0:00:43 > 0:00:47We love finding new venues for the Antiques Roadshow
0:00:47 > 0:00:50and this location is very rarely open to visitors.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56This imposing Victorian exterior hides a bit of a surprise inside.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57For today's Antiques Roadshow,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00I'm in the newsroom of BBC Monitoring
0:01:00 > 0:01:02at Caversham Park near Reading.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05And this section of the BBC is not widely known about, but I'm hugely
0:01:05 > 0:01:09excited to be here, because it plays a vital role in our news broadcasts.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12The people working here feed information in to me
0:01:12 > 0:01:16and all of our news teams to tell us what is happening at any one time,
0:01:16 > 0:01:18anywhere in the world.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Many different languages are spoken in this newsroom
0:01:22 > 0:01:24and these journalists are watching
0:01:24 > 0:01:28more than 2,000 individual media sources.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29Over the past 70 years,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31they've often been the first to break the news
0:01:31 > 0:01:33of world changing events.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37BBC Monitoring was set up in August 1939
0:01:37 > 0:01:40as war threatened the nation and one of its aims
0:01:40 > 0:01:43was to listen in to what countries were broadcasting to
0:01:43 > 0:01:48their citizens on the radio, translate it, analyse it,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and highlight to the government any propaganda or spin.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Winston Churchill understood the impact of media
0:01:56 > 0:01:59and was an avid customer of BBC Monitoring.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03He'd phone up in the night for the latest news and ask of Hitler,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05"What's that fellow been saying?"
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Even after the war, the organisation continued to have a front row seat
0:02:10 > 0:02:11at global events.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16This included providing the translation of a radio broadcast
0:02:16 > 0:02:18by Nikita Khrushchev in 1962,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21announcing the withdrawal of Soviet vessels
0:02:21 > 0:02:24carrying nuclear missiles to Cuba.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26This ended the Cuban Missile Crisis
0:02:26 > 0:02:28when it was rushed to the White House and more recently,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31BBC Monitoring broke to British audiences the capture
0:02:31 > 0:02:33of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37For many local people, this is the first time they've had a chance to
0:02:37 > 0:02:41visit the site, so we are delighted to welcome the people of Berkshire
0:02:41 > 0:02:42here to meet our experts.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46I'm pretty sure they'll have a few revelations of their own to pass on.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49As a boy, I was a mad keen model maker
0:02:49 > 0:02:55and you've no idea the emotions and memories evoked by looking
0:02:55 > 0:02:57at these lovely models that you've brought along,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00which date back to about 1800, 1810.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02The Napoleonic Wars.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05And have you had them in your family since then?
0:03:05 > 0:03:10I inherited... Well, Dad inherited them and they've been passed down
0:03:10 > 0:03:11through the family.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14He is the latest generation to have it.
0:03:14 > 0:03:19But my uncles bought them in 1945 in an antiques shop
0:03:19 > 0:03:24in Newington Road, Edinburgh. They were not models to play with.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- Oh, no. For sure.- No way.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30So, I mean, I looked upon these as the prize models,
0:03:30 > 0:03:35whereas I had other sort of cardboard ones which I played with.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36That's how I would have seen them.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40I would have seen this model-making as something to aspire to...
0:03:40 > 0:03:41- Yes.- ..when I was 14.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45- Yes.- As you may or may not know, they are made by prisoners of war...
0:03:45 > 0:03:48- Yeah.- ..from the Napoleonic Wars.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52The prisoners were interned in places like Peterborough
0:03:52 > 0:03:56and in hulk ships, which dotted the coasts of England
0:03:56 > 0:03:58at the time of the Napoleonic Wars.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00And do you know what they're made of?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03We think they are made of whalebone...
0:04:03 > 0:04:05That's unlikely.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07- Yeah?- They're probably made of mutton bone.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- Oh, OK.- They were scraps that the
0:04:10 > 0:04:13prisoners could beg, borrow, steal...
0:04:13 > 0:04:19and there was an industry in those prison camps of model-making.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Because I suppose the wardens and the guards
0:04:21 > 0:04:27thought that people that were occupied were less trouble.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29And as they're ships,
0:04:29 > 0:04:34it's probable that the model makers in this case were sailors.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39And they were making sort of generic models of ships that they'd been on.
0:04:39 > 0:04:45This one, of course, is a lovely ship, but this one is the gem.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47I mean, it's fantastic.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52The metal for the guns were probably again begged, borrowed, stolen.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56You've got wonderful detail here, you've got a beautiful figurehead.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59I mean, they are fantastic and they are very collectable.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03- Right, yes.- The lesser one, that one,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07would make £3,000, £4,000, £5,000...
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Right. Blimey.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11- Yeah.- ..in one of those auctions.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12And this one...
0:05:14 > 0:05:16£7,000, £8,000, £9,000.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Cor!
0:05:19 > 0:05:21- That's amazing.- That's good.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24With a little restoration maybe even ten.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- Right.- They are period, they are Napoleonic,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29they are prisoner of war, they are fantastic.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34- MARC:- I'm a dog lover, I have two Jack Russells
0:05:34 > 0:05:39and I absolutely adore them, but to call this beautiful-looking
0:05:39 > 0:05:41canine creature a dog would be wrong,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43in fact, because it's a hound.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45But I want you to tell me a little bit
0:05:45 > 0:05:47about this great looking sculpture,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51obviously, sizeable sculpture as well, which is actually cast-iron.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52Where did it come from?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55It's been in my husband's family for over 100 years.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59They were the inventors and manufacturers of plasticine.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Right.- And William Harbutt, who was the inventor,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04used to travel all around the world showing it.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08And he got this when he was travelling and he was near Holyrood
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and they were doing a house sale.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12He was told it was one of a pair,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16although he only got the one and that they were a gift from Napoleon.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17Oh, really? OK.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19So, that sounds really interesting.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Well, an amazing claim to fame, for a start.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Crumbs, I wish I'd been able to tell all my childhood friends
0:06:23 > 0:06:25that my family had invented plasticine.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27That would be great.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30I think you're absolutely right about it being one of a pair.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33If we look at it and the way the hound is posed,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35then certainly they were made to be opposed.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37There would have been another one.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Interestingly enough, the reason I called it a hound is because it's a
0:06:40 > 0:06:41- hunting dog.- OK.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44And the other thing is that I think this is a French casting,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46so it's a French hunting dog.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48- OK.- A French hound.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51What's also interesting about it is that it has a sheath,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53a covering of copper.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58We can see there are kind of flakes of it peeling off.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02I think date wise, 19, late 19th century.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05- Right.- So I have to be honest with you,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08I'm a little bit sceptical about the Napoleon story.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- Yeah.- So the question is, who is it by?
0:07:11 > 0:07:13I've looked all over it and I can't see a signature,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15I can't see any initials.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18But as far as I'm concerned, it follows a pair
0:07:18 > 0:07:22of very interesting and well sculpted hounds
0:07:22 > 0:07:25by a gentleman called Henri Jacquemart.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29And this, actually, is a fairly reasonable copy of one of them.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32Obviously, it's not quite of the quality of Jacquemart,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34but it's still a very, very good thing.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36And I'm sure it looks lovely in your hallway.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39- Yes.- I think if this were to come up for sale at auction,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41- it would make £2,000 to £3,000. - Excellent.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Well, it's not going anywhere, it's part of the family.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45So...
0:07:45 > 0:07:47It's obviously got a great family history with it.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50- Yes, yes.- Plasticine connection is great.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51Good job he's not made of plasticine,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54because he still wouldn't be here, would he?
0:07:54 > 0:07:55- Yes. - SHE LAUGHS
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Right, thank you very much. - My pleasure.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02- JOHN:- Do you know, when I first saw that brooch,
0:08:02 > 0:08:04which is fashioned as a bird,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06do you know what I first thought it was?
0:08:06 > 0:08:07I thought it was a vulture.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11- Right.- Because the way that the wings are configured
0:08:11 > 0:08:14around the pearl in the middle looks a bit vulture-like,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17but when I saw it I thought, "This can't be a vulture."
0:08:17 > 0:08:18No-one would want to wear a vulture.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20- True.- And when you look at it carefully,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23you see that it is, of course, a songbird.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25What it is, it's a bird catching the worm.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Right.- It's a novelty. Isn't it?- Yes, absolutely.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- Do you like it? - I love it.- Do you?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- Yes.- Do you wear it?
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Um... I'm not the type to wear brooches,
0:08:35 > 0:08:37but if I had a little jacket,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39I wouldn't say no to putting it on my lapel.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42You touch upon a point at the moment,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45brooches are not everyone's cup of tea.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49And these sort of pieces, you've got to have the right outfit for it,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51the right occasion to wear it, haven't you?
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- Yes.- Did you ever wonder what it was, what it was made of?
0:08:55 > 0:08:59It was in my mum's jewellery box and as a kid,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01I'd sort of have a rummage.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03I've seen it's got a mark on the back.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06So I presume it's some sort of gold.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- It is gold.- Right.- High-carat gold.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13- Mm-hm.- I've mentioned to you that it's got a pearl in the middle.- OK.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17Not a valuable pearl. It's a mother-of-pearl plaque...
0:09:17 > 0:09:22- OK.- ..that's been carved and mounted up in the frame of gold,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24with these wings, which I was rather rude about,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- describing it as a vulture's wings. But you know what I mean.- Yeah, yes.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29- You can see.- And the head is textured.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32And there's a little eye, set with a ruby.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34- OK.- And there's a little worm.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35In other words, novelty.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- Right.- Novelty through and through.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41- Yeah.- Now, in the middle part of the 1950s,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44novelty brooches were all the rage.
0:09:44 > 0:09:49You'd have all sorts of things like comical winking pussycats,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54birds, robins with their, you know, nests with pearls forming the eggs.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56- You know what I mean?- Sure, yeah.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Jewellery then was made with this novelty factor in mind.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04They were very, very popular. And they sold extremely well.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Now, you mentioned that there was a mark on the back, didn't you?
0:10:06 > 0:10:12- I did.- If I turn it over, we can see there is the hallmark.- Yeah, right.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17- Yeah.- It was hallmarked in London in 1954.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20To supplement the ruby and the pearl,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23we also have a diamond at the end of the branch.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26So, we're not talking about a bit of costume jewellery.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's gold, it's diamond, it's ruby, and it's pearl.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Now, you've also brought along the box.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37- Yes.- So, if I put it into the box, like that...
0:10:39 > 0:10:43..we see that actually it fits perfectly into the box.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47- It does, yeah.- This is a box that was made for the brooch,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51by Boucheron, one of the most highly-sought names
0:10:51 > 0:10:53of jewellery design,
0:10:53 > 0:10:55and these little bird brooches,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- they are red hot.- Are they?
0:10:57 > 0:11:01They're red hot. Would you like me to tell you what I think it's worth?
0:11:01 > 0:11:04- Yes.- £1,500 to £2,000.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Wow! Aw, that's lovely.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12- So, you're 17...- Yeah.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- And you've brought me the oldest things I've seen today.- Really?
0:11:15 > 0:11:16What got your passion?
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Well, my dad kind of took me to Silchester
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and basically just showed me how to look at the stuff,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25identifying the objects,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and so that's really been my passion from there.
0:11:28 > 0:11:29Always loved history.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It's just literally finding all the stuff on the surface
0:11:32 > 0:11:34in rabbit holes, molehills, anything,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and it's quite fascinating how all this has been
0:11:37 > 0:11:39brought up to the surface.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42And what we're looking at here is the sophistication of the Romans.
0:11:42 > 0:11:44Exactly, yeah.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46I mean, you've got fabulous things here like...
0:11:46 > 0:11:48There's painted plaster.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50And what I love about it is just holding it.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52You imagine this in a Roman villa.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- Exactly.- It's incredible.- I know.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57What's your favourite piece?
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Probably this painted piece of pottery.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03I really like it because it's hand-painted by someone
0:12:03 > 0:12:07and that person is unknown to us,
0:12:07 > 0:12:09probably never been documented in history,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12but this piece of pottery tells their story.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15And I think that's the fascinating thing, it is for me, too,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18that when you handle antiques, when you handle antiquities like this,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21you're getting closer to these people that made these,
0:12:21 > 0:12:22that lived with them,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and you actually feel their lifestyle in this...
0:12:25 > 0:12:27In these pieces.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32And you've got coins here, you've got brooches, you've got rings.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Whole little glimpses of Roman life.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38Exactly. It just tells the story, piece by piece, basically.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Of course, in terms of value, it is a very difficult collection to sell.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46You've got some lovely pieces, and I suppose if it came up for sale,
0:12:46 > 0:12:51you might find two enthusiasts like yourself who'd go to maybe £100.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55But what I think is so fascinating is your love of this,
0:12:55 > 0:12:57your passion. Fabulous!
0:13:04 > 0:13:06It was actually my grandmother's
0:13:06 > 0:13:09and I remember it sitting in the front parlour.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10When people had parlours!
0:13:10 > 0:13:15It's a type of Chinese ware that was called sort of famille rose.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16As a 19th-century one,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19I think it is worth today probably about £300 or £400.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23- Yes, OK.- If it were an 18th-century one...- Yes.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25..I think it would be upwards of half a million.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Oh!
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Oh, my goodness me!
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- What a shame! - LAUGHTER
0:13:38 > 0:13:41There's one recommendation I would like to make and that is,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43have you ever thought of washing it?
0:13:43 > 0:13:45- Hold on to this. - To be honest with you,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48I had it wrapped up so much that I didn't want to unwrap it...
0:13:48 > 0:13:49- See what that is? - SHE SHRIEKS
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Well, don't... Anybody got any radish seeds?
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Because we could actually grow stuff in here.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57There's so much filth in here!
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Can I ask how much you paid for this at auction?
0:14:02 > 0:14:03We paid £40 for it.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08So, basically, you are wanting to know whether this is worth £40...
0:14:08 > 0:14:12Whether it's a genuine Meissen or whether it's a good copy.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17- So is it £40, is it £44,000?- Yes.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19I'm glad you're sitting down.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Because if this spoke, it wouldn't be speaking German,
0:14:22 > 0:14:23it would be speaking Chinese.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- Would it?- It's almost brand-new.
0:14:26 > 0:14:27- Is it?- Made in China.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Oh!
0:14:30 > 0:14:33We all know how popular Tolkien is today,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36as a result of his books and particularly the films
0:14:36 > 0:14:38that have quite recently come out.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43But he was extremely popular in his day as well.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48- And is it your father...- Mm-hmm. - ..who wrote to him as a fan?
0:14:48 > 0:14:49Absolutely.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51So, my father would have been about 24 at the time,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and I know he was a fan of the Hobbit originally.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56And he read the books as they came out.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58And he wrote some letters to Tolkien in 1956,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01after the last book was published,
0:15:01 > 0:15:03to really ask some complex and nuanced questions.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06But you can see from the responses that Tolkien's really
0:15:06 > 0:15:10taken the time to answer and provide some background.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13There's two letters. First letter is eight pages long.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16And as you say, it goes into incredible detail
0:15:16 > 0:15:22about what's behind the language, the history, the sort of wordage,
0:15:22 > 0:15:25a lot of detail about the Lord of the Rings,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27that I didn't know,
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and, obviously, your father was interested in,
0:15:30 > 0:15:32and a lot of those questions have been answered.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I mean, if we just go to the first letter.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36So, "Dear Mr Britten."
0:15:36 > 0:15:40He says, "Thank you very much for your letter, there was no need to apologise for it."
0:15:40 > 0:15:43Obviously, some people are rather apologetic in bothering
0:15:43 > 0:15:46a sort of famous person and taking up their time.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48"It's a very handsome and pleasing compliment."
0:15:48 > 0:15:50So he obviously enjoyed the letter.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53"I shall have to be brief in reply," he says, rather ironically,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55and then goes on to take up eight pages.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58"Since I am in fact busy,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01"but also because the success of the Lord of the Rings,
0:16:01 > 0:16:02"having astonished them,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06"my publishers are now anxious for me to put into publishable order
0:16:06 > 0:16:09"the Silmarillion and other legends of the First and Second Ages."
0:16:09 > 0:16:11So he's talking about the book.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15He's an author, he's mentioning his books in the first paragraph.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16And then, interestingly,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20he goes almost straight into in-depth answers
0:16:20 > 0:16:23to some of the questions that your father asked.
0:16:23 > 0:16:28He goes on to quote on different pages in the Lord of the Rings,
0:16:28 > 0:16:33where he mentions Gimli, he mentions Legolas, and so the letter goes on.
0:16:33 > 0:16:34In the second letter,
0:16:34 > 0:16:38he's advising about some of the books that your father might then
0:16:38 > 0:16:41refer to if he wants to study it in even more depth.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46These are really, really important letters.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49Really important letters.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51Let's go to the smaller one first.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54With its original envelope, £3,000-£4,000.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56Maybe £4,000-£5,000.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00The longer letter, eight pages of it, in huge detail,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02I think you could be looking at £10,000.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04£8,000-£12,000, let's say.
0:17:04 > 0:17:05A little postcard,
0:17:05 > 0:17:09you might be looking at somewhere between £500 and £1,000.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13So, overall, I can easily see this lot,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16if it came up for auction, making £10,000-£15,000.
0:17:16 > 0:17:22It's a really, really fascinating and warm...
0:17:22 > 0:17:25- Yeah.- ..series of letters.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Coffer, blanket box, chest.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- What do you call it?- Blanket box.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Because it's always had blankets in it.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42As a child, it had blankets in it in our family house.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And then my mother remembers it with blankets in it.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48She had to pass by it on the way to her bedroom,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51because she had the attic bedroom with her sister.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53And although it had blankets in it,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- she always thought it had a body in it. - SHE LAUGHS
0:17:55 > 0:17:58And she and her sister,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01because there was no lighting in the top part of the house,
0:18:01 > 0:18:04she and her sister had to go past it in the dark
0:18:04 > 0:18:06and they would run past it, singing songs,
0:18:06 > 0:18:10frightened that the body might sort of come out of it
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- and grab hold of them on their way to bed.- How utterly terrifying!
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Well, I love a piece of furniture with a date on it.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Anno 1814.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22The question is, is it right?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Well, that's what I wanted to ask you,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28because we don't know whether it's 1814, the date of the marquetry,
0:18:28 > 0:18:33put onto an older box, or whether that's the date of the whole box.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35So, I don't know! Perhaps you can tell me?
0:18:35 > 0:18:37Well, you've got a very good instinct
0:18:37 > 0:18:39because you're absolutely right.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43- The coffer itself is of an earlier date.- Mm-hmm.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Almost sort of quite provincially made,
0:18:45 > 0:18:50quite sort of humble and, you know, made out of, really, chunks of oak.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54And yet, the front of it is so much more refined, isn't it?
0:18:54 > 0:18:57- Yes, yes.- It's quite a sort of juxtaposition.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59And yet it hangs together quite well, doesn't it?
0:18:59 > 0:19:01Well, we love it.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05So, in fact, I think it's really three different dates.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- The coffer could be anything around- 1700. Wow!
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Or thereabouts.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Quite difficult to date because it's a very traditional form
0:19:13 > 0:19:16- that doesn't change much over the centuries.- Sure.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20I have no reason to feel that this marquetry inscription
0:19:20 > 0:19:22and date is incorrect.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24But what was it commemorating?
0:19:24 > 0:19:28Was it the coming of age of Ellen Eggers?
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Is it a marriage chest?
0:19:30 > 0:19:35We don't know. So, in 1814, this was a sort of created...
0:19:35 > 0:19:39The burning question, then, I suppose, is what's it worth?
0:19:40 > 0:19:42£700?
0:19:42 > 0:19:44Oh!
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Lovely. I mean, not that we are going to sell it, we never would.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50It'll be in the family, I should think, for generations to come.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Please tell me you didn't steal this from the Queens Arms in Goring?
0:19:55 > 0:19:56No, no.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00We ran the Queens Arms for nine and a half years during the 1990s.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04It was one of 12 that were behind the bar
0:20:04 > 0:20:06and the previous landlord sold them
0:20:06 > 0:20:08when he knew he was going to retire from the business.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12Two went to locals, who as far as I know still have them.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14And the other ten he sold to a collector.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17The collector decided to dispose of his collection
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and seeing the Queens Arms and Goring on there,
0:20:20 > 0:20:24he decided to offer it to us, being the tenants at the time, first.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27I've got a receipt at home for £140.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- For the ten.- So, £14 each.- Mm-hm.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33- OK. You've obviously noticed this bit...- Yes.- It's a pint.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35And do you know what this is?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38That'll be an assay stamp.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I'm testing your publican's knowledge, you see.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45It is. This is the excise office stamp to prove that it was a pint.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48- But the ER is for Edward VII.- Yes.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50But any idea what 71 is?
0:20:50 > 0:20:53That will be the number of the local office.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56You obviously did your publican's exam.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59So, the next question is, where is the local office for 71?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Ah, now, I don't know that.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Well, it's not in Goring, it's in Newcastle upon Tyne, where I'm from.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Really?- So, it's the Geordie mug.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08This is by CT Merlin & Sons,
0:21:08 > 0:21:10who were the biggest pottery in Newcastle,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and one of the biggest potteries in the world.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15- Imagine going to the pub now and being given one of these. You just wouldn't!- Oh, no.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17And I can imagine the 12 behind the bar,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21the barman would probably know the names of everybody who drank from each one.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23But the American collectors particularly love these,
0:21:23 > 0:21:26and I would imagine if this ever came for sale,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- it would end up in an American collection.- Really?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30You paid £14 apiece.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32You've got ten of them.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35They are worth, well, you can put a zero on the end of that.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- Really?- So they're worth £100 to £150 apiece.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44- That's £1,500, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48- So we should be celebrating with a beer, shouldn't we? - We should indeed!
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Well, when you unpacked this today, I have to say,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56my eyes just about popped out of my head when I saw it.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59Much like the bulging eyes of this fish.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Tell me what you know about it before I go into a bit more detail.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04We don't really know a lot of history about it,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07other than originally it belonged to my grandparents.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12My grandfather bought it, I'm not sure where, then he...
0:22:12 > 0:22:16- When he died, it passed onto my father.- Mm-hm.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20And now my sister and I have got it.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24- We know it's got hallmarks on it and it's 19th century.- Right.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27But we are interested to know what it was used for,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29a vessel for what?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31- Drinking?- Good point. It is a drinking vessel.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- Oh, OK.- But it's for serving drink.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36- So it's actually a claret jug. - Oh, really? OK.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38So, you would fill it with red wine,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and you can imagine red wine inside that glass body
0:22:41 > 0:22:43looking very, very good indeed.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46- But you mentioned it's got marks on it.- Yeah.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49- We'll have a look at these right now. They are on the front.- OK.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52When I saw it, I was hoping these were the marks I was going to see.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- It's by a very important silversmith.- Oh, wow!
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- He's called Alexander Crichton.- OK.
0:22:57 > 0:23:02- And he specialised in exotic claret jugs like this.- OK.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08And he did parakeets, we've seen, all sorts of strange animals.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11This is a carp, as you probably know.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13The eyes are made with glass.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17The hallmarks, we'll just have a quick look at here, there it is,
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Alexander Crichton, London hallmarked, 1882.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- So, again, that's bang on what we would expect.- Right.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26He started in about the 1870s.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28So it ties in just nicely.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30The body is made of glass.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Probably by Thomas Webb,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35who made glass scent bottles and other things.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39- But it's just such an exotic-looking thing, isn't it?- Absolutely. Yeah.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42What do you do with it, if you didn't know it's a drinking thing?
0:23:42 > 0:23:46- Just an ornament?- Well, my parents just had it sort of on a shelf,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48a display cabinet.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51And, you know, they used to have loads of parties
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and we've got loads of photographs and in the background is this fish.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56- The carp.- The carp!
0:23:56 > 0:23:57- Wonderful.- So, yeah.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I would recommend that you try filling it with some claret
0:24:00 > 0:24:01when you get home, see what it looks like.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03I'm sure it'll look very good.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05- My husband loves a drop of red wine.- Well, there we go.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07What could be better?
0:24:07 > 0:24:09We've got to come to pricing it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12- They only appear very rarely on the market.- OK.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14So we're talking a substantial amount of money.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19What did you think, yourself?
0:24:19 > 0:24:22We haven't really got any idea, have we?
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Well, I can tell you that a parakeet example sold for about £8,000...
0:24:26 > 0:24:28- Oh, wow!- This is slightly better.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Oh!
0:24:30 > 0:24:35So we're looking at a value of around about £10,000-£15,000.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- Oh! - THEY LAUGH
0:24:39 > 0:24:42It's got everything that you could possibly want.
0:24:42 > 0:24:43Thank you.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00It's time to present you with our enigma, an item selected from a
0:25:00 > 0:25:03local museum, this time by our specialist, Adam Schoon.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04And you're going to, as ever,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07give this three versions of what it could be,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09only one of which is correct.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11It's certainly not obvious-looking at it, Adam.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14- So give us your first definition, then.- OK.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Well, look, I'd better tell you, it's made of chrome coated brass.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21It's very sleek, futuristic item.
0:25:21 > 0:25:29And the first item it could be is a 1920s pilot's chamberpot.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31Now, I know you're taken aback by that.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34Well, I'm slightly disgusted!
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Well, wash your hands afterwards!
0:25:36 > 0:25:38But if we just flick the lid...
0:25:39 > 0:25:42..if you were obviously on a long flight, and you needed to...
0:25:42 > 0:25:44There's nothing in there, I can tell you now.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47You did your stuff and of course, a good, tight finish.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51And someone thought, I know, I'll have my chamberpot mounted?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Yeah, I know, it appears trophy-like.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- So now that's got you slightly baffled, I can tell.- It has!
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- I'm wondering if it's actually watertight.- Well...
0:26:01 > 0:26:02Anyway, the mind boggles.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06- OK. So, a pilot's chamberpot.- Chamberpot.
0:26:06 > 0:26:13The second potential is as a 1920s prototype Bentley ashtray.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18If for example, Fiona, you were going on a lovely tour to Monaco,
0:26:18 > 0:26:22- in your convertible Bentley... - I love the sound of that already!
0:26:22 > 0:26:24You didn't want all the as obviously blowing in your face
0:26:24 > 0:26:28in your fabulous convertible, this is just what you needed.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Clipped to the dashboard, easily emptied.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34But obviously, an anti-wind device.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37OK, let's have the last suggestion, then.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41Well, the last is very much relevant to where we are today.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47This is one of the first BBC sports championship trophies.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53Awarded, believe it or not, here at Reading Golf Club in 1919.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59To the first winner, whose name actually used to appear on a plaque
0:26:59 > 0:27:02on the back of the pedestal base.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Right, what do we think, folks?
0:27:04 > 0:27:07- So, pilot's... AUDIENCE:- No.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Not big enough for a wee?
0:27:09 > 0:27:10LAUGHTER
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Chaps?
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I'm so taken with that, I've forgotten... What was the second one?
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- The second one...- Oh, the Bentley. - The Bentley prototype ashtray...
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- AUDIENCE:- Yeah.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22- ..to stop the wind.- Yeah? - Yeah, I'm going with that.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23The only thing I wonder,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26it doesn't show any sign of where it was attached.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28- And if it was attached, surely there'd be...- It does!
0:27:28 > 0:27:30You can see there's some denting and plenty of wear and tear.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33- It's a piece that seems... - Well, only there.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35OK. Or a golf trophy.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37- Folks? Golf trophy? - Why would it have a lid?
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Why would it have a lid? It's not containing the ashes, after all.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42The golf trophy? We don't care about the golf trophy.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44We're not buying that, Adam.
0:27:44 > 0:27:49So we are down to the pilot's caught short
0:27:49 > 0:27:53contraption, or a Bentley ashtray.
0:27:53 > 0:27:54- OK.- The choice is yours.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58The pilot's contraption?
0:27:58 > 0:27:59- AUDIENCE:- Yes.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Yes?
0:28:01 > 0:28:03- The Bentley? AUDIENCE MORE LOUDLY:- Yes.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04More are people going for the Bentley. OK.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06That's what the majority are going with.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08I'm listening to the voice of the people.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10The Bentley ashtray.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Well, it is actually...
0:28:15 > 0:28:16The pilot's chamberpot!
0:28:16 > 0:28:18GROANING AND CHEERING
0:28:20 > 0:28:26And there was a whisper by someone in the crowd of a tube
0:28:26 > 0:28:31that would have gone to the external part of the aircraft.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35And so, yeah, you just did your stuff, you know, needs must,
0:28:35 > 0:28:40and we were lent this very kindly by the Museum of Berkshire Aviation.
0:28:40 > 0:28:42So, you can go there
0:28:42 > 0:28:45and actually behold this rare object for yourself.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47But 1920s, it is.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51I'm told it comes from a pioneer aircraft,
0:28:51 > 0:28:54so we know where it's come from and obviously the job it did.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56So, yeah, caught you out.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Aw!
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Thanks, guys(!)
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Sometimes, the best things come in small packages.
0:29:07 > 0:29:09My goodness, is this a good thing!
0:29:09 > 0:29:11You showed this to me.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16I opened it up and I saw Shakespeare, comedies and tragedies,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20in what is almost certainly a 17th-century hand.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22What can you tell me about this?
0:29:22 > 0:29:27My five times great-grandfather was John Loveday of Caversham,
0:29:27 > 0:29:29and lived at Caversham Court.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32And he was an antiquarian and traveller
0:29:32 > 0:29:36and he amassed a library of 2,500 volumes.
0:29:36 > 0:29:41And I suspect that this probably came down through the family from him.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43But I don't know.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47It just appeared with my mother's belongings.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50And she had a lot of books, and there it was.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52And I'd never seen it before.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Flicking through this, this is a 17th-century hand,
0:29:56 > 0:30:01this is somebody making notes in the same century as Shakespeare.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Anything really from the same century as him
0:30:04 > 0:30:07about him, is of huge interest.
0:30:07 > 0:30:12And he's copying out quotes from various Shakespeare plays.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15This is... This is incredible.
0:30:15 > 0:30:19I mean, there is so much scholarship going on at the moment
0:30:19 > 0:30:23about how early readers of Shakespeare were receiving his works
0:30:23 > 0:30:28and what their reactions were, what they were focusing on.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30And here we have somebody
0:30:30 > 0:30:34who was reading Shakespeare and making notes.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36- In this incredibly tiny hand.- Yes.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38- Almost completely... - I can't read it.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40You can't read it?
0:30:40 > 0:30:42- I wish I could!- It's amazing.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45It's almost completely illegible, but you can pick out the odd word.
0:30:45 > 0:30:50And you can pick out phrases that appear in Shakespeare.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53There's a little quote here from Twelfth Night.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56Where he says, where is it?
0:30:56 > 0:30:58"The melancholy god protects thee,
0:30:58 > 0:31:02"and make thy doublet of changeable taffeta.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04And this is a quote from Twelfth Night.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06It's an extraordinary little object.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08The binding is amazing.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10It's made of an old piece of music.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14There's this curious seal. I mean, what do you make of this?
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Well, it's got Waterhouse,
0:31:16 > 0:31:18but I don't know anything about Waterhouse,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22or where he comes in, or why it should have been sealed anyway?
0:31:22 > 0:31:26At the end of the volume, there are these notes in Latin,
0:31:26 > 0:31:31sort of scientific scholarly notes, maybe they were lecture notes,
0:31:31 > 0:31:33maybe this person was a student.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38There is so much research that can be done on this item.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41It is absolutely extraordinary.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43My hands are trembling now.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45Just looking at it!
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Now, the size is marvellous as well.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50It's such a perfect little jewel.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53- And I think it was probably carried around in a pocket.- Yes.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56I think that this was his notebook...
0:31:56 > 0:31:58It would have been his bedtime reading.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00It could indeed. By candlelight.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02Although he probably went blind, I think!
0:32:02 > 0:32:03LAUGHTER
0:32:04 > 0:32:07The value to scholarship is enormous.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10When the value to scholarship is this great,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13the commercial value also has to be great.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Interest has never been greater.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21I think at auction you can see this making easily upwards of £30,000.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25Really? For such a small item.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28The best things come in small packages.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35A pair of miniature boots, very similar, although much smaller,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38to a pair that I used to have way back in the 1950s.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42And I remember having to nail in the studs myself when they got worn out.
0:32:42 > 0:32:46But also, interesting enough, they are actually signed, M Busby.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48How come?
0:32:48 > 0:32:52Matt Busby gave them to me in May of 1958.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55He was a great friend of my grandfather's.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58And he told me that these came after the 1958 plane
0:32:58 > 0:33:00that crashed at Munich.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02And they were in his personal luggage.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04And that's how I came to get them.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07So, a tragic accident for Manchester United,
0:33:07 > 0:33:11they were coming back from European engagement in Belgrade...
0:33:11 > 0:33:15- That's right. Yes.- And at Munich Airport, it was snowing,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18- they tried to take off twice and couldn't.- Absolutely.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Third time, they just never actually took off.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25- And I think up to 22, 23 people... - 23 people died.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27- Including eight members of the first team.- That's right, yes.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31My grandfather was invited to go on that trip
0:33:31 > 0:33:33but because of his age he was scared of flying,
0:33:33 > 0:33:34so he decided not to go.
0:33:34 > 0:33:37And he was absolutely devastated afterwards.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Because Matt Busby had been a friend of his since 1928.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45He had a business in Manchester with contacts all over,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49and he had a phone call one day from a Doctor Anderson in Scotland,
0:33:49 > 0:33:51who said, "I have a fine young footballer,
0:33:51 > 0:33:53"you are something to do with one of the Manchester clubs,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55"I'm going to put him on a train,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58"can you find him digs and take him to the club,"
0:33:58 > 0:34:01and he met an 18-year-old Matt Busby off the train at Manchester.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03And that's how the friendship developed.
0:34:03 > 0:34:05And that's how history started,
0:34:05 > 0:34:09because he ended up by making Manchester United
0:34:09 > 0:34:13arguably the most well-known and richest
0:34:13 > 0:34:17and probably the best team in the world.
0:34:17 > 0:34:18Absolutely. Yes.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22And as a family, we got to know them very well.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24On this occasion, when he gave me those, we went to see him,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26he was still on crutches.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28He was still injured a few months after Munich.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31And occasionally,
0:34:31 > 0:34:35I used to write to him and he'd sent me things like players' autographs,
0:34:35 > 0:34:36which was very good of him.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38So, this one is a letter to you.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42"Dear Mark, from Uncle Matt," he wasn't your uncle, but obviously...
0:34:42 > 0:34:45How old were you then in '62?
0:34:45 > 0:34:46- Nine.- Nine?- Yes.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49And he'd got all the first team to sign.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51- Yes.- That's pretty incredible.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54- He found the great George Best. - Absolutely.- Denis Law.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58- Bobby Charlton played there. I mean, what a fantastic team.- It was.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00First of all, thank you so much for bringing them along
0:35:00 > 0:35:02because it's great to see things you've never seen before.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04It's a wonderful story.
0:35:04 > 0:35:05And then we have to think about value.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Well, I think if we look at it all together, the signatures,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11the photograph, and the boots together,
0:35:11 > 0:35:14you've got to be talking about between £5,000 and £8,000,
0:35:14 > 0:35:15without a doubt.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17They aren't going anywhere.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20I'm a United fan. They'll stay with me.
0:35:23 > 0:35:24Do you know what these are?
0:35:24 > 0:35:26- Well, I know they're cloisonne.- Yep.
0:35:26 > 0:35:31And I know that they're quite old but I don't know how old,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34and I think it's Chinese cloisonne,
0:35:34 > 0:35:36- not Japanese cloisonne. - OK.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40What do you think you mean by the word cloisonne?
0:35:40 > 0:35:41Well, I do know what it is.
0:35:41 > 0:35:48It's a brass core on which little brass wires are soldered on,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51- very intricate work, and they're called cloisons.- Yeah.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55And they fill them up, I think, with groundglass and then fire it...
0:35:55 > 0:35:57- Yeah.- ..and then it's all rubbed down very smooth
0:35:57 > 0:36:00to make this beautiful, beautiful finish.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02You've been listening to me on the Roadshow!
0:36:02 > 0:36:06No, my father told me what they were.
0:36:06 > 0:36:07Absolutely brilliant. Yeah.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11I mean, you couldn't... You got it perfectly.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16We've got here a bun-form box and cover
0:36:16 > 0:36:19and a cylindrical box and cover.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24Similar in style, similar in palate, colouring,
0:36:24 > 0:36:26- but not meant to go together. - No, no.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28Where did you get them from?
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Well, my father was in the Royal Flying Corps
0:36:32 > 0:36:35and was a bit shot about because of the aeroplanes
0:36:35 > 0:36:38dropping out of the sky and was told by the
0:36:38 > 0:36:42doctors to go somewhere very quiet, so he went to Cornwall.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45And eventually he built a house, before he was married,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48and he must have furnished it, I think,
0:36:48 > 0:36:52from country house sales and I think that's maybe where it came from.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55- Really?- Yes. - When was this, year wise?
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- Mid-20s, I would have thought. - Yeah.- Yes.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Interesting. What's going on here?
0:37:00 > 0:37:03What is the decorative motif that we've got on this particular object?
0:37:03 > 0:37:07Well, I would say that these are bees...
0:37:07 > 0:37:08- Bees?- Bees. Are they bees?
0:37:08 > 0:37:09OK, bees. Yeah, go on.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14And there's... There's a Chinese insignia in the middle.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18- The rest is a floral motif on the blue ground...- OK.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20..bordered pattern and blue inside.
0:37:20 > 0:37:26And we have these, what we call, false gadroons on the edge.
0:37:26 > 0:37:32I have to do is pick you up on your entomology, I'm afraid.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35- Oh, right.- They're not bees.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38They're very badly designed lotuses.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41- Oh! - HE LAUGHS
0:37:41 > 0:37:43- I mean, you couldn't be further apart...- No.- That is what they are.
0:37:43 > 0:37:48And your symbol is a very stylised seal form
0:37:48 > 0:37:52of the word shu, which means happiness.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Oh, lovely.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56The Chinese have a saying, there are a thousand ways
0:37:56 > 0:37:58of writing shu.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02I think we're looking at something around the 1920s, 1930s.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Possibly a bit earlier, turn-of-the-century,
0:38:05 > 0:38:09- 1895, 1900, somewhere around there.- Right.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12So, where are we in price?
0:38:12 > 0:38:19Difficult, but the Chinese are now buying very strongly good-quality
0:38:19 > 0:38:24objects, even if they're not terribly old.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27- Both singles or pairs, we have? - This one is one of a pair.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28- That's one of a pair. - Identical pair.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30Right, OK. And that's a single.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32- And that's a single.- OK.
0:38:32 > 0:38:37A pair of those would make £2,000-3,000.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39My goodness.
0:38:39 > 0:38:44And that one would probably make 1,500 to 2,500 on its own.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- Gosh.- I think they're a great...
0:38:47 > 0:38:50- I think they're great. - ..collection. Yeah.
0:38:50 > 0:38:53Well, you've got something here that a lot of teenage girls in the 1970s
0:38:53 > 0:38:55would have given their eye teeth for.
0:38:55 > 0:38:57- But a letter from David Bowie. - Yes.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00But I understand you didn't really appreciate it at the time.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03No, I was a huge fan of David Cassidy
0:39:03 > 0:39:07and was quite surprised when this arrived through the post for me.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09So, I'll just read a little bit out of it here.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11It says, "Hi, Ruth..." which is you, obviously.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14"I've been told ya really dig the pop scene by
0:39:14 > 0:39:16"a great friend of mine.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17"He also told me your mum's in hospital
0:39:17 > 0:39:19"and might want a little bit of cheering up."
0:39:19 > 0:39:21Who is this person that got David Bowie
0:39:21 > 0:39:23to write the letter to you?
0:39:23 > 0:39:26It mentions John in there and John was actually my neighbour,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29he lived next door but one to where my parents lived,
0:39:29 > 0:39:33and this letter just appeared in the post one day
0:39:33 > 0:39:34and when I saw his name mentioned,
0:39:34 > 0:39:37I just thought, "I'll go and see if he's there,"
0:39:37 > 0:39:39which it does say he was at his parents' house the time,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and I took it round to the house and John answered the door and I said,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45"I've got this through the post, is it really off him?"
0:39:45 > 0:39:47And John said, "Yeah, I've been working with him in London."
0:39:47 > 0:39:50So he, sort of, verified it for me that it was.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Well, I think it kind of really shows the generosity of David...
0:39:53 > 0:39:56The spirit that David Bowie had and the affection
0:39:56 > 0:39:57that he had for his fans,
0:39:57 > 0:40:00- and I think that's something he was very well known for.- Definitely.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02And this is a very personal letter.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04You know, it goes on to say that, you know,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06his new album, Pin Ups, is coming out,
0:40:06 > 0:40:09so that would have been sort of 1974.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12And, you know, if you'd like one, he'll send you one.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15And then he, sort of, signs off, "Lots o' luck, love-on ya!"
0:40:15 > 0:40:16I love the way he uses, kind of,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19all those, sort of, 1970s references.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22You know, he was at the absolute height of his fame then.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24So, you know, it was really something for him
0:40:24 > 0:40:26to have taken the time to actually have written
0:40:26 > 0:40:28this personal letter to you.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Obviously, there are a lot of fanclub letters and things
0:40:30 > 0:40:33from David Bowie and they are typed and perhaps signed by him.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36But this, because it's so personal, it's in his own hand,
0:40:36 > 0:40:39which as we see, he had terrible writing...
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Well, I think this is a fantastic, very personal letter and obviously
0:40:42 > 0:40:46there's a great deal of interest in any Bowie memorabilia,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48particularly since his death, and I would...
0:40:48 > 0:40:51My personal feeling is that if it were to come up for sale
0:40:51 > 0:40:54you're probably looking in the region of £800-1,200 on it.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00Have you got a story about your brush with celebrity?
0:41:00 > 0:41:01Previously on the Antiques Roadshow
0:41:01 > 0:41:05we've featured memorable tales like The Day I Met The Beatles.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09And here we've got photographs of Paul McCartney
0:41:09 > 0:41:13in your family house and what was he playing?
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Well, amongst other things, Hey Jude.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21We've seen lavish gifts given by stars of the silver screen.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Well, my father was in the film business.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25He was a director of photography.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29And this is a watch that was given to him by Sophia Loren.
0:41:29 > 0:41:30'And we're on the lookout for stories
0:41:30 > 0:41:33'about television programmes, too.'
0:41:33 > 0:41:38My mother was a puppeteer, who worked for the BBC in the 1950s.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41She did Andy Pandy, she did Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot Men,
0:41:41 > 0:41:43Woodentops. That was her life.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49'We're planning a special edition, showcasing stories from stage,'
0:41:49 > 0:41:52screen and the music world.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55'If you've got an object that tells of your moment of fame,'
0:41:55 > 0:41:57we'd love to hear from you.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59E-mail us at...
0:42:04 > 0:42:07In the rapidly changing world that we live in,
0:42:07 > 0:42:11I think it's really important that we don't forget our history and
0:42:11 > 0:42:16this ring really does evoke a part of history that is just incredible.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18When I picked this up, this ring,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22you can feel the weight of it and it's pure gold.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25The reason why it's pure gold is because
0:42:25 > 0:42:29it is from the Californian Gold Rush of 1848,
0:42:29 > 0:42:32when there were about 100,000 miners in there.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34It was a real rush.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37And we've got here this wonderful picture
0:42:37 > 0:42:41which was sent with this ring to your...
0:42:41 > 0:42:45My grandmother's family.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47It arrived in a little silk purse.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49- In this pouch, it arrived? - In the pouch, yes.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53Through the post - the ring and the letter.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56And that's all we really know about it.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58So, he went to find his riches, did he?
0:42:58 > 0:43:02- Yes, yes.- On the back of this, we have the letter,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04half the letter unfortunately, the other half was lost,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06- but the letter of what he wrote... - Yes.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09- ..and you have transcribed it... - Yes.
0:43:09 > 0:43:10..and I would love you to read it.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12I'm going to turn it around so we can see it
0:43:12 > 0:43:15but you're going to read to us what it says.
0:43:15 > 0:43:20"My dear mother, when you write, tell me if Mathers Rothschild
0:43:20 > 0:43:23"has a bank or agent in Coventry,
0:43:23 > 0:43:25"for I want to remit you some money
0:43:25 > 0:43:31"and I would like to allow you ten shillings a week for your life.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34"We have some idea of returning to Coventry.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38"We intend leaving California next April.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41"Tell me all about my sisters and brothers.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44"My daughters are very handsome.
0:43:44 > 0:43:48"They are invited to the first balls and parties.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51"The view above is where they first found gold.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54"This is a wonderful country.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59"Some men make great fortunes and some can barely live.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01"Some rich today and beggars tomorrow."
0:44:03 > 0:44:05Gosh! I mean, that just gives me goose bumps.
0:44:05 > 0:44:07You know, to think that...
0:44:07 > 0:44:09I mean, how I imagine it is...
0:44:09 > 0:44:13Actually, one of my favourite all-time films is Paint Your Wagon
0:44:13 > 0:44:16with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood -
0:44:16 > 0:44:19singing, you know, I Was Born Under a Wand'rin' Star.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22And you can just imagine that your ancestors...
0:44:22 > 0:44:25- It was very similar... - Yes.- ..how it was.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28They'd have gone on some sort of a wagon train to get there and...
0:44:28 > 0:44:30- Yes.- Amazing.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33Incredibly intrepid and they came from Coventry originally?
0:44:33 > 0:44:34Yeah.
0:44:34 > 0:44:37And the fact that he mentions that he wants to pay his mother
0:44:37 > 0:44:41ten shillings a week for the rest of her life, I mean,
0:44:41 > 0:44:42what does that equate to?
0:44:42 > 0:44:48It must be... Well, a maid earnt about £7 a year.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52- Gosh. And this equated to £25 a year.- Yes.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56So, that must have been an incredible, incredible gift...
0:44:56 > 0:44:58- Yeah.- ..to their mother.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02I've never seen something like this before on the Antiques Roadshow
0:45:02 > 0:45:03or anywhere else.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06And for me to feel that this came from the goldfields
0:45:06 > 0:45:12of California in 1848 is just incredible!
0:45:12 > 0:45:13I mean, of course, the value...
0:45:13 > 0:45:15It isn't about the value,
0:45:15 > 0:45:18it's about the social history that it represents.
0:45:18 > 0:45:22But in auction, it would be in around about £400.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24But it might be more to, you know, someone who really
0:45:24 > 0:45:27wants to collect this part of history.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29It's a very important part of our history.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31- So, thank you very much. - No problem.
0:45:37 > 0:45:43A beautiful Simon and Halbig doll of around 1880.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46- But she swims, doesn't she? - She does. Yes.
0:45:46 > 0:45:48She was my mother's.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50- My mother was born in 1903. - Right.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54- So she must have had it a few years after that.- Yes.
0:45:54 > 0:45:58But she's made of cork, which is obviously why she floats.
0:46:05 > 0:46:10We were allowed to have her in the bath occasionally but not freely
0:46:10 > 0:46:12because she is rather special.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16So even though, obviously as young children,
0:46:16 > 0:46:18she was still relatively old in many respects
0:46:18 > 0:46:20and quite precious to your mother,
0:46:20 > 0:46:22she did allow you to use her at bath time occasionally.
0:46:22 > 0:46:26- Yes.- Isn't that incredible.- Mm-hm. - Does she have a name?- Belinda.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29- Belinda. What a lovely name! - I don't know why.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31But, anyway, she is Belinda.
0:46:35 > 0:46:40- Shall we wind her up and see what happens?- Yes, do.
0:46:44 > 0:46:45HE LAUGHS
0:46:45 > 0:46:48- She has the most amazing swimming action, doesn't she?- Yes, she does.
0:46:48 > 0:46:51- And it really does work. - Yes.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53She's actually quite a collectable thing.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55And I think that if you put her into auction,
0:46:55 > 0:46:59there's every chance you would make around about £400-£600.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01- No.- You're not going to sell her, are you?- No.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03- She's going to my granddaughter. - Good.
0:47:03 > 0:47:06But I suspect you're not going to let your granddaughter
0:47:06 > 0:47:08- put her in the bath. - Certainly not, no!
0:47:13 > 0:47:15So, this is quite an understated piece
0:47:15 > 0:47:18you've brought us in to look at today.
0:47:18 > 0:47:19How did you come by it?
0:47:19 > 0:47:22It's been in my family for over 100 years.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27So, my great-great-uncle was in the navy
0:47:27 > 0:47:30and he was sent to China in 1899
0:47:30 > 0:47:35to help the British forces when the Boxer Revolution
0:47:35 > 0:47:37was started in China.
0:47:37 > 0:47:40So, he was there through the Boxer Uprising...
0:47:40 > 0:47:43- He was, yeah. - ..in 1899 to 1901.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46Which was a, sort of, quite a violent anti-foreign uprising...
0:47:46 > 0:47:48- That's right. - ..which happened in China.
0:47:48 > 0:47:51So he would have been part of the British, the coalition troops...
0:47:51 > 0:47:53The coalition troops that were sent there. That's right.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55..that were sent there. What do you know about it?
0:47:55 > 0:47:57Not very much. I know it's a Dragon robe.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59- OK.- I believe that that's what it's called.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01- That's all you know. - It's a five-clawed dragon.
0:48:01 > 0:48:05Well, let's open this up so we can get the full splendour
0:48:05 > 0:48:09of this wonderful thing. If we open up these arms here...
0:48:09 > 0:48:11And the first thing that, you know, you're struck by
0:48:11 > 0:48:14is just that the colours and the quality of the embroidery
0:48:14 > 0:48:17that's gone into this and indeed the work that's gone into it.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20This took somebody a great deal of time, care and passion
0:48:20 > 0:48:22to produce this.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25And you are absolutely right it is a dragon robe.
0:48:25 > 0:48:27It would have been made in the late Qing Dynasty,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30so towards the end of the 19th century.
0:48:30 > 0:48:33In fact, when your great-great-uncle was there in 1899,
0:48:33 > 0:48:36and it's fairly obvious that's when he picked it up.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38The thing that strikes you straightaway
0:48:38 > 0:48:40is this wonderful dragon in the centre here,
0:48:40 > 0:48:44this ferocious dragon and he's got, as you say, these five claws.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46And then you've got other wonderful things,
0:48:46 > 0:48:48like you've got the, you know, the storks there,
0:48:48 > 0:48:50and you've got these lovely flaming pearls.
0:48:50 > 0:48:53- You've got bats...- Yeah. - ..you've got the clouds.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55And then you come down to the base here
0:48:55 > 0:48:58and you've got this wonderful, what they call, sort of,
0:48:58 > 0:49:00lishu apron there, just, sort of, tipped with these wonderful,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02sort of, crashing waves
0:49:02 > 0:49:05around the top and these happiness symbols there also.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07I'll be honest, when you first took it out at the table,
0:49:07 > 0:49:10I thought it was going to be one that was made a little bit later
0:49:10 > 0:49:11than the date would suggest.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13But actually the more time I've spent with this,
0:49:13 > 0:49:16the more confidence that it's given me.
0:49:16 > 0:49:17Where's it stored?
0:49:17 > 0:49:21It's stored in a suitcase in my dad's loft.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23- That might suggest...- In the dark!
0:49:23 > 0:49:26That might suggest why it survived in such great condition.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29Look, it's a wonderful piece. It probably deserves to be out.
0:49:29 > 0:49:30Maybe you could start wearing it out -
0:49:30 > 0:49:32a dressing gown or something like that.
0:49:32 > 0:49:34But as I said earlier, it might be too understated for you.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36It's a lovely thing.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39If it came up for auction, I think it probably would bring
0:49:39 > 0:49:42somewhere around £1,000-1,500.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45Lovely. Yeah, that's really nice. Really good.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49When I come to the Antiques Roadshow,
0:49:49 > 0:49:54you see all manner of things from period and antique and exquisite.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56But then you look at things that are just
0:49:56 > 0:50:00so beautifully elegant and perfect.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03So perfect that they look as if they could have been made yesterday.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05- Absolutely.- But, tell me, how do you come to be the owner
0:50:05 > 0:50:09of these two beautiful silver flower baskets?
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Well, there was a lady living opposite us in Barnet
0:50:13 > 0:50:17in Hertfordshire and she became a great friend,
0:50:17 > 0:50:19became part of our family.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23And when she died, bless her heart, she left them to me and Bob
0:50:23 > 0:50:26and several other bits and pieces.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29Do you know who they're by?
0:50:29 > 0:50:31I can't remember the name,
0:50:31 > 0:50:33but I know that her father...
0:50:33 > 0:50:36I mean, she was 93 when she died.
0:50:36 > 0:50:41When her father came back from the war,
0:50:41 > 0:50:45he brought these back for his wife, her mother.
0:50:45 > 0:50:49What you are looking at, for me, is a real heart-stop moment.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53- Oh, really?- They are by, for me, one of the greatest designers
0:50:53 > 0:50:56of the 20th century, a gentleman called Joseph Hoffmann.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57Hoffman.
0:50:57 > 0:51:01Joseph Hoffmann was predominantly an architect but actually,
0:51:01 > 0:51:05- beyond that, he was all-encompassing as a designer.- Yes.
0:51:05 > 0:51:08He had a vision that the home he would build,
0:51:08 > 0:51:10the building he would create,
0:51:10 > 0:51:14would also be populated by the objects he designed -
0:51:14 > 0:51:16- whether it was a chair, a door handle...- Yes.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19..a flower basket, whatever.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23And it's that refinement, that exquisiteness of design...
0:51:23 > 0:51:27- Absolutely.- He was part of the Vienna Secessionist movement.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30- Yes.- And in 1903, he established the Wiener Werkstaette
0:51:30 > 0:51:33which was an organisation to work between artist, designer,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35truth to materials.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38But also a key date just before that was in 1900 -
0:51:38 > 0:51:41he met the great Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44And many people have the debate of who influenced whom.
0:51:44 > 0:51:47This specific design, a beautiful little flower basket,
0:51:47 > 0:51:52was created in painted metal, silver plate,
0:51:52 > 0:51:53- and silver.- Yes.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55- And yours are solid silver. - Yes.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58And if we just look underneath to the base,
0:51:58 > 0:52:00we have a lovely series of marks here,
0:52:00 > 0:52:02which is the Wiener Werkstaette mark.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05- Right.- We also have Joseph Hoffmann's marks
0:52:05 > 0:52:08and we also have a little marking the centre,
0:52:08 > 0:52:11- which is the Wiener Werkstaette rose.- How lovely.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14We've got to talk price.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Go on, then.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19- £8,000. - SHE GASPS
0:52:19 > 0:52:20You're not serious?
0:52:20 > 0:52:24- No, I'm not, because it's £8,000 each.- Each.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26Are you serious?
0:52:26 > 0:52:29I don't joke about things like this, you know.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31They are spectacular.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38Well, my eyes were out on stalks and indeed my heart
0:52:38 > 0:52:43had palpitations when I saw the visual feast
0:52:43 > 0:52:50within these amazing volumes of Indian watercolours.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53Where did you get these from?
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Well, they were in the collection of my great-grandfather,
0:52:56 > 0:52:59Major-General Henry George White.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04After he was commissioned into the Royal Scots in 1854,
0:53:04 > 0:53:07he went to the Crimean War first of all.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10After that, he was involved in the Indian Mutiny,
0:53:10 > 0:53:12just for a couple of months,
0:53:12 > 0:53:14so I don't think he acquired the books then.
0:53:14 > 0:53:21But after that, in 1866 to 1870, he was stationed in the north-west
0:53:21 > 0:53:24part of India and that's where I think
0:53:24 > 0:53:25he acquired these books.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28And what an illustrious career.
0:53:28 > 0:53:32Now, just to go to the front of this volume,
0:53:32 > 0:53:36we have the book plate of the very gentleman, your great-grandfather,
0:53:36 > 0:53:41Henry George White, Major-General. There's his armorial.
0:53:41 > 0:53:46He may have acquired them in the north of India but I think
0:53:46 > 0:53:48these were done in the south of India.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52- Really?- ..in Tanjore and that really is almost
0:53:52 > 0:53:57on the southern tip of India itself and there was schools of painters
0:53:57 > 0:54:01who following a certain western style of art,
0:54:01 > 0:54:05started to do these figurative studies.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07The pictures themselves,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10which are done in gouache on fairly thick card,
0:54:10 > 0:54:12were done in around 1810.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15But as I, sort of, flick the pages,
0:54:15 > 0:54:18and I have selected a few rather special ones,
0:54:18 > 0:54:23you get an ascetic couple with some sort of cat skin
0:54:23 > 0:54:29over his shoulders, and they're smoking a very unusual form of pipe.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31So there's great detail in the sky.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33There's the wonderful perspective.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37There's just so many. I mean, there's all sorts of trades.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42Like, there's some of goldsmiths operating some sort of trade.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46But I mean, there's two volumes and I think there's 49 altogether.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48- Is that right? - That's what we counted, yes.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50Yeah.
0:54:50 > 0:54:51Again, with the book plate.
0:54:51 > 0:54:55Some of them are just awash with gold leaf.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59I mean, this is one of my favourite images of this absolutely beautiful
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Indian dancer with two musicians.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06And even the drum that this particular musician holds
0:55:06 > 0:55:10is covered in gold leaf and little flower heads.
0:55:10 > 0:55:15But they're an amazing condition. I mean, where have they been?
0:55:15 > 0:55:17Well, they were certainly packed away for a long time
0:55:17 > 0:55:22and I think they remained in packing cases right the way through
0:55:22 > 0:55:25my grandfather's, and in fact my father's, lifetime,
0:55:25 > 0:55:29because my father spent almost his entire life abroad.
0:55:29 > 0:55:34So I think... I deduce from that that they spent 74 years in packing
0:55:34 > 0:55:39cases and it was only in 1988 that we pulled them out of the case...
0:55:39 > 0:55:43Well, my wife pulled them out, and said, "Wow!"
0:55:43 > 0:55:44And what about valuation?
0:55:44 > 0:55:46I mean, that's what you brought them here for.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49Have you ever, sort of, thought it through
0:55:49 > 0:55:50or done any sort of research?
0:55:50 > 0:55:53I'm afraid I have absolutely no idea at all.
0:55:54 > 0:55:59Well, I think if I was to put these in auction and, let's face it,
0:55:59 > 0:56:04the condition's good, they're quite large plates,
0:56:04 > 0:56:10so my auction estimate would be between £50-80,000.
0:56:10 > 0:56:11Oh, good Lord!
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Well, I said I'd buy the grandchildren an ice cream
0:56:16 > 0:56:17if they were more than £100!
0:56:20 > 0:56:23More than £100?!
0:56:23 > 0:56:24I think they had a dead cert there.
0:56:27 > 0:56:29Well, that's quite amazing.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32Well, thank you very much for all your expertise.
0:56:32 > 0:56:33My pleasure.
0:56:34 > 0:56:37And as we prepare to pack up from our busy day,
0:56:37 > 0:56:40our visit here has also proved our chance to say farewell to
0:56:40 > 0:56:43BBC Caversham, as since this programme was recorded,
0:56:43 > 0:56:46it's been announced that the monitoring service here
0:56:46 > 0:56:48will be relocated to London.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53Our day here at Caversham is drawing to a close but before we go,
0:56:53 > 0:56:57I want to share something with you that I've learnt today.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01BBC Caversham stores all BBC artist contracts
0:57:01 > 0:57:04from about the 1920s until about 2006.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07So some of mine will be in there, which is a bit of a shock to me.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10But also, I found this one in the archive,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12which I thought you'd like to see.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15It is all the contracts for Julie Andrews
0:57:15 > 0:57:17when she was employed by the BBC
0:57:17 > 0:57:22and the first item in her file is when she was nine and a half.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24She came along to the BBC and two producers wrote to each other
0:57:24 > 0:57:27about her and this letter says,
0:57:27 > 0:57:29"She is very charming and well-behaved
0:57:29 > 0:57:32"and has no idea, fortunately, how good she is.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36"Her breath control, diction and range is quite extraordinary
0:57:36 > 0:57:37"for so young a child.
0:57:37 > 0:57:42"And I imagine in the States she would be a top-liner."
0:57:43 > 0:57:47And of such thing, legends are made. Julie Andrews. What about that?
0:57:48 > 0:57:52From here at Caversham and the whole Roadshow team, bye-bye.