cavalier here with his wonderful lustrous locks.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07But in 1680 he was dead, he died in 1672.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11So this is not a first edition but a second edition of the book.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15And it's bound, as you can see, this is a contemporary binding.
0:26:15 > 0:26:16It's bound in sheep.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Now, sheep tends to be cheaper than calf,
0:26:18 > 0:26:20as far as binding is concerned,
0:26:20 > 0:26:24it's been gilt on the spine, there's a few gilt bands here.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28So I would say, generally, for a book of this age,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31- it is in good condition.- Yes.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37So, valuation. I think somewhere between £800 to £1,000.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Wow! Right. Thank you.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49I don't suppose in your career you were a butler or maybe a steward?
0:26:49 > 0:26:51I'm afraid not.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54You see, I was jumping to all sorts of conclusions when I looked at
0:26:54 > 0:27:00the bottom of this tray and I saw it said, "Cunard, Liverpool."
0:27:00 > 0:27:03- My hometown.- It's your hometown.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07And I need to ask, how did you get hold of this,
0:27:07 > 0:27:13because it looks as thought it might have been the property of Cunard?
0:27:13 > 0:27:17- Yes, it came home for a visit and never went back.- I see.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- It was on shore leave?- Yes.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21OK. Right.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24Because I think this would have been
0:27:24 > 0:27:26somewhere in a first class cabin
0:27:26 > 0:27:31on one of those great cruise ships dating to the 1930s.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35This is a very, very nice little tea service.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40I love this thing because first of all, the tray is fantastic.
0:27:40 > 0:27:41It's a rosewood tray.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Thick rosewood, which today is a listed material.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48You can't get this stuff. It's very, very rare.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50But the porcelain itself is exquisite.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Look at that creaminess of the porcelain.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56It is brilliant, brilliant white.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01Decorated with this very Chinese style grapevine design.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And underneath, we've got everything we need to know.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09In fact, we can learn it's made by Tuscan China of...
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Well, it says, "Liverpool," that's where it would have been retailed.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15I particularly like the teapot
0:28:15 > 0:28:21because there is a spectacular small perfectly formed cube teapot.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24These were designed for the tearooms of England to be stacked,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27so that in the tearooms you could simply put them one on top of the other.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31But here, these were made for the cabin.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34I think it's absolutely lovely.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38- Do you ever use it? - It dribbles quite badly.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42It would do because one of the problems creating a cube teapot
0:28:42 > 0:28:44is where do you put the spout?
0:28:44 > 0:28:49And you can see the spout is really not going to do much
0:28:49 > 0:28:51but dribble off the edge there.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52Lovely thing.
0:28:52 > 0:28:53You looked a bit nervous
0:28:53 > 0:28:56when I asked you how it had come into your hands?
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Yes, it was probably listed as AWOL.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03But I think I can give you some solace.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06If this has been worrying you, let's have a look at that mark again.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09Because not only do we have the maker,
0:29:09 > 0:29:14and nice little mark there, but we have the word "Souvenir."
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Oh! Right.
0:29:17 > 0:29:21I think when they commissioned these, they expected them
0:29:21 > 0:29:23to leave the cabins.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25I think we should take it in that spirit.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27What's it actually worth?
0:29:27 > 0:29:31I'm going to put somewhere in the region of £400 to £700 on it.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Oh, thanks, Mum.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Thank you.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42Well, we have the perfect sunny day to be using your sundial.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44What do you know about it?
0:29:44 > 0:29:48I inherited it this year from my parents.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51It was my father's and it was my father's father's,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53so my grandfather.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55And my father loved it, treasured it,
0:29:55 > 0:30:00played with it a little bit, so I had an idea what it was,
0:30:00 > 0:30:03but I wasn't really allowed to touch it until this year.
0:30:03 > 0:30:09- So what we've got here is a little pocket compass and sundial.- Right.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13So if we flip up the centre, like that.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16And if we point it between the north
0:30:16 > 0:30:20and the south poles we can tell what time of day it is.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23So that's why we've got the compass on there.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24So if I point it in the right direction,
0:30:24 > 0:30:27by my reckoning, it's about ten past three.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30Great. Perfect.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34It's signed here.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37And it's made by a maker, it's signed Watkins of London.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40And that's a gentleman by the name of Francis Watkins and he set up
0:30:40 > 0:30:46business making these types of instruments in 1747 in London.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49What's interesting about this one is that this case is made from
0:30:49 > 0:30:54what we could call vernis Martin, which is a type of imitation lacquer
0:30:54 > 0:30:57copying that sort of Chinese lacquers.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00And I think that would have adorned any gentlemen's table at home
0:31:00 > 0:31:02and I think it's a great object.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Sundials have been around for a very, very, long time.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10What I really love about this one is the age and I think date-wise,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13it's probably going to be something around
0:31:13 > 0:31:15latter part of the 18th century.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18So I reckon about 1790, something like that in date.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23Maybe through to about 1800. So sort of 1790, 1800.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24What I'm coming onto,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27what I really like is actually the condition is really very good.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31I think anybody who collects this type of thing would die to
0:31:31 > 0:31:35get this today and I think if it came up at an auction,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37it would carry a pre-sale estimate,
0:31:37 > 0:31:40I'm going to say, between £800 and £1,200.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Gracious.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48This is a story of how one of the richest football clubs in
0:31:48 > 0:31:51the world was saved by a St Bernard.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53- This St Bernard.- Exactly, yes.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58These are some items from the archives of one Elsie Davies,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00whose father was John Henry Davies.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02John Henry Davies was a famous brewer.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06He owned the Manchester Brewery Company in Manchester,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09and he got involved with a team called Newton Heath.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11And the way that happened was
0:32:11 > 0:32:14Newton Heath were in desperate straits, financially.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18And this was when? What, the early 1900, turn of the century?
0:32:18 > 0:32:21He got involved in 1902, we're talking.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24So to raise money the captain of the side,
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Harry Stafford, he got a St Bernard dog.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32And he took it to the fundraiser event in Manchester with a box
0:32:32 > 0:32:36strapped to it's back for people to put money in.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39What happened on the day, the dog got lost,
0:32:39 > 0:32:45but it was rescued by one of the licensees in one of his pubs.
0:32:45 > 0:32:46Took it back to John Henry Davies, said,
0:32:46 > 0:32:49"Can you find the owner of this dog?"
0:32:49 > 0:32:50He says, "OK."
0:32:50 > 0:32:54They found the owner who happened to be the captain of Newton Heath.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58The story comes out then that they need financial help and he says,
0:32:58 > 0:33:02"You give me the dog for my daughter and I'll help you save the club."
0:33:02 > 0:33:07And they did. Him and four other gentlemen, they raised £500 each.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11They paid off their debts. They improved the ground facilities.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15Now, not everyone will know, but die-hard fans of this club
0:33:15 > 0:33:17certainly will, that Newton Heath then became...
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Manchester United.
0:33:19 > 0:33:21And do you know why Newton Heath chose to change their name?
0:33:21 > 0:33:25I don't really know the real sort of understanding from it,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29but Newton Heath, basically, they were made up of railway workers.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32That was the formation of the team.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35But even then, they were attracting crowds of 20 and 30,000
0:33:35 > 0:33:38to the Bank Street Stadium in Clayton.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41But actually where the United came from, I think
0:33:41 > 0:33:44the fact it was Manchester, a Manchester team,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47he owned the Manchester Brewery, perhaps that was the...
0:33:47 > 0:33:49It was a team for all Manchester.
0:33:49 > 0:33:51He wanted it and then obviously it was united.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54It was very nearly the team that never was
0:33:54 > 0:33:57- if it wasn't for this St Bernard. - If it wasn't for that St Bernard,
0:33:57 > 0:34:00who knows what would have happened to Newton Heath.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07Well, I think it's fair to say that this girl cannot be
0:34:07 > 0:34:11- described as a local Cheshire lass. - Quite right.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14Well, this is a real case of little and large.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17An extraordinary size of jug.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20- Did you inherit it? - Yes. From my father.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22He went to Manchester and came home with her.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24We think it was from an auction.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27And my mother was very impressed at his good choice.
0:34:27 > 0:34:29- Really?- Yes.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Well, what an understanding wife.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35She wanted a hot water jug to go with her teapot.
0:34:35 > 0:34:36To go with the set.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Imagine her surprise when she opened up the parcel.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41She was not very happy.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43I'll bet. But in some ways, it's remarkable.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46I've never seen a jug that size in silver.
0:34:47 > 0:34:53If I dare boldly go and show this lady's sort of, um, garment.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55I'm not quite sure what you would...
0:34:55 > 0:34:57What would you describe? You're a woman.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00- You know what these are called. - Well, not quite knickers, are they?
0:35:00 > 0:35:03Not quite, no. They're a bit more exotic than that.
0:35:03 > 0:35:04So as far as the value goes,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07it's not worth a lot more than the actual silver weight.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11- Yeah.- You're looking at maybe £1,000, up to £1,500.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14- I didn't expect much more, actually. - So it's going to go back in the box
0:35:14 > 0:35:17and then you're going to bring it to the next Roadshow
0:35:17 > 0:35:20in five years' time and hope the price of silver's gone up.
0:35:20 > 0:35:23- This has got a maker on the back. - Yes.- OK.
0:35:23 > 0:35:28- And the maker's name is there. Galli.- Yes.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31Your odalisque, to give a respectable title,
0:35:31 > 0:35:35is worth in the region of about £500.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Well, you'll see that the box is labelled in gilt letters.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Liberty and Co. Now there's a name to conjure with.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45My mother-in-law dabbled in antiques.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49And she bought for our wedding present a honeymoon in Paris.
0:35:49 > 0:35:51Oh, wonderful, yes.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53And the beautiful teaspoons.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56And I would be very surprised
0:35:56 > 0:36:01if they achieved a figure of less than certainly £300 or £400.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Wonderful. Thank you very much.
0:36:06 > 0:36:10Well, two rather nice objects, if I might say so.
0:36:10 > 0:36:11Thank you.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13A lovely big watch in the hand.
0:36:13 > 0:36:17Am I to assume that it belonged to one of these two chaps over here?
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Yes. That's my great grandfather Thomas Dickson Hunter
0:36:20 > 0:36:23who was a grocer, an agricultural merchant.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26I'm assuming it belonged to him.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29You can see the chain there, so I assume he's got it in his pocket.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31OK. And how did you get them?
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Just came down through the family, really.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Through various wills and ended up in my bottom drawer.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38- So really in your bottom drawer? - It is.
0:36:38 > 0:36:40- You don't know anything about these things at all?- No.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42OK. Well, let's start with this.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45It's a big, big watch in the hand, a heavy watch.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49And it's dating from the English Regency period, so about 1820.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52But it's got a lovely machine-turned dial,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55lovely heavy raised gold numerals.
0:36:55 > 0:36:56Jolly good object.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00And a beautiful engine-turned case at the back.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Now, it happens to have this rather long pendant.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06- Do you know what that does? - Sorry, no idea.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09So if I pushed it like this...
0:37:09 > 0:37:12FAINT ALARM SOUNDS
0:37:12 > 0:37:14- You haven't heard that before?- No.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18OK. That is what we call quarter repeating.
0:37:18 > 0:37:19OK.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22So now it's just sort of after quarter to one, so it did
0:37:22 > 0:37:26the 12 and then it done the ding, dong, ding, dong for each quarters.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29But very rapidly because it obviously needs adjustment.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31There we are.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34So it's by a chap called Samuel Quilliam.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- Right.- I don't know much about him.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43But I do know that he is a Regency watchmaker and case maker.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46The important thing is the escapement.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50So, looking at this balance we have two big heavy brass
0:37:50 > 0:37:52compensation weights
0:37:52 > 0:37:58and down there, we have a lovely blued steel helical balance spring.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02And this is the clue that it is a pocket chronometer.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05The pocket chronometer is absolutely top of the range.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08- OK.- It's a spring detent escapement.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11So we have a quarter repeating pocket chronometer.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13All I can tell you is that the grocer shop
0:38:13 > 0:38:15must have been doing very well.
0:38:15 > 0:38:17This would have been...
0:38:17 > 0:38:21probably ten years' salary for the average working man when it was new.
0:38:21 > 0:38:27- Gosh.- So, he left you that and he left you this clock.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30He did. It just reminds me of being at my grandparents'.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32It sat in the hall and it was very familiar.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35And he always used to say to me, "Oh, this is a very early clock.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37"It's a very good clock."
0:38:37 > 0:38:39And that's, apart from looking up the name, and where it's from,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42I don't know anything more about it, really. I was intrigued.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Well, Thomas Bruton and that's Bow, obviously, in London.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49The joy of this clock is that I have had the chance to look inside
0:38:49 > 0:38:52and it is the original verge escapement.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55But it's basically a really lovely early English dial clock.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57That's what he always used to tell me.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Dating from just a little bit earlier than the watch.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02Approximately about 1810, something like that.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05So, both very similar periods.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Which do you prefer?
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Probably this because it's just so familiar with hanging in the hall
0:39:10 > 0:39:14and running down the hallways as a little girl, hearing the tick tock.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16That's quite manly, I think.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19OK, well, you've chosen that one.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22- I'm going to choose this one. - OK.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26Price at auction on this is going to be in the region of £2,000.
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Very good.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32And quarter repeating pocket chronometer in 18-carat
0:39:32 > 0:39:34gold by a London maker...
0:39:36 > 0:39:38..£5,000 to £6,000.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41- Gosh.- Lovely thing.- Thank you.
0:39:43 > 0:39:46I understand these have been in the attic for how many years?
0:39:46 > 0:39:48- 40 years.- Why is that?
0:39:48 > 0:39:51Well, when my grandmother died she loved these things,
0:39:51 > 0:39:53they'd always been on her sideboard.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55And nobody in the family wanted them.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58And I just couldn't send them to the tip.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00It would have broke my heart.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02So I took them home, but I had nowhere to put them.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06- Where would you put three firemen like this?- Well, exactly.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08And I think this is really why many other people would have
0:40:08 > 0:40:11put them in the attack as well.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14When these were produced in the 1870s, 1880s,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17large dining rooms and large areas with large pieces of furniture
0:40:17 > 0:40:20took these pieces really very well.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22And now suddenly we're all living in smaller accommodation
0:40:22 > 0:40:26and consequently there's nowhere to put these outsized pieces.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28But do you know anything about them at all?
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Supposedly my grandfather brought them
0:40:30 > 0:40:33back from the First World War when he was serving in France.
0:40:33 > 0:40:34Other than that, I don't know anything.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36Well, that was quite a brave thing to do.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Most soldiers brought back a small dish.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42And here he struggled back with three enormous spelter figures.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44- Well, he was a bit of a character. - He must have been.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47These initially would have had a simulated bronze finish.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50They would have looked much grander than they do now.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53But they've rather pickled back and we're down to the basic alloy
0:40:53 > 0:40:55of which they were made.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57But I love the dramatic effect that we've got here.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01Here we've got this one fireman saving this young child.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04But there he is. If you look at it, he's balancing right on the ridge
0:41:04 > 0:41:07tiles of a cottage or a house.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10In the centre, we've got the main firemen there with his
0:41:10 > 0:41:12two medals, saving a colleague.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Again, they're standing on the prow of a cottage there with
0:41:14 > 0:41:16flames piling through the slates.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19And on the far side, we've got another fireman rushing up
0:41:19 > 0:41:22the steps there with a hose which actually looks rather too small
0:41:22 > 0:41:25to do the job, I have to say. So what's your plan with them now?
0:41:25 > 0:41:27Well, I'm moving to an even smaller house
0:41:27 > 0:41:30so I'm afraid they have got to go.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33I was hoping that if they were taken from a fire station
0:41:33 > 0:41:36or something in France, they could go back there.
0:41:36 > 0:41:39I think they will end up in a collection of that type.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Somebody who collects fire memorabilia, fire engines,
0:41:42 > 0:41:44fire effects, really.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45So what were they likely to make?
0:41:45 > 0:41:49You should get 300-350 for the set.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Yes, I'm not bothered about the money.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53I would just like them to be preserved.
0:41:53 > 0:41:54I just don't want them to be destroyed.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57I think they've been with us long enough to have survived.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59OK. Thank you very much indeed.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Well, I don't think this is the Good Ship Lollipop.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07Because I've got the suspicion she was called The Three Sisters.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09That's correct.
0:42:09 > 0:42:13The initials on the back of the glass belong to
0:42:13 > 0:42:16the master of that ship.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21His wife had two other sisters who married brothers of
0:42:21 > 0:42:23my great great grandfather.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26His sister married my great great grandfather.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29- Very complicated arrangement.- Yes.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33But to assume that he called the ship after his wife
0:42:33 > 0:42:38and her two sisters and it was sailing out of Scarborough
0:42:38 > 0:42:43in the 1790s, supplying Wellington in the Peninsular War.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46- That right? What's his name? - Richard Crosswood.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48I don't know what the "N" stands for.
0:42:48 > 0:42:49OK. His middle name.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52What is she?
0:42:52 > 0:42:54She's a cargo vessel, is she?
0:42:54 > 0:42:59Yes, it was a vessel called a snow, which apparently is a type of brig.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01- OK.- About 300 tonnes or thereabouts.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Isn't that magical that you can trace lineage?
0:43:05 > 0:43:09This bond that we enjoy between ourselves and stuff.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13And, Guy, your story, it's just... Really, it's in a nutshell.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17It's a beautifully executed glass. The engraving is a high quality.
0:43:17 > 0:43:19It has a lemon squeezer base.
0:43:19 > 0:43:23It's inconceivable for us to imagine what it's like,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25life without electric light.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29And so the table was bedecked and the room was bedecked with candles.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31Hundreds of candles to generate enough light.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33And the purpose of the lemon squeezer,
0:43:33 > 0:43:37it's formed on exactly the same principle as the common lemon
0:43:37 > 0:43:41squeezer they use for squeezing lemons, believe it or not.
0:43:41 > 0:43:46And the idea is that you have a series of arcades within
0:43:46 > 0:43:51the foot, all of which are designed to capture light,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53take it in and fire it out again,
0:43:53 > 0:43:56to sparkle in candlelight.
0:43:56 > 0:43:58It's a lovely glass, beautifully executed,
0:43:58 > 0:44:02and it's direct lineage to you, which is the best element about it.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05- Do you ever use it? - I haven't done, no.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08- Well, I think you should break... - Not quite big enough.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Not quite big enough. A man after my own heart!
0:44:11 > 0:44:13It is bit titchy, I must admit.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16Anyway, look, you've got three of them, as it happens,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19which is just triple bonus.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22And their value, I suppose retail would be about £250 each,
0:44:22 > 0:44:26which is worth your while putting a little wine in them
0:44:26 > 0:44:29tonight and cheering your good fortune.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32- Will do.- Cheers.- Thank you.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Well, an amazing comical crow.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41And the thing that will surprise a lot of people is who made it.
0:44:41 > 0:44:46And it's not until I do this that all becomes clear.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48It's the one and only Ms Clarice Cliff, who for me,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51as many people know, I think
0:44:51 > 0:44:54is one of the greatest ceramic designers of the 20th century.
0:44:54 > 0:44:59But what on earth is she doing producing a crow like this?
0:44:59 > 0:45:00And also...
0:45:00 > 0:45:03where did it come from? How on earth did you come to own it?
0:45:03 > 0:45:08Well, it was my sister-in-law who bought it from a flee market
0:45:08 > 0:45:13in Stockport about 40 years ago for her mother.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16And that's the history I know
0:45:16 > 0:45:19and it's always been in the family from then on.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21And did you always know it was your Clarice Cliff crow?
0:45:21 > 0:45:24Later on. Not at first.
0:45:24 > 0:45:29Yes, later on when Clarice Cliff became a bit more popular.
0:45:29 > 0:45:34But mostly with her china and her cups and saucers and plates.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36Well, I have to tell you something.
0:45:36 > 0:45:40I've been doing Clarice Cliff now for 30 years. I've never seen one.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44- No.- It's the first time I've ever managed to
0:45:44 > 0:45:45get my hands on one of these.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49I'd heard about them, I'd seen a little photograph in a book,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51but I've never ever got one.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53And in terms of the date,
0:45:53 > 0:45:58it's in a very specific period of between 1937 and 1952.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01And actually that's about when the market was changing.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05Clarice realised that all the bold and the jazzy stuff wasn't quite
0:46:05 > 0:46:07so popular and she reverts back to doing what
0:46:07 > 0:46:09she loves the most, which is modelling.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13I think it's so good to see because I think it's actually shows that
0:46:13 > 0:46:15there was more to her than just crocus flowers
0:46:15 > 0:46:18and bold jazzy paintings and all these abstract patterns.
0:46:18 > 0:46:20He's comic, he's fun.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24He's not necessarily everything that a typical Clarice Cliff
0:46:24 > 0:46:27collector would want.
0:46:27 > 0:46:29I know that there are collectors out there who'd love these.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31And do you know what?
0:46:31 > 0:46:34Get one of those, they'll give you £200-£300 for him.
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Gosh. Well, that's amazing.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44The Freemason Fraternity is one of the world's largest
0:46:44 > 0:46:47non-religious, non-political institutions.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52So you brought along items that all have emblems relating to
0:46:52 > 0:46:56the Freemasons, so I can assume that not only are you a collector
0:46:56 > 0:47:00of all things Freemasonry, but you are a Mason yourself?
0:47:00 > 0:47:03I am. Signed up. Affiliated. Yes. I have been for many years.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06So there was a lot of material manufactured over the years.
0:47:06 > 0:47:10And this is a mantel clock, but not an English one.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12- This one's French, is it?- Yes.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14They do them in French enamel.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18That particular clock dates to circa 1920s.
0:47:18 > 0:47:23Lots of triangular things around the time of Tutankhamen et cetera,
0:47:23 > 0:47:26and Masons went into the symbolism.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- And you get the all-seeing eye. - Yeah.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32And obviously other tools that would have been used by Masons,
0:47:32 > 0:47:35- so the compass, the rule.- Yeah.
0:47:35 > 0:47:39And the scales, what do they represent?
0:47:39 > 0:47:41That's the level, basically.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45- It means people meet on the level, et cetera.- Ah!
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Yeah, so you go that way.
0:47:48 > 0:47:50Tell me about the fraternity itself.
0:47:50 > 0:47:53Well, Freemasonry has been going back to the times,
0:47:53 > 0:47:58I would say, of King Solomon and his temple.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02So you're going back several thousand years, basically.
0:48:02 > 0:48:04And it was all to do with stonemasons.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06As they went through apprenticeships,
0:48:06 > 0:48:10they would need to be recognised as being quality stonemasons.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14So they would pick up signs, tokens, handshakes, et cetera,
0:48:14 > 0:48:17to identify them when they're moving from job to job.
0:48:17 > 0:48:19And that was basically your CV.
0:48:19 > 0:48:21Over the years, it's now progressed.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Freemasonry has changed
0:48:23 > 0:48:25and it's now become more of a charitable organisation.
0:48:25 > 0:48:30Now, obviously, your prize possessions is this amazing
0:48:30 > 0:48:34chain of a whole range of pens.
0:48:34 > 0:48:40There's what looks like a football, but they all open up.
0:48:40 > 0:48:46They do. They open up mostly into the signs of crosses or stars.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50The symbols on the inside of them tell a story
0:48:50 > 0:48:54and as you go through the different degrees in Freemasonry
0:48:54 > 0:48:56you would open up the cross, read them,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59normally you would read them from bottom to top
0:48:59 > 0:49:01and then down the cross.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04- And it will give you things to moralise on.- OK.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07- Sort of like an aide-memoire? - It is, yeah.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09And you got a miniature book.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13That is the Volume of the Sacred Law.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Basically, it's the Bible.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19But that particular one comes from Glasgow.
0:49:19 > 0:49:24It was made in Glasgow round about 1920s.
0:49:24 > 0:49:27It's unusual that it has the gold binding
0:49:27 > 0:49:31- and the gold pages on the inside. - Fantastic.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34And how long have you been collecting?
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Probably round about four or five years now.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40You've achieved a remarkable...
0:49:40 > 0:49:43- Thank you. - ..collection in such a short time.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47- You must be very enthusiastic?- Yes.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49That's great because collecting's all about passion.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52And you're obviously a passionate collector
0:49:52 > 0:49:54and you've put together a wonderful collection.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57- And it's worth money. - Thank you.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00The watch does turn up quite regularly at auction, but also
0:50:00 > 0:50:04with the chain attached, I mean, I think that is a quite rare thing.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07I would assume at auction we would put a value of between
0:50:07 > 0:50:11- £1,500 and £2,000 on that. - Thank you.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14This is rarer. I've never seen one before.
0:50:14 > 0:50:19So, by itself, I would think between £2,000 and £3,000.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21OK.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23But this is a difficult one.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26There are things there I've never seen.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29You must be talking about a figure between, I would think,
0:50:29 > 0:50:31£8,000 and £12,000.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34They are gold, they are silver, they're incredibly rare.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37Fantastic collection and thank you so much for bringing them along.
0:50:37 > 0:50:38You're welcome.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Firstly, what a beautiful colour.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Jade green. Oriental jade green.
0:50:45 > 0:50:48It looks beautiful against this backdrop. It looks great.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52So this was a very early woofer or tweeter.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56And it's made to amplify the sound out...
0:50:56 > 0:51:00- I see.- ..in your posh cruise cabin.
0:51:00 > 0:51:05It would sit on a sideboard and it could cover a speaker.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10So it would hide it, it would make this cabin more functional,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13spacious and you can imagine the first time it went off.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16"This is the captain speaking."
0:51:16 > 0:51:17SHE LAUGHS
0:51:17 > 0:51:20Fright of your life. "This Buddha is talking to me!"
0:51:20 > 0:51:22So it's also functional and beautiful
0:51:22 > 0:51:27and goes with the height of luxury travel in the '20s and '30s.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Tell me, what do you know about it?
0:51:29 > 0:51:33Well, it belonged to my great uncle.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37He was fond of anything that was a bit different.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40He died and left it to his sister, my grandmother.
0:51:40 > 0:51:44Who then of course died and then left it to my mother.
0:51:44 > 0:51:45And I've got it now.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48And I love the colour, but I don't know a lot about it.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50It almost looks like a contemporary colour.
0:51:50 > 0:51:52It will go in with any room set in today.
0:51:52 > 0:51:57Even though it's made in the 1925, '35 period,
0:51:57 > 0:51:58and made by the Doulton factory
0:51:58 > 0:52:02around the Staffordshire potteries area
0:52:02 > 0:52:05for Artandial and Co.
0:52:05 > 0:52:10And Artandial supplied the cruise liners of their day,
0:52:10 > 0:52:12some of the biggest cruise liners.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15This is the time when people carried Louis Vuitton cases with them
0:52:15 > 0:52:19and went across the world, oceanic transport.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22So it's a generic oriental style.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24It's neither a Buddha, a sage or an immortal.
0:52:24 > 0:52:29And it's got this beautiful fretwork, the style underneath it.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32Lets the light just fall underneath it.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34So where do you have it in your house?
0:52:34 > 0:52:36It's in the window, funnily enough.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40I just like. It goes in the room and I just like it.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43I would love this in my room. I think it's beautiful.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47There's not a lot of them around or made.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52I have seen cockatoos making £200, £300-£400.
0:52:52 > 0:52:57But I will put this in the region of £500-£600.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59Oh. Wonderful.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01And I think it's an achievement, that. It really is.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04So take it back home, put in the window and enjoy it.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06- I will.- Thanks for bringing it along. Thank you.
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Thank you very much.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13I always get a thrill from historical portraits.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17And of course we're looking at a face of speed and locomotion.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20- This is George Stephenson.- It is.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23- The great locomotion architect. - That's right.
0:53:23 > 0:53:25- Designer...- Engineer.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29And engineer. Am I right in thinking this has been in a factory?
0:53:29 > 0:53:30Yes.
0:53:30 > 0:53:34The company that his son set up, Robert Stephenson,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37was based in Newton-le-Willows by the railway
0:53:37 > 0:53:39and we inherited that company.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41I see. And so where was it actually hanging?
0:53:41 > 0:53:43In the boardroom.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46It's been in the boardroom for as long as anyone knows, really.
0:53:46 > 0:53:48And it still is. It's still in ours now.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51So the face of someone who has inspired the business,
0:53:51 > 0:53:54the factory, and of course the history of locomotion
0:53:54 > 0:53:57- has been looking down upon you... - In the boardroom, yeah.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00- ..as they're working and making decisions.- Yeah, that's right.
0:54:00 > 0:54:04We like to think of him as the grandfather of the company.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07So you're looking at a portrait which is, in some ways,
0:54:07 > 0:54:12a typical Victorian worthy, although it's very, very early Victorian,
0:54:12 > 0:54:14if it is Victorian.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18It's painted... Actually, why should it not be painted in 1845,
0:54:18 > 0:54:20the date that is says here?
0:54:22 > 0:54:26And every portrait that is of a historical person tries,
0:54:26 > 0:54:28if they're famous during their day,
0:54:28 > 0:54:31to say something about the achievements of that person,
0:54:31 > 0:54:33that man or woman.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35And here, it's all in the left-hand corner.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38There you have a pair of dividers.
0:54:38 > 0:54:39That is rather wonderful, in a way,
0:54:39 > 0:54:43because the picture leaves you in no doubt as to his qualifications.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45- Sure.- He was a very interesting man.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49I mean, his parents were illiterate. He was self-taught, wasn't he?
0:54:49 > 0:54:53Yeah. And he also invented one of the miner safety lamps.
0:54:53 > 0:54:55Like the Davy lamp, but his version of it.
0:54:55 > 0:55:00Well, what is this painting, in terms of our history?
0:55:02 > 0:55:06You can see down there it says Henry Pickersgill.
0:55:06 > 0:55:08Henry Pickersgill, early 19th century,
0:55:08 > 0:55:11an artist of celebrities and leading figures.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13But there's a problem
0:55:13 > 0:55:15because there's a portrait by Henry Pickersgill.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17Have you seen it in the National Portrait Gallery?
0:55:17 > 0:55:20I've seen it online in their collection, yeah.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24- Exactly the same picture.- So you have exactly the same picture?- Yeah.
0:55:24 > 0:55:25Is it a fake?
0:55:25 > 0:55:27Is it a copy?
0:55:27 > 0:55:30- Did he do copies? I don't know. - Artists sometimes did versions.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32They replicated their own works.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35- OK.- They did variants.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38And if you look into this picture and areas of this picture,
0:55:38 > 0:55:41the quality begins to shine forth.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43I mean, look at the arm of that chair.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47Look at the way the creases are done in the material, the fabric.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Is it leather? I'm not sure.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52But this is an artist who knows his way around a still life object.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55- Yeah.- And then there's something else which is rather reassuring.
0:55:55 > 0:55:58- A signature on the bottom there. Have you seen that?- Yeah.
0:55:58 > 0:56:02That looks to me like the cipher of Henry Pickersgill.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06- So you've had it cleaned recently? - Yes, we had it cleaned last year.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08And it's been in boardrooms all its life,
0:56:08 > 0:56:11so it's had nicotine all over it, no doubt.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14So now we come to the gritty subject of its valuation.
0:56:14 > 0:56:19Well, as a copy, as a contemporary copy, it would be worth £1,500.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21And on reflection, having looked at all
0:56:21 > 0:56:23the elements in the painting,
0:56:23 > 0:56:26having looked at the quality of some of the areas,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29having read through the condition and working out how it might look
0:56:29 > 0:56:31if it were better restored,
0:56:31 > 0:56:35on balance, I think it is by Henry Pickersgill.
0:56:35 > 0:56:38- And, therefore, it's not a copy.- OK.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40Probably worth about £25,000.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43Gosh. Really? More than we thought.
0:56:44 > 0:56:47Well, thanks, Philip. That's great.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52Do you remember how at the beginning of the programme
0:56:52 > 0:56:55I mentioned that Mr Darcy moment when Colin Firth emerged from this
0:56:55 > 0:57:00lake, dripping and glorious in the TV adaption of Pride and Prejudice?
0:57:00 > 0:57:03Well, sadly, Colin Firth hasn't turned up today.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06But our arms in military expert Robert Tilney is threatening to
0:57:06 > 0:57:08re-enact the scene for us.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11And we're all rather hoping he doesn't.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13From the Antiques Roadshow team, bye-bye.
0:57:18 > 0:57:20Subtitles by Ericsson.